asaalamulaikum and hi! read your post and was very touched by your conversion story and your quest to find out about Islamic teachings and the your need for the right Mosque...If it helps any I am a reverted Muslim by that I mean I was born a Muslim but never understood what Islam meant as a way of life so I identify with you and can just say that Islam is first and foremost in your heart and mind and Allah's earth is its playing feild....in my opinion you are asking all the right questions and Allah will be quiding you and making the path easy and wonderful.

Salam sister Daniela,

Alhumdulilah...I wish that i could help but i live all the way in Atlanta, GA.

Pehaps, the best way would be visiting differen Masjid and just ask other sisters at the Masjid. I really hope this helps and please feel free to contact me if you have any question. Well if you need a friend , I'm her sister!

Masalaam,

Ikram

Salam alaikum sister. Alhumdulilah, you came to Islam and inshallah, it will be the start of the rest of your life. I live in Northern New Jersey, about an hour and a half from Philly. I just moved here within the last year from the midwest and am still looking for a diverse masjid where I can feel comfortable. I was used to fitting right in, and alhumdulilah I used to have such a great community. Now, there are many masjids in my area, but you go into one...and it's almost all of one ethnicity. I'm one of the few non-desi people at my masjid, and I don't feel comfortable at all. A lot of people just stare and make me feel like I don't belong. It's not the feeling you are supposed to get when being in a masjid. Anyways, I know of the Islamic Center of Passaic County in Paterson, NJ that offers some classes for sisters. I used to attend a class on Friday nights that was really good. We learned about different topics and could discuss things openly. There is also a beginner's Arabic class on Sundays for sisters.

As for learning how to pray, I learned by first reading a book and then practicing and just memorizing simple surahs. I would learn them in English and Arabic, and when I am praying, I actually know what I am saying instead of just babbling off something and not knowing the meaning. It is important to know how to read the Quran in Arabic, but you also need to know it's meaning. I would suggest reading it a few times in Englsh first, and you will have a very good interpretation of it. Many people put too much emphasis on knowing how to read the Quran in Arabic because if you ask them what it means, they can't tell you. You have to understand it, because it is a guide for how to live your life.

Also, many people will tell you different things, such as how to pray. There is more than one right way. People worry about little things, when we have a lot bigger issues we need to focus on. Don't worry about cultural issues. Many Muslims get their culture confused with Islam and put one over the other. Just read the Quran and hadiths and try to follow them to the best of your ability.

Coming to Islam on your own, you will have a lot of people questioning your faith or intentions. It's really sad because they make it feel like you have to prove yourself to them. You have to be very strong and put your trust in Allah. You know in your heart what you feel, and you are the only one who can experience that and understand it.

Lastly, if you need anything, inshallah, I will do my best to help you. If you'd like, we can meet up sometime and I can introduce you to some sisters. It's really hard to meet people at first and can be very intimidating. Be patient, and Inshallah, Allah will make your journey easy.

Salams,

Sara

,

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

I am not familiar with Philadelphia area but Insha'Allah I would make a few suggestions that might be helpful to you.

You have a valid concern of finding a diverse masjid where you can feel comfortable. I would suggest you to reach out to the masjid which has the largest gathering. Because the masjid caters to such a large gathering, it is possible that you will find people from diverse cultures and background. Insha'Allah, you will find there some people who are from American culture as well. Once, you are there, try to approach the Imam of the masjid and ask him if he could refer you to some sister in the masjid whom you can talk and ask questions. Usually in masjids, there is an Imam and there are also some sisters who take care of female needs and questions. And please never be hesitant in asking questions. Please ask any question to them that you feel worth asking and that pertains to your life. Women used to come to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for clarifications and they used to ask Him (SAW) all kinds of questions. So, please ask whatever you feel like and ALLAH has given you all the right.

Insha'Allah these sisters will be a great help to get you started. I wouldn't be too concerned about learning various cultural practices. Islam is a universal religion and it upholds all traditions and practices as long as they do not contravene with Islamic beliefs and values. You are American and the American culture has lot of practices that are better than what we find in our culture today. I suggest you not to totally discard your culture but eliminate those aspects of it that defies Islamic beliefs and values. But if you like some practices from other cultures and they do not violate Islamic values, feel free to adopt them. It's all upto you.

Learning religion is a slow process. Since you are new to the religion, the analogy would be like teaching a kid about Islam and asking him to follow them. In your case, Alhamdu'lilah, you are an adult and can move and learn much faster and ALLAH has already showed you the guidance. I would urge you to read Islamic books and articles online. Ask sisters in the masjid about books and Qur'an. Do not overburden yourself, but take everything slowly and have patience. Try to learn atleast one thing new about Islam everyday and ALLAH will guide you further. Thats a very good question of how to learn reading Arabic. I would again suggest you to ask sisters in the Masjid. If I were in that area, Insha'Allah I would have helped you with that.

Wearing hijab is your personal choice. Islam is a personal faith. It's a relationship between you and ALLAH without any middleware. Hijab is a sign of modesty and it allows women to protect their charms from men. Hijab also has other advantages that Insha'Allah you will find in the near future and then you can decide if you want to adopt it or not.

Please start by learning basics of Islam like what are the five tenets of Islam and learning how to pray. Also beware of certain websites as they misinterpret Islam. I find the following two websites of many other to be the best. zaytuna.org soundvision.com
Also you can send them emails in case of any questions and they will be glad to reply back.

Hope you find this helpful. Please forgive me for any mistakes and feel free to ask questions here also. if you would like to send me an email regarding any question, please feel free to do that as well.

May ALLAH forgive me if I have said anything wrong, and if I have said anything right, it's from ALLAH.

Your brother in Islam,
WA
- Faisal