Congratulations Sister!

I have some advice on your marriage issue and inshall Allah it will help you! If you love him, and he loves you then realize you have your whole lives to get married inshall Allah, allow your family to digest what has happened to you. If it was anything like my family its a lot to take about something they don’t fully understand. And if he converted 3 years ago its possible you will have to prove you did it for Allah and not for him. Even though I was married to a Muslime for 2 years before i converted its been a year and a half and they are totally convinced, and although they have learned to deal with it better they still sometimes make attempts to “save” me from Islam b/c they will never truly understand what its about until Allah opens their hearts!

And yes you should obey your parents but not if their wishes are for you to disobey Allah! Allah knows best!

You will learn Arabic inshall Allah, its the most difficult and beautiful language it just takes time… much like a marriage, its the most difficult thing you’ll ever do but it will be worth it in the end, and yes when i sit with my husband and struggle to read words like dog and telephone it makes me feel stupid b/c i was always smart in school and its hard to feel that way but realize you’re going beyond anything you’ve ever known before and you must crawl before you walk or run! baby steps =] I hope I helped may Allah bless you in all you do!!

Alhamdulillah to all the new brothers & sisters in Islam. I’m also a recent convert (9 months) and it’s been challenging, but an amazing experience. My advice regarding learning surahs is to purchase a Roman transliteration of the Qur’an or download an audio version on an mp3 player/I-Pod to listen to for guidance. What worked for me was constant repetition of the ayats 10-20 minutes or throughout the day. Try your best to learn the Arabic; Allah (swt) never gives you a burden greater than you can handle, and remember – actions are judged by intentions.

I would also definitely recommend taking a class online (Sunnipath.com/SeekersGuidance) or at your local masjid, if available. Both sites have reliable scholars teaching a variety of courses, including several courses on tajweed. Sunnipath offers degree programs that speceifically cover the fard’ayn (obligattory knowledge). Discounts are available for recent converts as well so it’s highly accessible. Fiqh questions can also be answered online or at halaqas, etc.

Regarding the question on tajweed (recitation), there are different modes of qirat that one can learn. Some qaris will receive an ijaza (authority/certificate to teach others) in one or more modes of recitation.

As per my understanding, a marriage is valid if a woman gives her consent and has 2 (male witnesses/2 male/1female) present at the ceremony, but she must also have a wali. A woman’s wali is usually a Muslim male relative (father/brother/uncle) but in your case, you can ask someone to act as your wali at the nikkah. Depending on what madhab (school of thought) you follow, a wali may/may not be necessary, although I think most scholars consider it wajib (necessary). Regardless, maintaining good relations with one’s family is important, so I would follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallahu ‘alayhi wa salam) and be gentle and kind to your parents. It’s difficult but Allah (swt) will take care of you. Reach out to others for support as well.

Welcome, Sister! Be patient and kind to yourself! It took me several months to learn the prayers. Remember that Allah (swt) revealed the Qur’an to our Prophet (pbuh) over 23 years! And he was the best of all the human beings. We cannot expect to learn overnight!

While praying your 5 daily prayers, pray with a little booklet in hand with a transliteration of the Arabic and the English translation.

I also prayed along with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaKb2zX1QBs (copy the URL into an open browser window)
it is the first of seven short videos of the daily prayers plus two on reminders and wudu and introduction. They are very good.

I also recommend: http://store.dar-us-salam.com/Eng_SalatDua/016.html

In the meantime, while you are praying in congregation for Jummah, and especially now in Ramadan, you can say “Subhanallah” for the parts you don’t remember, (and fellow Muslims and Muslimahs, correct me if I’m wrong!)

For memorizing the Qur’an, I recommend and use: http://store.dar-us-salam.com/Eng_NobleQuran/Q04.html

It has English transliteration along with English translation and a CD with mp3 files of all the Qur’an recited with good tajweed! Very well worth the investment.

Re: your marriage. I highly recommend that you get in touch with an imam in your area immediately. Marriage is half your deen and should not be undertaken lightly. Allah (swt) has commanded us to honor our parents, and so a marriage that will rupture family ties is to be avoided. And Allah (swt) knows best. You must always keep your parents in mind.

Please, fellow Muslims and Muslimahs, correct me in my errors, so that I may learn from them. Ramadan Mubarak!

Wa Salaam,
Alki

i am a new convert to Islam 2nd September 2009 and I still can not pray, I can not speak Arabic and feel very upset I am finding it difficult. I am looking for help as not being able to pray makes me feel like I am doing wrong. Any help?
Also I was in a 6 year relationship with a guy who turned Muslim 3 years ago, just before I converted we got back in touch and are planning on marrying. As I am a new convert I was wondering how we would go about this as my family are against Islam. Do i need someone to still give me away to him? Can we get married even if I can not speak Arabic?
Thank you for listening

I was born and raised in a traditional Muslim family here in Indonesia, where Islam is majority and the most Muslim populous country in the world, yet I cannot speak Arabic either; though many Muslim here can who attend the madrasah. However, we are Muslims generally here taught to read Qur’an in early age such as 5 years old so that we can start praying when we are @ 7 years old. And I am always grateful that I could read Qur’an fluently that I should not suffer from reading and memorize the Qur’an verses.

Here in Indonesia there is an easy way to study and read the Qur’an that is called ‘IQRA’ methodology, which is adopted by many Indonesians, children and elders, who do not know how to read Arabic. This can help those sisters and brothers who want to learn or study it. I have no idea whether this is also avaliable in English.

Studying or learning Arabic is not easy as Arabic is quite complicated, but if you don’t give up. Listen a lot every day the Qur’an through DVD or CD or listen through Ipod. That will help improving your learning, insyallah.

Wassalam,
MM

Then one day it seemed I could actually read whole words – alhamdulillah!

I remember sitting for what seemed like years trying to read lines and lines of words , learning proper tajweed, learning what the words meant.

Then one day it seemed I could listen to Quran recitation and actually understand!

One day I was reading the Quran in a class and the new converts were saying masha Allah – and I thought, who me? Masha Allah to my reading?!

One day I found myself teaching a new convert how to read. And now I’m teaching my kids. SubhanAllah.

My Arabic is still is so very rudimentary on many levels, but it shows progress over time.

Progress happens. Ask Allah’s guidance and have sabr.

I have another question for the scholars: I know that it is forbidden to touch a Qur’an unless one is in a state of wudu. My question is this: is it permissible for a woman to study or recite a book that has a translation of the Qur’an, but has the actual words of Allah in Arabic besides the English translation, when she is in her monthly cycle? (Therefore, she cannot be in a state of wudu.)

I am concerned that, for a whole week, I go without reading or studying my Qur’an, subhanallah. This does set me back in my studies and remembrance of verses I have learned.

To further clarify, the book I am speaking of is called, “Towards Understanding the Qur’an — Abridged version of Tafhim al-Qur’an” by Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi. It is translated and edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari and published by the Islamic Foundation.

Jazakallahu khayra for your reply, insha’Allah.