Feeling overwhelmed in religion

@Sunnyrain27

@Sunnyrain27

Alaikum assalam sunny..I am also a convert to Islam and I can understand what you are going through.  The things you described are actually normal for Muslims and I guess believers in the afterlife.  It is also normal to feel not good enough at times but the more you learn the more you will find that actually Allah is a merciful God and that He has promised that His mercy precede s his wrath.  Also if we make a mistake even a sin we only have to ask for forgiveness and make a firm resolution to try not to do it again and we always hope for Allah's forgiveness and mercy because He has promised these things 

In the Quran a verse tells us not to despair of the mercy of Allah

Also the difference between believers and hypocrites is that believers hold a good opinion of Allah - that He will forgive them and wants well for them, whereas hypocrites often tend to assume the worst and don't trust that Allah has our best interests at heart.

It is also normal to feel afraid concerning the day of judgment but when we follow the religion and do what we can and repent when we make a mistake then we are told that Allah will have mercy on us ..we are not asked to be perfect or expected to be.  Rather we should just remain mindful of Allah and do our best.

Some things we are also not accountable for...for example if we did something out of forgetfulness, were forced or were unconscious for example.  Also people who have more difficulty doing things will have more reward for the what they can do and more mercy for what they can't.

Allah actually gives us more rewards for our intentions and efforts rather than the actual result 

I hope that has helped.

@Sunnyrain27

Hi Sunny! Glad that I have a new sister/brother in Islam! I am a born Muslim and while I'm not a perfect Muslim myself, I will try to answer your questions as much as I can. I'm sorry if my answers aren't perfect.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed or the need to be perfect in all aspects of life? No. I understand that we as humans make mistakes and that is the nature of human beings. No one is perfect except Allah.

Does the afterlife scare you? Yes, sometimes, but I also have to remember that I have to give my best in this Dunya so that I can face the afterlife.

How do you deal with making mistakes? Repentance to Allah. Allah forgives everything.

I also would like to remind you to take things slowly. As a revert, you'll take time to process and learn about Islam, and that's okay. Take your time. Good luck. Let me know if you need a friend or someone to talk to. I can be your friend. :)

@Sunnyrain27 Thank you for sharing and no one can be a perfect Muslim. We can strive to be a good, god fearing muslim best we can. Every Muslim is a "work in progress" and Allah is most merciful and most forgiving. Hence, I suggest not to overwhelm yourself striving for perfection. But yes, do your best and be conscious of Allah and do every action to please Allah. 

Islam wants us to hope for the best and to prepare accordingly. Lets hope for heaven in the hereafter and prepare for it by following the teaching of Islam, praying and all other things. Afterlife is scary as in I want to enter heaven and this fear should help us to be mindful of our actions, not do sins etc. At the same time, have good hopes that inshallah we will enter heaven and we do best we can to please Allah and keep striving for it.

I deal with mistakes by asking Allah for forgiveness as much as I can and yes, I also apologize to the concerned person. We are human and we will make mistakes. But, we also have the capacity to take corrective action and ensure we don't repeat the same mistakes

I will share some hadith below:

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah Almighty said: O son of Adam, if you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you despite what is within you and I will not hesitate. O son of Adam, if you have sins piling up to the clouds and then ask for My forgiveness, I will forgive you without hesitation. O son of Adam, if you come to Me with enough sins to fill the earth and then you meet Me without associating anything with Me, I will come to you with enough forgiveness to fill the earth.”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3540

Yahya ibn Abi Kathir reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “If a caller from heaven announced that all people would enter Paradise together but for one man, I would fear that I am him. And if a caller announced that all people would enter Hellfire together but for one man, I would hope that I am him.”

Source: Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’ 1/53

Walikum assalam.

First, a lot of congratulations on finding your way into Islam. At first, you may feel overwhelmed but things will get better after some time. I'll give you answers to your questions according to my perspective.

1: This feeling is real. Not being good enough or a perfect Muslim. But remember that Allah created us with those flaws. We have to keep fighting with them til there would be a point where you will no longer have to fight. Your thoughts would align with your faith. That would be a sign that your efforts are accepted and your rank has been raised.

Also No one can be a perfect muslim otherwise their journey will end while Islam is about constant growth. There are some milestones in this journey, you achieve one, celebrate it for a while and then onto the next one. This journey only ends when your time on this Earth ends.

2: The afterlife scares me sometimes but then I think to myself that if I am doing all in my power already, there's nothing I need to worry about. Allah's expectations from us are not beyond what we can achieve because He knows us better than anyone even ourselves and He knows what we are capable of. We will never be burdened beyond our bearing.

3: We are mere humans. We make mistakes every day countless times. But do you know what is the best way to deal with it? Ask for forgiveness from Him. Beg for forgiveness again and again and again. Even if everytime you keep making mistakes, just do one thing keep returning back to Him with pure intentions of being forgiven and giving up that sin. You may go back to sin unintentionally or unwillingly, but don't ever stop going back to Him. Don't ever think that He has abandoned you because of your mistakes or sins. As long as you are breathing, walking on this Earth, sky is not collapsing on you, then you still have a chance to return to Him, you still have a chance to be forgiven.

Just remember one thing,

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" (Arabic: بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ)

This is the introduction He gives about Himself. These are the names He uses to describe His majestic qualities.

I also posted a thread on this forum for people to ask questions about Islam, if you have any follow up questions, please feel free to ask me there too.

Asalamualaikum! brothers and sisters

actually I am   a Muslim teen but i am so confused and far away from my faith could u please help me

from past 2 to 3 years i didn't  practiced  my  religion practices and ritiuals including fasting

@Sunnyrain27

Hey, I am glad you found your faith and zi want to answer your questions.

First off what you should know that the prophet himself said that he is not a perfect muslim so I dont belive no one can be. The fact that you are here asking is it okay to not feel like a perfect muslim says enough of how kind your soul is and how great of a person you are. Dear Allah is the MOST merciful and forgiving. Feeling overwhelmed is totally normal and questioning yourself on are you a "perfect muslim" is also part of faith and I think that it is beautiful. It is what makes you try to be better. If you were here and you were claiming to be "perfect muslim" then you would not be. Dont think of Islam as a religion think more of it like faith and rulings that will help YOU in life. It is something that you belive in that keeps you going through life and something you cherish in your heart. Only Allah knows what is in your heart and what your intentions are. Yes, afterlife is scary but always remember who is our Lord, who even let you become a muslim so that you can be seen in Jannah, who is the most forgiving and most merciful and who you trust the most and who you rely on to. 

Dear Allah does not want you evil and is someone you can always rely on and talk to.

And dont think about Allah as a man that sits on the clouds above us on a throne they are not a human but humans have "humanized" them.  Dear Allah is everywhere even in the air that you breathe they is always with you.❤️

Just try to do your best and dont be too hard on yourself  because not even our prophet was perfect. 

I wish you the best luck and InshAllah you will find your path.❤️

i have a  question

Where were our souls before we were born? Were our souls created at the time of birth, and if so, with what?"