Why a Western Sister?

A brother writes: Western sisters often choose to be highly religious despite their environment, whereas many sisters back home are raised in environments where religiosity is socially accepted, encouraged, and sometimes even expected. As a result, being practising in the West often requires a level of conviction, resilience, and willingness to go against the norm that simply isn’t tested in the same way elsewhere. I barely vetted my wife because it became clear very quickly that she possessed the qualities I was looking for. Circumstantially, for a woman to choose to be Salafī, remain consistent in seeking knowledge, desire hijrah despite knowing the sacrifices involved, willingly lower her standard of living for the sake of Allāh, go against family expectations, accepting that polygyny is a man’s choice, and aspire to build a large righteous family, she has already demonstrated many of the traits that make a successful wife: sincerity, commitment, patience, sacrifice, courage, and the ability to put the dīn before her own desires. With sisters from back home, assessment can often be more difficult. Not because they are necessarily less righteous, but because many outwardly desirable qualities can exist due to the environment rather than personal striving. When the society already supports and rewards certain behaviours, it’s harder to know whether those qualities would remain if they came at a personal cost. In many cases, the Western sister has already passed tests that reveal her character before marriage even begins. [end quote] https://t.me/Menzbenefits/439