I hear this all the time.. Without Islam or belief in God your life must be so miserable sad depressing. Turn back to Allah now before you end up a pitiful miserable wreck! Infact one of the comments on my blog said
Know that I once was an apostate too for a number of years. It brought me nothing but misery and suffering. I am glad I saw the error of my ways then. If you wish to repeat the experience for yourself, be my guest.
I asked him why this was, but did not receive any response.
I am happier now than I have been as a Muslim. Why?
Islam does not equal happiness in life.
Too many people have been brainwashed by Islam to think that all non-Muslims are depressed miserable sad souls, even if they look happy they are really not.
This is just not true. Happiness is more about finding your way in life, finding joy in the things you do, with your family, or with your friends, or with making the most of your life, with achieving your goals or getting where you want to be in life.
This excellent comic explains how to find meaning in life without believing in God:
Comic: Life and Donuts by Stanley
How I am happier now
Well for one there isn’t the constant guilt of worrying “am I good enough for Allah?”. The fear of the day of judgement, the one that will turn a baby’s hair gray and will make you run away from your mother and father. The guilt when you slip up on one of your five daily prayers or commit some sin that Allah hates. This excessive fear that’s put into Muslims in order to scare them into being a good person has different effects on different people. For me, it was a constant worry and analysis about everything I ever did.
With difficulty comes ease
Some people think that a depressed Muslim is a Muslim that doesn’t pray enough, or is not religious enough. This is so wrong. Depression and unhappiness are challenges that certain people face from time to time. Not being happy does not mean you are missing God in your life. That’s just silly. Sheikh Yasir Farzaga has spoken about this – that depression is actually a sickness and not a lack of faith. Likewise I would argue believing in God or remembering him doesn’t bring happiness. A lot of ex-Muslims have contemplated suicide, and the reason for this is because of their families abusing them, kicking them out, harming them, telling them they are worthless and stupid, and so on. It didn’t come from not believing in God, it came from the harm of the Muslim community targetted towards that individual
If you are a Muslim, consider that Islam does not equal happiness. It can bring you some happiness, but that happiness can come from other means too.
Muslims are human and they also suffer unhappiness and depression, just like anyone else. To suggest otherwise is silly.
I don’t understand your mortgage issue. You said you didn’t want a mortgage because of the fear of sinning yet you would rather prefer leaving Islam altogether?
You said it right! To suggest otherwise is silly 🙂
I didn’t leave Islam to get a mortgage lol! I don’t believe in Islam any longer, so the mortgage became a non-issue. I was simply highlighting a few ways that my life has improved after leaving Islam.
So essentially you left because you want to do whatever you want. That’s very similar to most of the apostates’ stories Ive heard. You have been misinformed brother, Islam is not just about attaining happiness. Happiness is easy, anyone can be happy just by doing the things they enjoy (ie clubbing). But what’s different about islam is that we have a higher purpose beyond this life. We strive for much more than happiness in this life. We seek to please the One who created us and to enjoy the bounties and blessings he has reserved for us in this life and the next in sha Allah. I hope the same may be true for you. Peace be with you, brother.
That is absolutely and completely incorrect. Read my blog again.
I apologize if I got that part wrong. I only read this particular post. However, my counter-argument is unchanged. We don’t validate our religion by how “happy” someone is.
Of course bro, I just wanted people to see that even without believing in God you can be happy. Based on your feedback I need to re-write this post though, Thanks!
I added a link to this comic: http://www.stanleycolors.com/2013/12/life-donuts/
Explains what i was trying to say 🙂
Incorrect
He left islam because he realize that all religion were pointless waste of time, having been liberated from the constraints islam imposes on muslim, among other things, make him happy
Do you realize that christianity also has the same “higher purpose”? Why is your Allah interested in throwing Christians, Jews, Buddhists and all into hell. There is no higher purpose with islam or christianity. You guys are scared of hell and would rather believe than risk hell. Today a friend told me that I’m sad and stressed coz I left Islam. But that’s so far from the truth. Stop following inconsistent ideologies like Islam and be bold enough to call out contradictions
No problem. Of course, I completely disagree with that comic but to each their own 🙂
Living a lie is what can make someone truly miserable. It’s better to live free and do as you think best in exploring the world, rather than just submitting to whatever is dominant in the culture you were randomly born into.
Exactly. My problem with the whole religion business is that people just follow whatever is dominant in their culture. Before the Muslim invasion, the Afghans were Buddhists but now they are Muslims; this is not on the basis of truth but just power
Woah!, So uhhhmm where are you from and we’re you born and raised Muslim?,.. the depression and unhappiness,I understand that full well, but one thing about religion,.. is people may choose their religious because they believe it will take them to paradise,
I actually am very miserable and have had depression problems since I was a little child growing up I’m 23 now and seems they have gotten worse, having a religion does not mean you will be happy and so does not having a religion, actually the majority of atheists that I have come across seem to be the most miserable unhappy people on the planet,
But anyway my point is that it’s not about being happy in this life it’s about getting the good of the next life, I was born and raised Muslim, but I can still think for myself I’m not Muslim because my parents are Muslim I choose to be Muslim because
I believe that it is the Truth it’s the only religion where you give all of your thanks to the creator rather than the creation, and that makes perfect sense to me,
And Allah promises us paradise where we will live and dwell therein forever,
BUT! Like I said earlier I’m very miserable and depressed, but I have hope of going to heaven I’d say paradise is the only thing keeping me from killing myself, because if there was no heaven then I’m pretty sure I would have committed suicide a long time ago,
For me no after and no paradise= no hope,
But anyway just because someone is Muslim or has a religion does not mean that their happy,
All you muslims and their defenders need to stfu or explain one thing to me:
What is a 5 year old boy to do when he is sexually and psychologically abused by his own older muslim brother who even goes to mosque and Friday prayers, who otherwise acts completely normal and well behaved? Who is this little soul to report to a crime that is denied to exist on multiple levels, no child sexuality in islam, no homosexuality in islam? Is the teenage brother to be punished by death? What is the solution here? Which God can the 5 year old have any faith in? The ruthless one that orders gays to be thrown from high walls or mountains? Or the most merciful the most compassionate one that gave him these circumstances in life. Then, what should the 10 year old do who ends up growing up with a lot of totally permitted and encouraged anger towards his oppressor? Family murder at 15? Suicide at 13? Or grow up one fucked up soul in life praying 5 times a day that his issues go away… the angst, the confusion, all that shit.
Where is Allah’s word on any of these? Where is ANY religion’s words on any of this? See, at least some nowadays stay silent and let the people take care of themselves. Show me 1, just 1 fucking organization in any islamic country that is focused on preventing child or female sexual abuse…
When I have heard 1 right and acceptable answer from the muslim community, I will consider you sane and useful, otherwise, you are no more brainwashed and no holier than the hindus who will murder a human being for offending a fucking cow.
Take a deeper fucking look into the mirror bro, see your deepest self, the real beliefs of your heart and soul, not what you were beaten to follow, beaten to believe in. Every muslim I know who is devout and practices devoutly into their adulthood was subject to physical violence that forced them to accept and practice islam. Go ask. You people have one globally sick fucking culture that knows no borders and no nationalities. Arabs perverted the world and humanity with this brutal bunch of nonsense that in the end does not really help someone who needs the help more than your average person. It mostly just ends in blood as a solution anyway, blood of animals or men. Blood and brute.