Its been few months now, since my heart was opened up with light of guidance, alhamdulilah i was redirected to seek more knowledge of Islam. As I am trying my best to Refresh my knowledge with the basics once again, 'aqeedah', and issues of 'fiqh', 'Quran recitation' etc. I dont feel quite ready to resume my second semester at college which begins in one week. I want to delay my studying until I am done my Islamic studies, however it will be a while and from previous experience I have learned I am not capable of handling both Full time college work and attaining Firdh Islamic Ilm. I am torn between two things, How shall I compensate for the other? Any advice for my moral dilemma will be appreciated! btw, if you would advise Istakarah, I have done so, I dont see any way out of this..my mind is fogged!

My situation is very hopeless?? that nobody has replied...

Brother, couldnt you do both? For instance study Islam weekends and attend your college at the same time. Many people do this all the time. This way you get the best of both worlds.

Assalamu aliakum Sister,

Sometimes when we begin to feel the pleasure of gaining Islamic knowledge and ibadah we are so overwhelmed by the joy it brings us that we get caught up in the zeal of it. I remember when I first began 'practicing' -if we can call it that - I felt the same way. I wanted to dedicate every moment of every day to Ibadah and gaining knowledge. But subhan Allah we are human... and we tire as our burst of energy wears out. The prophet (peace be upon him) warned about this. He said: “Faith wears out in your heart as clothes wear out, so ask Allaah to renew the faith in your hearts.” and “There is no heart that does not have clouds like the clouds that cover the moon. When the cloud covers it, it is dark, and when the cloud moves away it shines.”

Saying that.. sincerely advise you Sister to take it slow. Don't over engulf yourself in something on the account of something else. It will be hard to keep up that way, and when you begin to slow down.. you may feel hopeless or depressed because you've 'gone backwards'. As the prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The most beloved of actions to Allaah are those which are done persistently, even if they are little.” So set yourself up a routine in which you can balance your formal education and your attainment of Islamic knowledge. Also, keep in mind that your 'formal education', with the right intention, is a form of worship and may be a great door to dawah.

May Allah bless your effort, time, knowledge and energy..
And may He make your path one of increasing iman and benefit to yourself and others.

I have tried following this plan, hence, I dont seem to get far because I work on weekends.Jazaki ullah Khairan akhti for replying.:sister:

subhaAllah, enlightening post, finally someone knows what I am speaking about. Takbir!. The balance is the key word, however I feel as if I have wasted way too much time without paying heed to my akhira. Now, I am old, very old..who knows when my time will come and then I will be standing before Allah subhallah wah tallah, then whatever I would do, will not matter, I would be too late.. Ameen to your duas, and I ask Allah subhaallah wah tallah for helping me find harmony between 'duniyi' chores and the 'akhira' and open our hearts with his guidance to path of Siratul Mustaqeem.

sister I was facing the exact same dilemma as you r- should I continue school, or learn deeni ilm. In my opinion, yes, you should take it slow, but give priority to it first because inshallah this is what will last and bring you closer to allah. Since it is not the responsibliity for the women to provide for the family, focus on your deen- how you can become a better mother, wife, sister, daughter, etc, so you can raise your family up with deen. The foundation of a society depends on women and the upbringing that they give thier children. So focus on that inshallah, allah will bring you suscess.

Unless you wanna be a scholar of Islam, you should continue your studies and practice what you know.

Islam is not in Islamic Studies. They will merely become "information" unless you teach and practice them. There are not many things that a muslim should know to function as a basic muslim/muslimah.

I'm sure you know how to pray, fast and circumstances that annul them. They are certain knowledge that is not required for you until you need them. For example, the Fiqh of Marriage, unless you're getting maried next week, that knowledge will become information for you and you'll end up opening text books and cutting and pasting.

While your enthusiasm is greatly admired, you gotta have a sense of reality here. Your feelings is your choice. When you said you're not ready, it means that you CHOSE not to be ready.

Trust me, you're just fine. You must allow yourself time before all the Islamic knowledge comes to you.

go to school, finish your studies and practice whatever knowledge you have to perfection. You will be in a better position after you graduate because one part of your life is done.

Islamic studies is life. Life progresses. YOu will learn until you die.