u/Visual-Discussion-30

Hi everyone! I have Turkish roots, but I was born and raised abroad. I can speak Turkish, but I’d like to improve my everyday vocabulary and especially get more comfortable with the way people actually speak in daily life.

I’m looking for Turkish books that use natural, modern, everyday language — the kind of Turkish you would hear when talking to friends, ordering at a restaurant, going out, having casual conversations, joking around, etc.
I’d especially like something that works well for reading out loud, so I can improve my speaking and get a better feel for natural sentence structures and expressions.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a language-learning book. I’d actually be very interested in regular Turkish novels as well — fiction, drama, romance, comedy, or anything else — as long as the dialogue and language are relatively close to how people actually speak today.
Basically, I’m trying to avoid books that are overly literary, poetic, old-fashioned, or use vocabulary that you rarely hear in everyday conversations.

Do you have any books or authors you would recommend for this?

Sometimes I finish training at the boxing gym close to the end of a prayer time. The gym can be quite noisy, with people talking, weights being dropped, and sometimes music playing in the background. If I leave and try to find a quieter place to pray, there is a good chance I will miss the prayer time altogether.

In this situation, is it better to pray at the gym despite the noise and possible music in the background, or should I delay it and look for another place even if I might miss the prayer time?

Sometimes I finish training at the boxing gym close to the end of a prayer time. The gym can be quite noisy, with people talking, weights being dropped, and sometimes music playing in the background. If I leave and try to find a quieter place to pray, there is a good chance I will miss the prayer time altogether.

In this situation, is it better to pray at the gym despite the noise and possible music in the background, or should I delay it and look for another place even if I might miss the prayer time?

Assalamu Alaikum,

I have a question that has been bothering me for a long time.

About 6 years ago, I met a woman at university. We spent a lot of time together and became very close. Even though we were never officially together, that period of my life was very special to me.

Even though we spent a lot of time together, we did not cross any boundaries and tried to keep everything as halal as possible. We did not even shake hands, but we spent almost 24/7 together, had many meaningful and deep conversations, and were always there for one another.

It took me years to get over her. She has been married for years now, and I have accepted that our paths were not meant to be together. In my daily life, I no longer think about her much.

However, she still appears in my dreams from time to time. Whenever that happens, all the old memories come back, and it affects me for the rest of the day. I find myself thinking about the past and reliving emotions that I thought I had already moved on from.

She was also the first and only woman for whom I ever felt something that I would describe as love.

My question is: from an Islamic perspective, why might this still be happening after all these years? Are there any du'as or Islamic practices that can help remove these thoughts and memories from my heart and subconscious? I would really appreciate any advice.

Assalamu Alaikum,

I have a question that has been bothering me for a long time.

About 6 years ago, I met a woman at university. We spent a lot of time together and became very close. Even though we were never officially together, that period of my life was very special to me.

Even though we spent a lot of time together, we did not cross any boundaries and tried to keep everything as halal as possible. We did not even shake hands, but we spent almost 24/7 together, had many meaningful and deep conversations, and were always there for one another.

It took me years to get over her. She has been married for years now, and I have accepted that our paths were not meant to be together. In my daily life, I no longer think about her much.

However, she still appears in my dreams from time to time. Whenever that happens, all the old memories come back, and it affects me for the rest of the day. I find myself thinking about the past and reliving emotions that I thought I had already moved on from.

She was also the first and only woman for whom I ever felt something that I would describe as love.

My question is: from an Islamic perspective, why might this still be happening after all these years? Are there any du'as or Islamic practices that can help remove these thoughts and memories from my heart and subconscious? I would really appreciate any advice.

Assalamu Alaikum,

I have a question that has been bothering me for a long time.

About 6 years ago, I met a woman at university. We spent a lot of time together and became very close. Even though we were never officially together, that period of my life was very special to me.

Even though we spent a lot of time together today, we did not cross any boundaries and tried to keep everything as halal as possible. We did not even shake hands, but we spent almost 24/7 together, had many meaningful and deep conversations, and were always there for one another.

It took me years to get over her. She has been married for years now, and I have accepted that our paths were not meant to be together. In my daily life, I no longer think about her much.

However, she still appears in my dreams from time to time. Whenever that happens, all the old memories come back, and it affects me for the rest of the day. I find myself thinking about the past and reliving emotions that I thought I had already moved on from.

She was also the first and only woman for whom I ever felt something that I would describe as love.

My question is: from an Islamic perspective, why might this still be happening after all these years? Are there any du'as or Islamic practices that can help remove these thoughts and memories from my heart and subconscious? I would really appreciate any advice.

I'm interested in hearing about moments when you sincerely turned to Allah for something that felt nearly impossible, and He answered your prayers.
What was the situation, how did you stay patient, and how did things eventually unfold?

Salam Alaikum. How can I manage to get my life somewhat back under control? I suffer from a chronic autoimmune disease and severe depression. I’m turning 28, and this has been going on for about 12 years, but the last 2 years have become significantly worse.

My illness affects every aspect of my life. I have always been very athletic and active throughout my life. I’m a semi-professional martial artist, but because of my illness I can barely continue practicing the sport anymore. Sport used to be my only escape and distraction. Sometimes I can still do strength training, but whenever I have a flare-up, my entire life is affected and I can’t do anything except isolate myself.

That is the reason why I pushed all my friends away and why I can’t let any woman into my life, even though I’ve tried several times. In the end, all I achieved was hurting them because I couldn’t open up emotionally, even though they were always loving, understanding women who supported me and never did anything wrong.

I neglect my prayers a lot, fall into negative thoughts, and feel unseen by Allah.
I ask for your duas and advice.