Keep pushing personal boundaries

Alhamdulillah, thought I would create a thread where people can post instances where they moved their own boundaries for the sake of Allah. Insha,Allah we can inspire striving for emaan in each other. Well mine is that I have atwo week old beard and I just shaved my top lip and straightened the sides !!!! Looking kinda weirdly cool:shade: No mistaking now, im a muslim and the neighbours tongues gonna be wagging this week, even my wife and step kids havent seen it yet, but feeling good and closer to the ways of our beloved Rasulullah (pbuh). Probably going to be branded an extremist etc where I live, people will think its weird and that something a bit not right with me, if only they knew, theres more right with me now than at any other time of my life. So here I am, white and 40, in a largeley white and pakistani community, the first notion will be "whoa the boy done gone injun!", or the relevant redneck response that equals it. Im going to grow a big old Islamic beard and when the laughing stops, the questions will start, insha,Allah. So I will keep you all posted, it came at a funny time also, I have a job interveiw for a position I really want on thursday, pleasemake dua for me.
This is how I pushed the personal boundaries imposed on me by others and myself in order to become more Islamic and to gain the pleasure of Allah today, not sure how I will top that tommorrow but its a start. Subhan Allah wa Alhamdulillah :Koran:

Keeping gaze lowered whenever I see a member of the opposite sex. But then thats not "pushing the boundaries", is it? Hmm... I'll get back to you on this brother.

T.I.A said:

Keeping gaze lowered whenever I see a member of the opposite sex. But then thats not "pushing the boundaries", is it? Hmm... I'll get back to you on this brother.

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mashaallah, it is if you strugge with it bro

But it comes natural to me, Alhamdulillah, so it's not struggling is it...?

T.I.A said:

But it comes natural to me, Alhamdulillah, so it's not struggling is it...?

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subhan Allah brother

I am trying to push my boundaries by dealing with situations and people (whether friends or strangers, whether at work or at home) by thinking "What can I do to help here?" rather than "What's in it for me?"

It's not easy, because the desire to gain benefits for oneself is so strong ...:-[

P.S. Let us know what your wife and children thought about your beard, Tony!

strangely enough wife thinks Ive gone weird !

TKTony said:

strangely enough wife thinks Ive gone weird !

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Don't worry bro, Islam began as something strange and will go back to being something strange. So glad tidings to the strangers. (Muslim)

I can't think of any incident from my own life where I had to push the boundary for practising Islam. Allah SubHanahu waTa'ala has paved the way for me, Alhamdulillah...

I'm doing that for the abaya...slowly slowly getting there Alhamdulillah. With each passing day I wear it more often and I get less criticism from people in my family. My dad is very encouraging though Alhamdulillah I had to do this for when I started hijab as well but not as much I think.

salaam

hopefully soon the boundries will be pushed - keep it up

peace