“The support worker was excellent. She was very helpful and polite. She came to my house when arranged and took me to the court and the medical centre as part of trying to sort out my problems. She even made sure I got back home safely by dropping me back.

She did everything I asked from her and I couldn’t have asked for more.

I got so much help and support to sort out the problems I had with my benefit. My life has changed for the better. I feel like I am not alone. The support worker calls and messages me which I am grateful for as she has not forgotten about me.”

“Alhamdulilah for Solace, it is a much needed service for revert sisters.  May Allah (swt) reward all the Solace sisters’ efforts for providing such genuine support in the Ummah.  I reverted to Islam many, many years ago.  I approached Solace as I felt I was 95% ready to walk away from Islam, my deen was getting weaker by the day.  I ‘looked’ the part but my heart was getting emptier by the day too.  The remaining 5% feeling of ‘just’ checking where I was with my deen must have been significant as with the help and support I received from Solace, I have come full circle and my emaan is the stronger than it has ever been, operating at 100% without doubt.  I would not be spiritually, mentally and emotionally in the place I am in now without the love and support I received from Solace.  I was listened to without judgment or disapproval and I took the guidance I was offered.  I needed help to get back on track with my deen and the sisters at Solace gave me all the help and support I needed.  Becoming steadfast in my deen has given me the foundation and clarity to deal with other important issues I was and still am facing.  I am still in awe of how I became so steadfast in my deen in such a short space of time working with Solace.  I will be forever grateful for the help I received and for not being judged when I told them my thoughts and feelings.  For me, Solace has been like an essential part of a Muslimah’s first aid kit, they patched me up and turbo charged me.  My emaan is in a place that I thought would never achievable for me.  But masha Allah, a miracle was waiting for me just round the corner and Solace helped me uncover it.”

“I came across Solace during an absolute crisis point in my life. I was completely homeless on the street. Solace helped me immediately after I contacted them. I sent photos and screen shots of documents to Solace over whatsap to verify my situation and over a few hours I was helped!

They paid for me to go stay at a hotel and I was just so grateful I didn’t have to sleep on the street that night. That night I was finally able to have a wash, collect my thoughts, and calm down from the calamity going on in my life.

The next day as advised by Solace, I went early morning to the council and I spent all day there to get myself temporary accommodation. My problems were still not solved. I was surrounded by darkness due to my extreme circumstances. It felt like I was sinking into a dark hole, During Ramadan last year, I then received an Eid gift from Solace. I cannot describe how it made me feel. It really made me cry. It wasn’t anything over the top but it really made me feel like someone cared.

Allah swt has been testing me in all aspects of my life; health, finances, divorce and separation from my children. Social services are now building up a case against me too. I was separated from my children for almost 4 years and during which I didn’t know where they were. If you are a mother you will understand the devastating pain. To be honest I nearly lost my sanity. Solace has stood by me and it has really helped me to keep going. I am very grateful that Allah swt put Solace in my path and I could meet such amazing sisters.

Not being able to pay for my temporary accomodation meant that I generated debt. Solace has once again stepped in and they are currently in the process to financially help me sort this debt out. I am so very grateful for this help, as it has taken away some of my burdens and I am able to concentrate on other important things.

I would like to mention i am very impressed with Amaani’s professionalism but at the same time her humanity. Mashallah she has such a nice mix. Sometimes people are efficient but at the same time deal with you like they are robots. Mashallah she has a beautiful combination and really demonstrates what Islam is all about. She is understanding and she has gone above and beyond for me. She even sends me some duaas and tries to ease my situation from an Islamic perspective. May Allah bless her abudantly.”

“Prior to receiving support from Solace, I was at breaking point in both my personal & spiritual life. After being Muslim for almost 7 years, I began to question if becoming Muslim was the right decision & if Allaah even existed. Since the very beginning of my Islaam I have been through really turbulent times and life changing events including two failed marriages which were both violent and abusive, financial hardship which almost rendered me homeless, abuse from my family and now being a single mum. I struggled to understand how Allaah, or in fact any God, could really exist when I’ve rarely felt any happiness since taking my shahadah and wondered where Ar Rahmaan, Ar Raheem, Al Lateef was for me during these painful times. I was confused and felt like I’d lost all hope, clarity, my identity and any focus in life. This lead me to the darkest point in my life so far. This is when I turned to Solace for help.

Since receiving support from Solace I have begun to feel a lot more positive and feel somewhat better about the future. I have contact with a support worker on a weekly basis and during our sessions we set weekly goals/targets. It’s my only opportunity to speak about how I feel and the only outlet for my feelings. No matter how I feel at the beginning of the session, I always end the session feeling like a great weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, with renewed emaan and feeling much more optimistic.

At present I am still having support sessions and I hope they do not end anytime soon. I am in the process of trying to solidify my emaan and meet some sisters as I have been isolated for quite some time. My support worker has been great and has made huge efforts to signpost me to other organisations for sisters and reverts, one of which I attended recently and I absolutely love! I am also in the process of applying for some financial support as me and my daughter are living on no income whatsoever due to issues with the Home Office and the Passport Office. I am so grateful to Solace. Prior to their help I was about to leave Islaam, now I’m trying to be the best Muslimah I can be in shaa Allaah.”

“My SW was very polite and tried her best to deal with me and speak to me whenever we were both available. The goal setting was really good because it made my mind focus. Beneficial service was definitely received. I found the goal setting really beneficial as it helped me keep perspective and gave me an aim to work towards.

The support has helped me to understand why I lost a child and it brought me back to being stronger and closer to Allah.

The main difference it has made in my life is that it has made my imaan and connection stronger with Allah, which is the most important thing. This is what keeps me going.

The support really helped me when I was going through a very difficult time. I would recommend the support to other people for sure.”

“This is a combination of my reflections from my diary after I finished working with F and my recent reflections.
I had very low expectations of Solace. I presumed that they would not want to work with me. When I met F for the first time I presumed that she wouldn’t like me and I presumed that we wouldn’t get on together at all.

Happy to say that I was wrong about that!

It took me a while to work out in my head the relationship that I had with F.
I came to the conclusion that she was a combination of a life coach, big sister, a therapist and teacher.
When something happens to me now I can still hear her voice ‘so what did you learn from that?’

When I first took my Shahada everyone was super happy for me. The support fizzled out. I had a bad experience following my interaction with a muslim group. It was very negative and I questioned my new faith. I don’t think that I was going to leave the faith I just felt very confused about lots of issues and felt very low. I felt stuck, I didn’t want to go back to my previous life but I wasn’t sure how to move forward.

F was very good at challenging me about my negative thought processes and attitudes. It felt as though she helped me put everything back together nicely.

The support that she gave me was very practical, not airy-fairy at all. She was always non judgemental, she was very caring. She was generous with her time, for example she called me on Eid to wish me Eid Mubarak. I was extremely touched by that cos I could imagine she was super busy with her family that day.

F was crucial in helping me to build up my confidence with my duas and visiting local mosques. It also helped me to strengthen my relationship with Allah. All of our discussions came back to Allah.

I seem to remember that most of my phone calls with F were full of laughter and just a few tears. I always felt buzzing afterwards.

F is very intelligent and very well read. I really enjoyed our discussions about our faith.

I felt sad when we stopped working together but it was obvious that I had made lots of progress and didn’t actually need the one to one support.

My message to F is to say thank you again. I feel much happier now and more positive. It feels like the worse bits are behind me and my best is yet to come. Being a muslim allows me to express the very best parts of my personality. I only got to this place with the help from Solace.

I am part of a community that gives me plenty of reasons to feel proud. I include Solace in the community too.

I would also want her to know that I have lots of plans. I feel confident in my identity. I still have occasion bad days but I don’t feel so overwhelmed by it all.

The contents of one’s duas are private, but perhaps I can just hint that I regularly thank Allah for the support from F and Solace. Maybe just maybe I ask him to provide you all with blessings in this life and the next.

When I felt very low I asked Allah for help and I think F and Solace were part of Allah’s reply.

Solace showed me what sisterhood means- kindness, compassion, love, laughter, solidarity, generosity and frequent references to food!”

“It was what I needed to get back on track. My relationship with Allah is so much stronger. It doesn’t matter if things don’t go right. I feel more steadfast in the deen. Knowing that what ever happens will happen anyway and ok.

I really didn’t think that I was going to get my emaan back on track.

It has made a massive difference in how I look at things.

My husband: I see him from a different light and I understand where he is coming from and how I am to him that caused the strained in our relationship. We’re not hating each other any more, there are still issues but we just talk now.

My husband relationship with our daughters have shifted too. He really listens and talks to them now. He is remorseful for what he did to us.

I feel that I have been rewired spiritually.”

“Alhamdulilah, I have found my conversations with Laila so far, really beneficial, masha Allah.  She has a very easy and comfortable manner.  She has a very good understanding of issues I felt overwhelmed by and her support is really helping me take beneficial steps in my personal development.

Thank you for all your support and I really appreciate you being there, it has made all the difference.”

“I have come a long way by the mercy of Allah. I feel I’ll be able to stand on my feet without our mentoring sessions although I will miss them. I trust in Allah to strengthen me and my imaan will continue to rise along with my current affairs. Once again jazakAllah khayr for all your support. Although we didn’t get to meet I pray Allah can give you success in your affairs always. Ameen.”

“I truly appreciate all the advice and emotional you have given me over this past year. Words cannot explain how grateful I am as you were there for me when I needed it most. My journey ahead will not be easy but I have the mindset to get through it with Allah’s help. I believe I can.”