Torn between obeying Allah and keeping peace with my parents - feeling guilty no matter what
Assalamu alaikum, I’m really confused and could use honest, simple advice. I try hard to do what I think pleases Allah, but recently I’ve been feeling guilty and upset even when I follow what I believe is right. It’s like every choice I make someone gets hurt - either I fear displeasing Allah or I upset my parents. A recent example: I had to go to a family meal at a restaurant with my mother’s sister’s family. There was free mixing, lots of joking and laughing, and no Islamic boundaries - several people there weren’t mahram. That made me uncomfortable and I feel it’s not proper Islamically. I’ve tried to explain to my parents that there are rules about mixing and that it isn’t just my personal preference. I don’t want to be rude or cut people off; I’m trying to follow what I understand from Islam. When I go, I end up being quiet, looking down, not taking part much, and then my parents get annoyed. They say I have an attitude or that people will think I’m mentally unwell. If I stay home, things get worse. My mom can get angry and call me lazy or useless, and says I should be doing other Islamic things instead. I admit I could help more at home, but when I ask what to do she doesn’t give a clear answer. They also dismiss the scholars I follow and say “no one knows what’s right anyway,” and when I try to explain how scholarship works it just makes tensions worse. What hurts is feeling trapped. I feel like I’m disobeying Allah when I attend these gatherings, but I’m also afraid of displeasing Allah by hurting my parents. I don’t know how to balance obeying Allah and being dutiful and kind to my parents when they seem to clash. Has anyone been through something similar? How do you manage family expectations, cultural habits, and Islamic limits without always feeling like you’re failing? JazakAllahu khair for reading. I’m South Asian and have come closer to Salafiyyah recently.