Muslim Diaries: Advice To Converts During Ramadan

May Allah bless you, strengthen you during Ramadan, and guide your path. Ameen.
Asalaamu Alaikum.

Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan here in the United States (22nd August). I assume that in highly diverse areas of the country families are preparing together and Taraweeh (extra voluntary ramadan prayers) will be prayed tonight. In my little town, no one even knows what Ramadan is. I mentioned it to my mother yesterday and I think she thought that it was a Jewish Holy Month.

I won’t be able to pray Taraweeh and my hands will not be painted with henna when Eid gets here. My boyfriend said that he would celebrate with me to the best of his abilities, so I intend to buy him a present for each day. Everything is hitting me all at once honestly, and with school starting in four days, I know things are going to get harder.

Because of this I’m not fasting from food every day of Ramadan. I’m going to fast as often as I can without breaking down, but even on the days that I eat, I won’t be eating French fries, drinking soda, taking a warm shower, or checking my MySpace.

At times I feel like a fake, miserable Muslim. But then I remember that the Qur’an was revealed over a 20 years span; Allah didn’t expect Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to change all at once. He knew that asking Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to change his whole way of life right away would be too much. Sometimes I get stressed and judge my devotion to Allah, but then I get things back in perspective and remember that He will never push me harder than I can handle.

My Advice To New Converts
If you’re thinking about converting, take things step by step. I would suggest finding a solid website or mentor who can help you. Avoid Wikipedia, since anyone can alter its content and if there are no Muslims near you find someone online. Don’t cling to the first person you find, but look until you come across someone who is living the Muslim life, who is compassionate and knows their stuff.

Order a Qur’an and other information from Why Islam.org, or even call their hotline. Find a website that will answer your questions, while backing them up with scripture. It’s really easy to be misled.

If you have converted to Islam, I really recommend you learn the five daily prayers in your own language. I still only know it in English, but it’s a big part of everyday Muslim life, so knowing it is top priority. As often as you pray in a day means it won’t take long to memorize the whole prayer either. It took me about four days. Another thing I suggest is learning some Dua`s (supplications, Arabic prayers in your own words) because I’ve found that when walking around shady parts of town I feel better if I can recite to myself,

“Oh Allah, protect me from them in whatever way You like.”

Don’t get yourself all stressed out unnecessarily. When I began learning the salah (prayer) I went to Wikipedia and only made things harder on my mentor. She had to calm me down because I thought each cycle of prayer was different! It’s not as hard and daunting as it can look, I promise.
Give it a shot. Convert whole heartedly and take things step by step. (: