I’m from India and a high school muslimah.

I’m from India and a high school muslimah.

Assalamu alaikum sister Fatima. Actually my problem is a common problem among the youth but for me this thing is a very very serious one. I probably think for months I am having problems with my emotional and mental state because of my parents and school. There are only three in my family. me, my father, and mother. I have no siblings I am the only one. I am 14 and a high school student, I actually hate studies in school because they give me a lot of pressure and mental stress. I am not very energetic because I have some health issues like getting tired often I have low blood in my body as I checked with my doctor. Okay let me tell you about the problem I have with my parents. my mother is the one who makes my emotional state breakdown. as I am alone and I have no one to talk to in my house because my mother will be working in the kitchen or watching TV.even if I go to her to talk about something that happened in school or something etc, she avoids me because there’s an important scene going on the TV and only she listens to me some times.I only have allah to tell all my problems about and cry. I don’t even have a muslim friend with me to ask a solution about this because I’m living in a non muslim majority area. But alhamdulillah allah has willed for me to tell you. Even if I cannot find Muslim friends around school or near my house, I can try in masjid and Islamic gathering but in the nearest masjid there are no places for women as I asked my dad if there is some. and I have no muslim gatherings around me and my parents will not allow me to go out because the area I live is not very safe and they want to ensure my safety and I understand it as I am not a very outgoing person. I’ll tell you what the problem is between me and my mother. I have low energy like, getting tired often. After I come from school around 4:40 pm. I get really exhausted and I rest. I also have to pray dhuhr and asr [my school is a Christian school, they don’t allow me to pray so I have to make it up at home]. After praying, I get very sleepy and tired. Sometimes i have slept after finishing my prayer lying down in my musalla. So I would go to sleep. Suddenly my mother would call me shouting and tell me “Do I have to call you to make tea everytime?”. It’s normal here to have tea at morning and evening. I understand that my mother worked at home doing chores as she’s a housewife. She wouldn’t let me go to school unless I ate breakfast. So she would be tired and asks me for some tea at evening. I make her everyday. But when I sleep or by some occasions I cannot make that tea, she starts to criticize me. She complains that I don’t even make a tea. This is something simple but she’s making it worse. Even if I tell her that I’m tired she will tell me “Like you did so many work”. She thinks that tiredness can only come from working physically but she cannot understand it mentally or emotionally or according to my health. As I have no one to talk with me, I will scroll on my phone watching something beneficial alhamdulillah. She even complains about it too that I’m always on the phone and do nothing she would even threaten me that she would break that phone. In holidays even today, I cannot go sit in my room. Because she calls me to do something and I do it for her and then go to my room. This will happen often. So my mother shouts at me saying “You always go inside that room”. Even if I sit still for if she calls me to do something, she doesn’t call me and I would go to my room. She also threatened me in some occasions. I’m writing a book as I’m interested in it. I have designed it on my own painting it so hard and I’ve finished it. I asked my dad about writing stories and stuffs about writing etc. My mother tells me that if I get a 0 in my exams [ she’s telling lower marks as 0] she would tear that notebook of mine. And also told me that she would not pay for the internet in my phone so that I won’t watch it and would study.. I’m not a topper but average in studies. I’m weak at maths and that’s what they are scolding me about. They’re not looking what I have tried to pass the exams or my efforts. But tell that I’m always on phone. My maths teacher who’s a male told the class while we were writing an exam that to practice some sums from maths at home so that we can finish it soon and get ready for exam. I didn’t notice it and my friend told me that the next day at school. When he came and asked every student if they practiced and finished or not. He asked me and I told him I didn’t finish. He told me “It’s better to leave you failed rather than giving you a punishment”. I told him that I did not notice it but he said “Don’t make it look like it’s not your fault”. I cried and cried after coming home in my room so I got a headache. I cannot study properly and I tried as much as I can because the next day is maths exam. I finished it and thought I would pass but failed it. My father scolded me I got a low mark. That words that my maths teacher said to me always rings in my head whenever he comes into the class. Whenever I tell my problem when I can’t finish the work he gave us, he tells me that I’m making excuses and I’m the worst student among the female students as they’re improving. Sometimes I’m having suicidal thoughts naudubillah. But I avoid it and pray to allah azzawajal. My parents are telling me to focus now only on my studies even in the holidays I can’t have time for my hobbies. Because this is a higher study and I can only get a job by the scores I get in these studies. But no one cared about how I would feel. In school they’re treating us like we’re robots and no more humans And we have no tiredness and emotions. I get tired and never do homework.. I want to go to a islamic studies but my father asks me to finish one year of this and go to Islamic Studies. What can I do? There are problems in two sides. I even had thoughts about running away from home. Please help me so that I can manage this chaos. Jazakallahu khair..


Response from a “Fatima Counselor”:

Dear writer, 


I’m sorry to hear about the difficult situation you are in. It seems like you are not finding connection no matter which direction you look. 


From what you are describing, I would encourage you to get a deeper assessment of your health. I wonder if there is some underlying condition impacting your energy beyond having low blood. Low blood itself could have many causes — it could be anemia (meaning you need to have more iron) or you could have a problem in making blood itself. There are benefits of seeing a medical doctor, and benefits of finding someone who might be able to treat conditions using alternative methods. It’s up to you and your family to figure out the right fit. So, if it is possible, I would consider doing that first. Sometimes if we can take care of any medical issues first, it helps us have a lot more strength and optimism to deal with the emotional and social challenges that are in front of us. 


You do seem to have a lot of challenges in front of you. You mentioned that you are in high school, and your parents are concerned about your studies. I am also concerned about that because it seems that at some point you will need to make a decision about whether staying in your home is a good idea. If you decide that you need to find a different living situation, you will need to have options for taking care of yourself. 


Right now, it seems like you need to focus on the basics, and keep yourself safe. It’s hard to do a lot of growth work when your living situation is the way you describe it. And, even though you don’t feel love from your parents, please know that each of us are special in the eyes of Allah. All of your prayers for help are being heard, and though you can’t see it right now, a path is forming for you to be able to find your way to a better heart space. It’s really hard that your parents don’t see how important your creative work is to you. If there is a way to hold on to it without further angering your parents, I would encourage you to do so. Sometimes it’s in that creativity that we can begin to imagine and to dream a better life — and when we have a picture, we can work towards it. 


I hope that things improve in the near future… May Allah (swt) send clarity to you soon. 


wa ‘alaykum salam, 


Sincerely,

Your Sister in Islam,

Fatima “FM”

Response from your friend at Stones to Bridges:

Salaam my dear sister, first I want to offer my sympathies on how you are feeling alone. From your post, I got that you do not feel emotionally supported by the adults in your life the way you expect to be supported. I also got that you are dealing with some mental and physical health issues and at times will feel utterly exhausted. It sounds like you are very creative person who loves art and writing. 

We all have varying levels of limited energy throughout the day. Given that you know your own level of energy better than anyone, it may be helpful to look for a way to prioritize your time that balances your responsibilities to your parents and school in addition to doing what you love. Maybe you can write out a schedule where you organize your time and include some phone-free time with your parents and time for your book and art. You may see that you cannot work on your art every day for example, but at least you can look forward to devoting some time to it. Since you love writing and it is clear you’re looking for a relationship where you can grow closer to your deen, I recommend writing letters and stories to Allah. Tell Allah about your day and struggles in these letters. Sometimes we get lucky and find a friend or two who are good listeners and sympathetic, but Allah is the best listener and responds in times you don’t expect. 

Our parents and teachers are imperfect human beings. Their reactions are a reflection of the voice inside their head – not of you. When your teachers or parents make a cruel comment to you, know that they make similar comments to themselves in their head. We are all allowed to, and often do, fail at things and make mistakes. This teacher is a temporary part of your life. Turn these unfortunate negative experiences into opportunities where you speak to yourself with kindness and motivate yourself for success. If there is another teacher at your school perhaps you can see what kind of tutoring services exist to help you improve. 

Ultimately, we all must advocate for our own success. This makes you a leader and creator of the life you want and helps you feel less helpless. As you do, you will inshAllah find additional supporters in your life and Allah will ease the path for your success. 

Anytime you feel lonely please write to us on this site. Making dua for you and sending lots of love!