Salam/Peace

My name is Muhammad. I am 24 years old and a Progressive Muslim nowadays. Here is how I came to God Alone. For about 2 years, I was a Traditional Sunni Muslim revert. Used to pray 5 times a day and attend potluck dinners at a masjid in a neighboring city.

My wife wasn't very happy with me being a Traditional Sunni Muslim, because I started abusing her verbally and psychologically after our wedding. She did tell me one time quite plainly, that I either change my attitude and find a more liberal form of Islam, which promotes gender equality and promote peaceful non-violent solutions, or she would leave me for good, and it would be a permanent end to our marriage. I chose to change my violently abusive attitude to a more positive way of living and became a Progressive Muslim.

My wife has seen a positive change in how I treat her and in my attitude. You see, my wife is a Mormon, but she really deeply cares about me, knows that I am capable of doing good, and she knows how much my Muslim faith means to me. With a situation I was facing like the one which could have occurred with different more extreme results, I notice that people want to be around me more often and they ask me,

"Muhammad, what happened? How did you change your abusive ways?" I just very simply answer, "When you have every religious belief turned upside-down on you and nothing seems to be going right no matter what you do religiously, who do you have, other than God Alone for a friend in your corner of support? True, my wife could be there for me, but this is only temporary. In the end, you have to face God Alone, and that is how I know now The Truth."

This is where I am right now with my walk of faith in God Alone as a Progressive Muslim. I now only pray once or twice a day, have a more liberal interpretation of the Holy Quran (I like reading my Yusuf Ali with footnotes and commentary Translation most of all), because I am able to understand this Quran translation more clearly, I am no longer abusing my wife or mother like I used to, and I am more family-oriented. Please welcome any comments and suggestions. Salam/Peace, brothers and sisters in God Alone.

In God Alone We Trust,

Muhammad