By Aditi Patel
In January 2020 I made the decision to separate from my then husband after three years of marriage. The decision was not easy and came with much turmoil and difficulties, especially when having to tell my family. I remained in my marital home until March 2020 where I then built up the courage to tell my parents that I was separating from my husband.
Just as lockdown began due to COVID-19, I packed up my belongings and moved back into my childhood home with my parents. My marriage had been extremely challenging, and although there had been joyful moments, I knew I had made the right decision. Prior to moving back home, and as a non practising born Hindu female, I had cried out repeatedly for some help from a higher power, despite the fact that I had never prayed growing up and I had no belief in the religion I was born into – It had always been so confusing and chaotic. I had never been given any real understanding of why rituals and ceremonies were performed and from a young age I chose not to take part.
After Incessant crying for what seemed like days and asking for help, my body went into a three day involuntary fast. Looking back, it was as if I was being purified for the next stage of my life.
Once I had moved back to my parents house, I was faced with dealing with a large amount of debt that had been accumulated – not entirely of my own doing – during my marriage. As a self-employed consultant in the education sector I was unable to work due to COVID-19, which gave me some worries about the future ahead. In May 2020 I ordered a Quran from Amazon and began reading. As I learned more about Islam, everything about my childhood and my own personal belief system made sense as to why I was guided to Islam.
During COVID-19 my days were filled with reading, gaining knowledge and watching online videos about Islam. I would go on two to three walks a day which gave me much mental clarity and allowed me to connect with God’s creation and gave me much time to think and reflect. On these walks I would speak to God in my head and out loud, I would ask for guidance and help, I would ask for protection and ease.
Through these daily dialogues with God I found the answer to my prayers via Solace through a reverts group that I had joined after taking my shahada in September 2020. I applied for financial support through Solace UK and my application was accepted, Alhamdulillah. I was assigned a sister to support me with my application and given time and space to discuss the difficulties I had faced in my marriage and the financial repercussions of it. The sister that helped me was not only patient, she was kind and she gave me time and the resources required to ensure my application was thorough. I felt completely supported throughout the entire process, even when at times I felt guilty for accepting the help. Solace was able to help me clear the remainder of the debt that I had incurred during my marriage, and the day they telephoned me to tell let me know, I cried hot, happy tears of relief after a very long time.
That day was the beginning of my new journey, my new life as a Muslim, one where I would be able me to be able to move forward financially with a clean slate, earn a halal income and make sure that I was knowledgeable and responsible with my finances moving forward.
If I had not received the support from Solace I know my mental health would have deteriorated and it would have been a long and very draining path to just be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, let alone walk it by myself. Solace gave me hope and they gave me faith that there is support out there for revert sisters and that no matter the challenges you face, the most important part of your journey is holding on to the faith you have in God. Solace was given to me as a gift and a blessing from Allah because I asked for it, I asked for help and I asked for people to come and support me so I could start a new journey and a new path in life after separating and divorcing my ex-husband.
I am now a holistic life coach, I have set up my own business where I help people achieve their goals and I help people overcome barriers and challenges in their lives. I asked God to help me be in service of other people just as the sisters at Solace were in service to help me.
When Allah wills it, He will send just the right people to support you, aid you and help you through your struggles and that help will come through other people. The support I received from Solace has strengthened my desire to support others. The sister who supported me said one thing that really stood out: she said God will use us as tools to help each other. I know that is my purpose now, and I’m grateful for Solace and their services and I pray and make du’aa that Solace can continue to help revert sisters for many years to come, In shaaAllah. I write this with much gratitude in my heart, in my prayers and I remain a grateful sister and a faithful believer. Thank you Solace for being a vehicle of hope for so many people.
About the author
My name is Aditi, I am a 42 year old revert sister living in London. I am a coaching professional offering Life Coaching Services and reflective coaching to reverts & various organisations through my business Sakinah Coaching. I reverted in 2020. I enjoy travelling, working out & and walking in nature. My interests include Prophetic & Herbal medicine, and I am a published poet. Alhamdullilah.
