How to give up fiction books?
Assalamu alaikum wrwb
For most of my life, fiction books have been my main hobby and source of entertainment. I absolutely love reading. My favourite genres are psychological thrillers, fantasy, historical fiction, all with romance as a subplot, and sometimes darker stories. Reading is literally part of my daily routine.
Recently, I've been trying to become more serious about my deen. I'm doing hifz, studying Islam, and trying to fill my time with things that will benefit me in the akhirah. But I feel that reading fiction distracts me greatly and keeps my mind preoccupied. The problem is that fiction still has a very strong hold on me.
The issue is that I don't really have other forms of entertainment. I don't have any other hobbies and it's difficult for me to go out often. So when people say "just replace it with something else," I genuinely don't know what that "something else" is supposed to be.
Part of me feels like I should quit fiction entirely for the sake of Allah, especially because some of the genres I enjoy contain themes that clearly aren't Islamic. Another part of me wonders whether moderation would be a better approach than completely cutting it out.
For those who used to be avid fiction readers and reduced or quit for Islamic reasons:
- How did you do it?
- What did you replace it with?
- Did you go cold turkey or gradually cut down?
- Did you ever stop missing it?
- How do you relax and unwind now?
I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who genuinely loved fiction and reading, rather than people who were never interested in it to begin with.
Jazakum Allahu khayran.