Living with a Muslim Roomate

Non-Muslim Roommate?

Living with a Muslim Roomate

Growing up in Los Angeles, I had only met a few Muslims but I never imagined that I would be living with one. As a freshman in college, I was very excited to dorm and meet new people, but it was a little frightening not knowing my roommates and most importantly, not knowing if we were going to get along.

Before registering to dorm at UCLA, I agreed to room with a high school classmate thinking that it would be less difficult to adjust to a new place. The only thing that I did not know was that my classmate, Michelle, was Muslim.

The first day we moved in, my roommates and I sat together to get to know each other. That is when Michelle told us that she was Muslim. My other roommate and I stared at each other for a second. I was surprised because she did not look like what I initially thought Muslims looked like.

The next thought that came to my mind was how living together would turn out. My worry was whether our cultures were going to clash and cause a problem with our living situation. After speaking for a while, my roommate and I reassured her that we would try our best to make her feel comfortable by respecting her beliefs and her religion.

At first, I was a bit scared that Islam was significantly different from Catholicism. I thought that her religion was going to be made up of radical ideas like sacrificing other people and oneself for God. Everything that I knew about Islam came from the media. In the news, I would always hear about terrorist attacks associated with Islamic teachings or about Muslims engaging in terrorism. Because of this, my image about Muslims was unclear. Even though the media portrayed them as terrorists, I had met nice Muslims before and Michelle was very friendly.

As I got to learn more about Islam, I learned that it was different from what the media portrayed. Michelle taught me that true Muslims did not believe in engaging in violence and murdering people. I learned that the media only created negative images of Muslims and failed to show the true teaching of Islam. While sharing her beliefs, I also learned that there were some similarities between Islam and Christianity like how we both believed in one God. We would spend hours talking about our cultures and surprisingly, we found out that we had many similarities. This made me realize that living together was not going to be a bad idea after all.

Muslim Roommate

It has been three years since I attended the lecture, and I know that I will never forget this question. I continue to think about it, and realized that there are so many answers to this question and each time I think about it, my answer changes. One particular scenario that I once heard in an Islamic lecture really helped me think about the existence of God. The speaker told us to imagine being alone in a desert, and then spotting a cell phone on the sand. You then ask yourself: could that cellphone somehow randomly appear on its own? Did all the parts somehow magically come together? No, someone had to design the phone, make the chip, etc. The wind did not just bring all the parts together creating this phone; there had to be a creator. Similarly, the human body, system and organs could not have randomly come together to form a human being. Just looking at the details of the human eye and heart alone, I know Allah (SWT) is the only plausible explanation.

I want to share this experience because the question may sound simple, but we sometimes forget to just pause and think about it. The answer is difficult because the response is different for each of us. Having this thought in the back of my mind has helped me become more God conscious and feel closer to my creator. Take a few minutes and try to answer it: How do you know God exists? Feel free to comment so we may all benefit insha’Allah. May Allah (SWT) strengthen our relationship with him.

Challenge of the Day

Praying 5 Times a Day?

"Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, genuine prayer should deter one from...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Not Pro-Palestine?

“And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Israel or Palestine?

“O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back (from fighting...
Read More
Stories

5  Facts About the Kaaba You Didn’t Know

1. It was not always cubed shaped. It was once rectangle-shaped. 2. Granite is used to make the structure of...
Read More
Ask Me

Lying To My Parents About How I Met a Guy

Q: I have been speaking to this guy I really like and would like to tell my parents about him...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Pro-Israel or Pro-Palestine?

"They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah." [Quran 8:30] Challenge of the...
Read More
Ask Me

Is It Haram to Watch Halloween Movies?

Is It Haram to Watch Halloween Movies? In my opinion, I do not believe it is Haram to watch Halloween...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Selling Pork and Alcohol

"O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork. So shun them so you...
Read More
Ask Me

As Muslims, How Should We Deal With LGBT People?

As Muslims, how should we deal with LGBT people? Islam teaches us to be kind to everyone. Even if you...
Read More
Polls

Tattoos

Read More
Stories

Leftovers to Homeless?!

One day, my brother and I went to a restaurant around our neighborhood and had some leftovers. It was just...
Read More
Ask Me

Is Swearing Haram?

I sometimes say holy cow or crap whenever something shocking happens. I used these words because they are used instead...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Is Music Haram?!

"Persuade whoever you can among them with your enchanting voice, win them over with your soldiers on horseback and on...
Read More
Ask Me

Getting Paid to Watch Haram Content?

There is an app where you can earn money by watching videos and shorts. You can search different channels and...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Weed and Hookah

"Spend in the way of Allah, and do not cast yourselves with your own hands into destruction." [Quran 2:195] Challenge...
Read More
Ask Me

Should I Disown My Mother?

My mother has relationships outside of her marriage while my father is alive. We are ashamed of her deeds. We...
Read More
Stories

I Don’t Wear Hijab, So I am Displeasing My Creator!

When I was in college, I would attend many halaqas (meetings to learn more about Islam). During the week of...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Muharram

"Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah on...
Read More
Ask Me

Christian Praying for a Muslim

If a Muslim friend I have is in trouble, as a Christian am I allowed to pray for them? The...
Read More
Challenge of the Day

Kaaba

 "Allah has made the Kaaba—the Sacred House—a sanctuary of well-being for all people, along with the sacred months, the sacrificial...
Read More
Share
Subscribe
Notify of

1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
karimdul
2 years ago

Assalamu Alaykum!
Due to covid, he cannot go to work. Please help him subscribe to his youtube channel so he can earn money to support his family.

The Muslim
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMuslimchannel

3 Kinds of People Allah Will Not Accept Ibadah From
https://youtu.be/bGCfNYDwyGo

Snake In The Grave
https://youtu.be/xgbYlRwZAus

Nobody is perfect
https://youtu.be/PidIQ3pWfdY

My new video: The Trial of Wealth
https://youtu.be/Y9aaz1icnnQ