I doubt my faith the more I read, what can I do?

Salaam alykum,

Many times when trying to figure out what you believe in, things can get overwhelming, and when people are not trained in religious studies they are often side-tracked by issues that exist outside of the religious tradition. No population is more at risk to this issue than Muslims.

If you go to any bookstore and explore books on Islam, they are many times mixed in with books that discuss issues outside of actual Islamic Theology, they dive into politics, sociology, and economics, creating correlations between issues (honor killings, FGM, etc) and Islam, which is problematic not just because these issues exist outside of Muslim communities, but that the Islamic texts are quite clear in their condemnation of these behaviors.

On the other hand, many people who seek information about Islam try and by-pass this sort of literature, but what they stumble upon is highly dense work, usually from Al-Ghazali, but from many other Islamic writers as well, and the work is confusing, requires a lot of explanation and context.

Therefore, I’d try and highlight what are the aspects of Islam that confuse you, and which are the aspects you are quite certain about. Try to zero in on specific issues you are unsure about, like, what does Islam say about Christians and Jews, for example. Also, make sure you highlight what you are confident in, like, that The Prophet Muhammad is the last Prophet of God, for example. Things can become a lot less overwhelming when you can see what you know and what you don’t.

I’d also suggest that rather than going through books about religion, you should just go to The actual book: The Qur’an. As I have said many times before, I would highly suggest the Muhammad Asad translation of The Qur’an, even if you are able to read Arabic, as his Tafseer is a very strong work and is particularly good at explaining confusing parts of The Qur’an in light of a broad spectrum of Islamic scholarship.

It is also important to understand your intention, do you want to believe? Are you indifferent? What is the purpose in reading and learning about Islam? Your intention is central towards your efforts, and if your intention is to return to your faith, then make that intention known to God in whatever way you deem most comfortable, so that you can be clear as to what you are attempting to achieve by exploring the literature you have access to.

If you have any other questions, feel free to message me privately, our conversations will be confidential and I can try to point out resources or parts of The Qur’an that may address your particular concerns, insha Allah.

I pray this reaches you and your families in the best of health and Iman, insha Allah.