Seeking advice on a difficult relationship that brought me to Islam
Assalamu alaikum, brothers and sisters. I’m in a tough spot and really need some sincere guidance. About two years back, I met a sister online who introduced me to Islam, and alhamdulillah, I embraced the faith and will never leave it. But our situation started in a messed-up way-I asked her out when I barely knew her, and she rightly said she can’t date as a Muslim. I was a naive 15, almost 16, and I foolishly told her I’d become Muslim so we could be together. I didn’t grasp the weight of that, growing up in a home where religion wasn’t central. She was four years older and accepted my confession, which she shouldn’t have. Since then, I’ve given up so much-pushed my parents to move to our home country to be near her, worked part-time jobs to buy her gifts and take her on pricey dates, cut off friends. This somehow led to holding hands, then kissing, and eventually she persuaded me into intercourse. Astaghfirullah, I enjoyed those moments with someone I loved, but I never started them, and now I deeply regret losing my innocence and taking hers. I’m torn-I don’t want to leave because of the guilt and her promise that these acts were okay since we’d 100% get married. But our bond is falling apart, we argue constantly, and the initial princess treatment can’t last. We’ve discovered things about each other that don’t fit. Only religion and remorse keep us tied. Can anyone offer real advice on what to do?