Are you a revert sister wanting to move to Egypt?

Do you have plans to study Islam, or to get married, or both?

In this three part series, I will discuss many things that should be taken into consideration when making hijrah, regardless of the reason.

I will discuss Egypt specifically since I’m experienced for making hijrah to Egypt from America, and have been living in here for almost 5 years now.

Every Muslim country is very different from the other, so when reading, don’t assume the same applies to all the other countries.

The standard for everything is different for each country individually.

Important Reminder

Do not let your Islam be affected by what you experience in a Muslim country.

Muslim countries are no different than other countries in many aspects.

Every country has crime, and people that don’t follow their religions.

They all also have people that are kind, hospitable, and practice Islam.

Not all Muslims practice Islam, and if you expect to find that in all Muslims in Egypt, or any other Muslim country, you will be left disappointed with weakened faith.

Don’t let it affect your view of Islam. You are planning to move to grow your faith, not diminish it.

Stay realistic and plan accordingly, and you won’t be let down.

Where to Find a Muslim Husband?

Finding a Muslim spouse in one’s home country can sometimes be difficult especially when there are very few Muslim, if any, living in it.

What should a revert sister do? She must widen her search circle for a spouse.

Often times, that circle is reached by the Internet landing a revert with a wide selection of spouses from all over the globe.

As a result, many tend to decide to move to the country of their fiancé or spouse.

When searching for a spouse, you must ask them where they plan to live.

You may be wanting to live in their country, while they want to live in yours.

Make sure you settle on a decision so that you don’t have to do another international move shortly after getting married.

Don’t fall for green card scams like so many revert sisters do.

Be smart, this is your life, not a game to be played with.

Clarifying Your Intention for Hijrah

Are you only thinking of moving to Egypt because your fiancé lives there?

Do you want to move to strengthen your Islam, or both?

Keep your intentions clear and intact. Renew your intentions if you fall off course.

I’ve been asked to help many revert sisters in the past, some single and moved for faith alone, while others married Egyptians.

Both types have faced various problems, giving me a bit of background on the types of things that can happen. Some things are simply unimaginable.

One must take care to protect oneself in such a decision that will affect the rest of their lives.

Marriage is a major life change, and to make an international move is another, and to do both at the same time, can be quite demanding mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially.

Hijrah – There’s More To It than Hearing the Adhan

While there are many benefits, there are downfalls as well. You probably attended many lectures on a regular basic in your home country that were given in your native language.

This is a source of knowledge and strength most reverts have in their countries.

Don’t expect to find that easily in Egypt.

Remember, the native language is Arabic, so all the sermons and lectures will be in Arabic, and if you are not fluent in Arabic, you will begin to feel that there is no need for you to attend the masjid if you don’t understand anything.

Try to learn Arabic as soon as possible to get the most out of your move without delays due to trying to learn Arabic.

I feel that a big circle of my life vanished in this sense. I miss it terribly because I lived in a large very diverse Muslim community back home. There was always something going on that I was attending.

For me, hearing the adhan daily doesn’t replace that. Hearing the adhan doesn’t benefit my daily life, whereas, learning Islam regularly, with ease, does.

Hijrah for Marriage and Faith

In Islam, marriage is considered half the deen, so naturally, as Muslims, we need to marry and start a family raising pious children.

Also, if we make hijrah for our faith we are taught that our previous sins are forgiven.

However, we have to ourselves be certain of our intentions.

Are you only moving there for marriage, for adventure, or for the sake of Allah to grow your faith?

If the main reason is to grow your faith, it should be a major topic discussed when you are searching for a spouse and goals should be set with a plan about learning more about the faith once you go.

This factor is usually ignored by most, because they get overwhelmed in the ideas of moving to an exotic land, and marrying someone they fell in love with, forgetting about improving their Islam.

Islam is more than just wearing Islamic clothing openly with ease, and eating halal food, and hearing the adhan.

Be realistic. What does your Islam benefit from you moving to a Muslim land?

Questions to Ask Yourself as a Revert

Will you attend an Islamic university?

If you don’t know Arabic yet, how and where will you learn it?

Where will you study Arabic and Islam, in relation to where you will live?

The cost to study?

How much will it cost to live in that area?

The cost of food that is close or similar to what, and the amount of food, you are currently eating?

How much will transportation cost you?

Living far from where you study will make it very difficult for a person to continue in a plan to learn.

Maybe your spouse can’t afford to move or live closer to where you will study.

There are so many things that you must discuss with your spouse about the matter.

Islam is not taught easily for foreigners in their native languages, and they usually start with teaching Arabic, and then continuing the education in Arabic.

Conclusion

Being wise and planning out the small details of all matters will make it easier for you to feel comfortable once you arrive. No one plans to move to a new place to fail in their goals.

If you are planning to move for marriage, consider the fact that things may not work out, and what you would do in that instance. Would you stay in Egypt or go back to your country?  How would you survive?

Pray and hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Stay strong, and learn as much as you can about the place you are moving to.

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Continue reading about a revert sister doing hijrah to Egypt in Parts 2 and 3 of this series:

Next Part: “Screening a Potential Spouse In Egypt From Abroad”

(Importance and methods of checking the background of a potential spouse)

This article is from Reading Islam’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.