New Muslim Wife Seeking Advice on Praying with Husband
Assalamu’alaikum :) Just a little intro, feel free to skip if you want and jump to the question! I recently shared a bit about my journey to Islam, and alhamdulillah, with the encouragement and support I received, I found my faith sincerely. Last Friday, I attended Jummah with my husband, who I mentioned before, and I took my shahada. Although we had talked about eventually getting married and the details like mehr, we ended up having our nikah right after, which was such a beautiful moment. Seeing my husband’s face full of happiness and pride as I wore my hijab for the first time to the masjid, and the tears he shed when I surprised him by taking my shahada during the imam’s recitation for our nikah... I’m just so grateful to Allah for guiding me to this beautiful deen through such a loving and caring husband. I look forward to growing and improving together with him. Part of my journey included a sudden close call with death, which pushed me to take my shahada even before I fully learned about prayer and its practices. I’ve been learning by watching him pray and from what he’s taught me. He’s a revert too, about three years in, and knows the prayers well. Right now, I follow his movements and repeat what I can. My question is about how he should lead prayer when we pray together. I’ve been standing to his right, a bit behind, but I read that directly behind might be the correct spot. Our space is small, so I’m not sure if that’s possible. Also, when he leads aloud, what parts should I focus on learning to recite myself? I’m still new to following a led prayer and trying to understand the meanings in English to keep my intention clear. He’s learning Arabic too, and mostly prays in Arabic but sometimes explains in English for me. I’d really appreciate any advice on how a husband and wife can pray together properly and tips on learning the prayers better. JazakAllahu khair for any help! 🫶🏼