Key issues: Divorced after a six-year abusive marriage and fight in the courts to win custody of her two children.

How Solace supported her: Through 1:1 support and psychotherapy sessions Tara began the journey of healing and recovery from the traumatic stress caused by her ex-husband’s emotional abuse. With compassionate guidance and support her support worker and counsellor helped Tara overcome feelings of self-blame and guilt and gradually repair the damage to her self-esteem. With reliance upon Allah and a regular prayer schedule, she was able to rebuild her life again and look more positively towards the future with her children. 

Key issues: ill health, low eemaan and feeling isolated.

How Solace supported her: Briana applied to the Will Writing Service after being hospitalised due to an injury sustained from a fall. She realised she needed to ensure she had an Islamic legally binding document for distributing her estate to her family after she passed away. When she returned home from the hospital her family were able to take care of her but because they weren’t Muslim, she felt depressed and spiritually low. Briana knew a couple of sisters in her area but one moved away and the other one worked and was busy with her family and looked after her elderly mother. She strengthened her eemaan through Solace 1:1 support sessions and gained a more positive outlook in life. She attended a Solace iftar event and re-connected with the wider Muslim sister community again. 

Key issues: Needed a wali to get married to a brother she met once she graduated from university.

How Solace supported her: Lydia applied to the Solace Marriage Service to learn about marriage from an Islamic perspective by taking part in an online module-based course delivered by experienced facilitators. She also received support from the Wali Panel who conducted initial meetings with Lydia and her potential spouse and carried out references and relevant background checks. She also received support from Solace to plan their Nikkah and Walima. 

Lydia is now happily married and is expecting their first baby any time now. 

Key Issues: Loneliness, Homelessness

How Solace supported her: Rebecca had divorced from her abusive ex-husband who had also taken her children and denied her access. She was spending time and money that she didn’t have going back and forth to court and dealing with social workers to fight for access to her children. 

Whilst this was going on, she found herself isolated from her family who didn’t agree with her choice to become Muslim. She was also experiencing financial difficulty and was facing eviction from her Landlord. 

This left Rebecca anxious and overwhelmed and with low eman, feeling like she had no one to turn to. 

In the 1-2-1 emotional support sessions, Rebecca worked on developing her confidence and self-esteem. Through this she was able to begin making plans for her future and focus on achieving her personal development goals. She began regularly attending Islamic events and visiting the masjid to reduce her isolation, stating that “my imaan is stronger and I also feel better about myself.” 

After the council closed her homelessness case, meaning she would soon be in the street, Solace was able to support Rebecca into a flat via a referral to an accommodation provider and supporting her with transport. 

Rebecca is now happily settling into her lovely new home and looking forward to welcoming her children there one day soon. 

Key Issues: Brother delaying marriage, toxic family relationships

After meeting a brother online and eventually deciding they wanted to marry, a few years later, Chloe found herself still with no Nikkah and having constant arguments with the brother. 

This was causing tension with her family, who would welcome him into the home, but then insult him behind his back. 

Chloe accessed support from the Wali Panel via the Solace in Marriage service. Through mediation sessions and weekly meetings, the Panel supported both the sister and brother to identify areas for their own development and the red flags and issues in their communication. She was encouraged to engage in more self-development and began attending counselling. When it became clear that the brother was still delaying the marriage and effectively using her as a placeholder with no real care or concern for her feelings, the Wali Panel was able to help her focus on her relationship with Allah, valuing herself and putting boundaries in place for her protection. 

With this support, Chloe found the strength to walk away from a toxic situation and focus on herself and growing in her Deen. 

Key Issues: Debt, anxiety.

How Solace supported her: Following the breakdown of an abusive marriage that left her with physical and mental health issues, Diana reverted after an encounter with a Muslim charity worker and being moved by her beautiful conduct and support. 

Diana’s ex-husband had left her with significant debt, resulting in a barrage of letters and calls from debt collectors which caused her overwhelming stress and anxiety. 

Struggling and feeling isolated, she contacted Solace seeking emotional support, and was told that financial support could be offered too. 

 The support from Solace enabled Diana to better manage her debt, giving her more time to focus on her children. Solace support also helped her feel less isolated and she started attending online talks and gatherings to boost her Iman and increase her knowledge. 

Solace was able to support Diana through one of the most challenging periods of her life when she could have easily given up. As she so beautifully states, “Allah guides us all and in my isolation steered me to Solace. Alhamdulillah”. 

Key Issues: Conflict with family, loneliness

How Solace supported her: Sarah was raised in a Christian household that was hostile towards Islam and reverted after falling in love with Islam through discussions with a Muslim colleague. 

She was fearful of backlash from her family and community and so did not tell her parents or many of her friends. 

Struggling with practicing the Deen at home, due to concern about her parents’ reaction, Sarah was feeling lonely and distant from a community. 

Through support from Solace, she began to feel more conformable and confident and developed a strategy for when she was ready to break the news to her family. 

Sarah was keen to be more engaged with the Muslim community and continue to gain knowledge of the Islam. From looking for retreats and classes to attend and making resources to help her memorise the prayer, support enabled Sarah to grow in confidence and focus on her achieving her goals, building her connection with Allah and begin telling her friends that she is Muslim. 

Key issues:  Losing self-identity, Marital issues, Feeling isolated, Low in Imaan 

How Solace supported her: 

Patricia was carrying years of baggage and struggling to overcome her trauma due to fears of backbiting and not being able to create healthy boundaries.  She found comfort in speaking to her Support Worker who was non-judgemental and understood her struggles. Weekly conversations helped her reconnect to Allah (SWT) and understand that she had the right to feel the way she did, and that she had the freedom of thought and the right to do things for herself which she would feel guilty about previously. Patricia benefited from the Islamic knowledge provided to allow her to speak about the oppression and hardship she had gone through. 

Key Issues:  

Anastasia, a very recent revert to Islam, has been navigating complex family dynamics who are unaware of her reversion. Their open resistance to the idea of Islam has added emotional strain. She feels torn between her family and her desire to practise her faith openly and freely. Balancing these pressures while integrating into her local Muslim community has weighed heavily on her emotional well-being. 

How Solace supported her: 

With encouragement and support, Anastasia was able to successfully inform her family about her reversion. She was able to go about it with so much wisdom and felt great relief from no longer having to live a secret life. She verbally received support from her mother and brother whilst showing confidence, wisdom and emotional resilience in navigating challenging discussions. Anastasia has also gained confidence in wearing the hijab and practicing Islam openly while maintaining key relationships. 

Key Issues:  

Hannah has been navigating a prolonged and challenging divorce process, leaving her emotionally drained and financially strained. Periods of depression and fatigue have disrupted her daily routines, social interactions, and spiritual practices. Her stressful work environment impacted her mental health. Social isolation was also a significant challenge, made it difficult for her to connect with the Muslim community or participate in events, leaving her feeling unsupported and alone. 

How Solace supported her: 

Hannah has rebuilt confidence by attending community events helping her reconnect socially. She resumed Qur’an classes and Islamic studies, finding peace and solace in strengthening her faith. 

With guidance, she restarted her prayers and adopted a mindset of trusting Allah’s Plan. She addressed unhealthy habits, such as smoking and unhealthy eating patterns, improving her overall health. 

Additionally, she worked on effective communication with her children and made key decisions about her personal life while maintaining respect for everyone involved. These steps have helped her regain emotional resilience and a sense of direction. 

Key Issues:   

Anna has faced significant emotional trauma. Throughout her marriage, she lacked a support system, leaving her to navigate these challenges alone. The experiences deeply impacted her emotionally, and she struggled with pain and feelings of betrayal. To cope, she tried to keep busy with work, but inconsistent employment left her with too much time to reflect on her past, intensifying her emotional struggles. This ongoing cycle of pain and lack of support has made it difficult for her to heal and move forward. 

How Solace supported her:  

Despite her challenges, Anna has successfully navigated her personal growth. She wants to marry again with the intention of making healthier choices, prioritising mutual respect and understanding in her future marriage.  

Professionally, she has chosen part-time work to accommodate physical health limitations and allow for a balanced lifestyle. In terms of spiritual growth, she has made significant progress, increasing her Imaan and achieving emotional stability. 

Key issues: 

Jasmine’s Family in India have semi-disowned her due to reversion. Volatile marriage. Feeling of loneliness and isolation as family and friends cut her off.  Mother of a young child and little support from her husband.  

How Solace supported her: 

Jasmine is an Indian ex-Hindu revert with no family or connections in the UK. Her family cut her off due to her conversion and marriage. In time, her marriage became emotionally abusive, and she began seriously questioning and doubting her faith. Solace provided her with her only regular connection to a Muslim sister, her Support Worker. During sessions, Jasmine’s Support Worker was able to provide her with the Islamic knowledge she needed to understand her faith better and put away her doubts. She also learnt how to challenge her negative thoughts and find solutions to her problems. Furthermore, with support, Jasmine was able to learn how to better manage her own emotions and how to manage boundaries with her husband. By the end of her support she felt more in control of her life, her faith and her relationships.   

Key Issues:

As a single mother, Sibora struggles to balance spending quality time with her children while working full-time. She feels like she is failing as a mother. Sibora also finds it challenging to connect with Allah (SWT) and maintain her Islamic practices due to the demands of her job. Additionally, she experiences feelings of loneliness and isolation, lacks adult company, and finds it difficult to choose a spouse, believing there are no good men out there. Overall, Sibora feels like she is on autopilot. 

How Solace supported her: 

Sibora received psychotherapy to address her deep-rooted traumas. Additionally, she is received emotional support to address concerns about her parenting skills including encouragement and reassurance. She successfully secured a new job. Her support also focused on parenting and her relationship with her children. To help strengthen the bond between them, Sibora is planning exciting outdoor activities with her children. She is also exploring the use of the Solace Wali service for support with a current marriage proposal.