Here we are in the month of Ramadan, many of us have made the conscious decision to take our religion more seriously. Or perhaps you are a New Muslim and you are using this holy month to make the changes you have been wanting to make.

People are going to react and it won’t always be positive. This can be hard to deal with, especially when it comes from family and close friends. They make little comments that make you feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. They may try to manipulate you, make you feel bad to try and force you to go back to the way you were. This hurts.

Strangely, if an Islamophobe told us to give up our Islam, it would make us even more committed to our religion. But when your own family ask you not to be “too Muslim” we can react badly and make things worse. Follow the example of Ibrahim (AS); we can disagree without being disrespectful.

May Allah guide us all to the Straight Path, ourselves and our families alike. Ameen.