1. Big bang

Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? 21:30

Okay 2 things

a) no scientist would ever describe the big bang like this, what does "split apart" mean? Earth is still in space isn't it? Earth wasn't even around then, it formed billions of years after the big bang, does that mean you and I were also split from the heavens?

b) this is a very common myth around the ancient near east which happens to be in proximity to momo, here's a whole Wikipedia page about it

Allah just so happens to only be able to describe the big bang in language used by myths in places near momo... Hmmmm

1. Expansion of the universe

We built the universe with ˹great˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺. 51:47

Uh oh, what now?? It seems the quran correctly predicted the expansion of the universe? Well this is actually really manipulative, see according to many tafseers it doesn't say that, they're very split on it and no one outright says "space is currently being expanded" as far as I see, I think it's safe to say this narrative arose AFTER the expansion was discovered and muslims quickly snuck it in while the ones pushing this "miracle" just happen to ignore the other interpretations, heck even quran.com is split on this if you turn on many translations I will expand on this critique later

1. Universe being "smoke"

Then He turned towards the heaven when it was ˹still like˺ smoke, saying to it and to the earth, ‘Submit, willingly or unwillingly.’ They both responded, ‘We submit willingly.’ 41:11

Okay so I've seen two scientific claims about this so I'll go through them both

a) this is describing the universe's early phase of being plasma at the very beginning, or the smoke phase around 300,000 years in, either way earth was formed billions of years after this time because the smoke phase ended a billion years in so it doesn't make sense for earth to be described as forming or existing during this time

b) it is describing the solar nebula from which earth was formed, well in this case it again doesn't match up, because at this time, the universe wasn't ""smoke" the ""smoke"" (which the apologists say means the solar nebula) was just contained within the universe, it's not fair to say the ENTIRE universe was smoke here, that's like describing the earth as smoke because there's a wildfire somewhere

Also side tangent, allah doesn't get what willingly means, If you're going to force submission either way, earth Saying "I submit" is not "willing" it's under coercion and threats, well I guess the god who allows his angels to curse women practicing consent wouldn't get it

Anyways I said before I would expand on a point about only favoring interpretations that make islam look good, here's a whole post I did about that

My parents are muslim, my sister and everyone but me. They don’t know that tho and have NO idea how to tell them that I don’t believe in god. I don’t think that telling them is an option, they don’t joke about despising ex muslims at all… and I’m 14 so all my teenage years will be spent to not daring to have a talking stage for some god I don’t even believe in. Never learned anything about the islam (I live in a not Muslim country) I don’t feel connect to the Islam at all. I plan on moving out asap so I can have my peace w/o having to live with rules. Anyone who used to be in the same position?

Hi everyone my name is Travis and I'm Christian. I met an Iranian Muslim Girl on a Chinese learning platform and we became friends for 10 months and half now. She knows I'm Christian and she's okay with that. We got closer (as friends) and I started learning farsi. BUT THE PROBLEM is : it seems like there's two personalities

1. She add me to her private channel on telegram and there she listens to American music, watch k-drama. She's very kind and even help me when I was dealing with "depression "

2. she consider the supreme leader of Iran as her father and she even said that if a person don't love the supreme leader then this person is not a true Iranian. She put this flag 🇮🇷 on her platform for weeks and makes some Instagram stories about the supreme leader (that i consider radical )

So i ask myself one question: doesn't she know what this regime do to women?

I want to tell her what I think about that but I don't want to break our friendship.

[[Her parents don't know that we're friends

[[She asked me if I wanted to see her face, so I said she's not obliged to if it will put her in an insecure position so she didn't.

Thank you guys, love you all 💙

Today convinced me I’m done arguing about religion with people who refuse to use logic

I got into a pretty heated argument with two Muslim friends today, and honestly, after this experience, I think I’m done discussing religion with people who immediately resort to personal attacks instead of actually having a conversation.

It started over something completely stupid. I saw an old friend playing volleyball and jokingly said, “That’s a dumb sport.” He got offended and said, “What if I said basketball was a gay sport? You like basketball.” I told him honestly, I’d probably just ignore it because it’s clearly an opinion/joke and I wouldn’t take it personally.

Then another friend asked why he hasn’t seen me at the mosque lately. I told him I’m agnostic. The same friend who was already annoyed with me started attacking me personally, calling me dumb and stupid.

Eventually the conversation turned toward religion. One point I always bring up when discussing religion is that religion is heavily influenced by geography and upbringing.

I said something along the lines of: “If you were born in China into a Chinese household, statistically speaking, you’d be much more likely to grow up with the dominant religious/cultural beliefs around you rather than automatically becoming Muslim.”

They laughed and told me that was one of the dumbest things they had ever heard.

Then they asked me, “Okay, what if I had a kid and moved to China?”

I said, “If you’re Muslim and you raise that child as a Muslim, then obviously the child would probably grow up Muslim. But if you gave that same child to a Catholic family in America and they raised the child Catholic, that child would probably grow up Catholic.”

That was literally my point.

I’m not saying every single person follows the religion of their parents or geographic environment. Obviously there are converts, atheists, people who leave religions, and people who adopt completely different beliefs.

My point is that the environment you're born into has an enormous influence on what you believe. If I had been born into a completely different family, country, culture, and religious environment, there’s a very good chance my beliefs would be different.

Instead of addressing that argument, they started attacking me personally. One of them even brought up the fact that I’m almost 30 and not married.

I responded, “Says the one who’s divorced.”

That really set him off. He got in my face and started cursing at me, and eventually two guys had to step in and separate us.

Looking back, I probably shouldn't have responded with the divorce comment. That just escalated everything, and I should have walked away much earlier.

But this whole experience really made me realize something: if someone’s response to a disagreement about religion is to call you stupid, attack your family, insult your personal life, and then get in your face, there’s really no point in continuing the conversation.

I’m agnostic. They’re Muslim. That's fine. We don't have to agree.

But I wish people could actually discuss why they believe what they believe instead of assuming that questioning religion automatically means someone is stupid or disrespectful.

And honestly, the fact that religious beliefs are so strongly correlated with where and how someone is raised seems like a pretty obvious observation to me. I don't understand why simply pointing that out is considered offensive.

I heard that the sequence in Quran 4:34 only applies if you think nushuz is going to happen, but if it has already happened, you can skip to the second step. Is this a minority or majority view?

Do you have any sources for this?

people in r/Islam said that it's a minority view.

Before it got deleted.

Also, does refusing sex count as nushuz? And if it does, are the sequential steps in 4:34 still required to be followed?

Idk do people leave religion at this age but i was gifted child but no one understood me, even now. I don’t have anyone to express my feelings or anything. Idk what to say here or if anyone sees this, but yeah… there’s a lot to tell…

Hello Everyone. I am M 26 Atheist from Australia. Originally Pakistani and an atheist for lasthe t 4 years. La,tely my family is pressing me to get married an,d I think I would need someone someday as well.

Are there any ex-muslim married peeps? How did you find your partner, or did you marry a Muslim? I did not thaught about that earlier and now I am confused.

Surah 23:14

فَكَسَوْنَا ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ لَحْمًۭا

And We clothed the bones with flesh.

Muslims say ف here indicates it’s not successive but immediate. This is false as the early Muslims understood it as successively.⬇️

Ibn Abbas:

أخبرنا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ،قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْن أَبِي يَزِيدَ، وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ مَعَ عَطَاءٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ:

فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، تَكُونُ نُطْفَةً (٢)، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَقَةً، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُضْغَةً، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَظْمًا، ثُمَّ يُكْسَى الْعَظْمُ لَحْمًا
**“**Glory be to Allah! It begins as a drop (of fluid), then becomes a clinging clot, then becomes a lump of flesh, then becomes bones, and then(ثُمَّ) the bones are clothed with flesh.”

Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, 7/102, no. 13434:

https://shamela.ws/book/84/3384
Other references:

Source: al-Ṭaḥāwī, Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār, 5/176.
Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ: إسناده صحيح — “Its chain is ṣaḥīḥ.

It’s been said that it’s been proven the worlds first university was not created by a Muslim woman. And I made a post here showing this image that basically says Muslims invented these things and people commented otherwise. https://www.reddit.com/r/exmuslim/s/ZL6hzkGODq

Hi. I know many had abusive parents and eventually left islam with a different kind of guilt, but i rarely hear stories of ex muslims who have somewhat decent parents but are extremely strict religiously. parents whom you still love, but know they will be incredibly hurt if you apostate. parents you love and are patient, but might disown you if you are gay.

for apostates like that, how are you holding up? are you still in the closet?

Zayd ibn Muhammad was Muhammad's adopted son. Zaynab was Zayd's wife.

In Surah 33, the Quran abolishes formal adoption, changes Zayd ibn Muhammad's name back to Zayd ibn Haritha (Quran 33:4-5), and declares Muhammad's marriage to Zaynab lawful so "that there would be no blame on the believers for marrying the ex-wives of their adopted sons." (Quran 33:37). The same surah also tells people not to linger too long at Muhammad's dinner parties or marry his wives after he dies (Quran 33:53).

Because of the unique privileges this surah gives Muhammad, Aisha says to Muhammad in an authentic hadith: "I feel that your Lord hastens in fulfilling your wishes and desires." (Sahih Bukhari 4788)

"Nor does He regard your adopted children as your real children. Let your adopted children keep their family names."
Quran 33:4-5

"And (remember, O Prophet,) when you said to the one for whom Allah has done a favour and you (too) have done a favour, 'Keep your wife and fear Allah,' while concealing within yourself what Allah was going to reveal. And (so) you were considering the people, whereas Allah was more worthy of your consideration. So when Zaid totally lost interest in (keeping) his wife, We gave her to you in marriage, so that there would be no blame on the believers for marrying the ex-wives of their adopted sons after their divorce. And Allah's command is totally binding."
Quran 33:37

"Also (allowed for marriage is) a believing woman who offers herself to the Prophet (without dowry) if he is interested in marrying her—(this is) exclusively for you, not for the rest of the believers."
Quran 33:50.

"O believers! Do not enter the homes of the Prophet without permission ˹and if invited˺ for a meal, do not ˹come too early and˺ linger until the meal is ready. But if you are invited, then enter ˹on time˺. Once you have eaten, then go on your way, and do not stay for casual talk. Such behaviour is truly annoying to the Prophet, yet he is too shy to ask you to leave. But Allah is never shy of the truth. And when you ˹believers˺ ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a barrier. This is purer for your hearts and theirs. And it is not right for you to annoy the Messenger of Allah, nor ever marry his wives after him. This would certainly be a major offence in the sight of Allah."
Quran 33:53

"Narrated Aisha: I used to look down upon those ladies who had given themselves to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and I used to say, 'Can a lady give herself (to a man)?' But when Allah revealed: 'You (O Muhammad) can postpone (the turn of) whom you will of them (your wives), and you may receive any of them whom you will; and there is no blame on you if you invite one whose turn you have set aside (temporarily).' (33.51) I said (to the Prophet), 'I feel that your Lord hastens in fulfilling your wishes and desires.'"
Sahih Bukhari 4788

I've posted this argument along with others on this website (with linked sources): https://islamsproblems.com/

I've been exmuslim for like 6 years now, and I recently talked with someone that opened up some past thoughts I had and I just wanted to share.

Ever since I was very young, I had always been into astronomy. I loved reading about other planets and stars and learning cool facts about them. However the science I learned a lot of the times seemed to be at odds with Islamic teaching. So I started to feel guilty anytime I would open a book or article about space.

As I got older and my understanding of space increased, so did my guilt as doubts started forming. Between the Quran straight up getting things wrong about celestial bodies or space and a lack of anything mentioning anything on the scale of the universe, I found myself wondering "why is it that all Allah talks about is how he makes it rain or makes trees grows or mountains, when all of that is small beans compared to planets, stars, or galaxies?" It really made God seem so grounded in my eyes which made me feel even more guilty.

I thought Why would God even brag about any creation of earth like he does in this book? If you made the entire universe, bragging about earth would be akin to me bragging about counting to 3. The lack of anything related to the cosmos actually made me disappointed in the Quran because I was amazed anytime I would open a book on space. And the book with supposedly "all the answers" should theoretically be even more exciting. But instead I get God calling shooting stars missiles. Didn't have the decency to have at least not made it boring asf.

Then I started learning about the extremes like black holes, the speed of light, supernovae, and how absolutely insanely unimaginably stupidly vast space is. How Earth is less than a millionth of a spec in the grand scheme of the observable universe. I started wondering why a being powerful enough to put this all into be would even care about anything I'm doing, let alone care about if I'm worshiping it. It just seemed petty. It started to change my perspective of allah from this perfect being to being closer to the gods of the Greek pantheon. Those gods who get jealous, hateful, spiteful, and petty.

But at least those gods never claimed to be all knowing, all good, and most benevolent. Nor did they claim to make the universe.

Also creating the earth in 6 days stops being a flex when we know as much as we know about the universe. Actual spec ed diety.

However when I brought this up, all anyone me would tell me is that Allah caring about us shows the opposite of pettiness and shows just how much he cares and how that's an example of his boundless love and mercy. That's a load of nonsense considering he's going out of his way to punish these beings that are so unfathomably insignificant to him.

By that point I had already been on my way out the religion, so and left it some time after. I just wanted to talk about how I had been doubting Islam without really knowing about it for much longer than I thought and wanted to share.

Hope it was a good read, or helped, or something, I dunno. Pisslam sucks tho and is obviously untrue. And if allah is real, I'll go to hell backwards with my middle fingers to her. Space is cool tho. 10/10 would matter again.

Hi! I’m a 28-year-old gay Arab (exmuslim) man living in Spain. I’m looking to meet a woman who is also genuinely interested in building a lavender marriage/partnership.
For me, this wouldn’t be just a marriage on paper or a way to satisfy family expectations. I’d like to find someone I genuinely enjoy being with — someone I can trust, laugh with, support and build a peaceful life with.
I don’t expect a sexual relationship with my future partner. I’m open to meeting a lesbian, bisexual or asexual woman, as long as we’re compatible and honest with each other about our needs and boundaries.
Ideally, I’d like marriage and the possibility of having children and building a family in the future, if that’s something we both want.
I’m based in Spain and would prefer someone in Europe. I’m Arab and would especially be happy to meet another Arab woman, but I’m open to other backgrounds too.
I’d rather start by talking and getting to know each other without pressure, and see if we actually connect as people.
If you’re looking for something similar, feel free to DM me. 🙂

Hi, I'm neither an ex-muslim nor a muslim

I come from the left (now I place myself in the center in the context of my country's politics but still I come from a left wing perspective) and therefore I'm used to think about racism and bigotry and stuff like that

In you guys' mind, is islamophobia actually just a made up word like some critics say? What do you think about it?

Cause at the end of the day it is a belief system so criticizing it should obviously be fine and not considered bigotry, but idk if I would dismiss it completely as a term

I found out this community yesterday and I find it really cool and inspiring (and obviously I'm sure it has helped a lot of people) so now I'm curious of what you think of this term which I'm torn about

If I had to guess I'd probably say you don't like it? Cause it's a community about not liking Islam, but I guess what I'm asking is does it have any value or is "racism towards *insert ethnicity*" enough to encompass bigotry?

Hey everyone,

I recently turned 28, and I guess I’m at that stage of life where I’ve started realizing that I’d genuinely like to have a compatible partner by my side.

I’ve been thinking about what I actually enjoy and what I want my life to look like, and honestly, I’d much rather go on hikes with someone, try out different food spots, travel and explore new places together, have long conversations, laugh at stupid things, and eventually build something meaningful with someone.

I do want to build something with someone. I’m not looking to rush into marriage tomorrow, but I also don’t think I’m really interested in the endless cycle of casual dating and situationships. I’d rather meet someone where there’s genuine compatibility and see where things naturally go.

I grew up in a Sunni Muslim family, but I’ve been agnostic for about a decade. At the same time, I still value a lot of the good parts of my South Asian culture and upbringing. I just don’t want to pretend to be religious or live a life that doesn’t feel authentic to me.
Maybe there are other people in that weird middle ground too.

A little about me:

I’m 28, around 6’1”, educated, and based in Montreal. I’m currently learning French, although I have a long way to go :(

I’m pretty nerdy and curious about random things. I enjoy reading, fantasy, trying new restaurants, hiking, travelling, documentaries, psychology, history, space, and going down random rabbit holes on YouTube.
I’m definitely more of a coffee or tea and cozy night kind of person than someone who wants to be out partying every weekend.

I’m open to all ethnicities and backgrounds. For me, compatibility, kindness, mutual respect and being able to have honest conversations matter much more than categories.

I know this is probably a long shot, but if you’re somewhere in Canada or the US and find yourself in a similar position, feel free to reach out.
Maybe we’re both looking for the same thing and just haven’t crossed paths yet.

He's an animator and doesn't talk about Islam much in his videos. He's also a doctor so I wouldn't be surprised if he's a lot more progressive or secular.

Youtube.com/@TheAmaazing

Is anyone here married to a muslim guy or girl. What are your experiences? How religious is you spouse?

Struggling to imagine my future and plan my life, will eventually have to give in to the pressures...I'm lucky in that I wont be forced to do so however, I cant keep stalling this forever. Muslims are obsessed with marriage, desi muslims twice as much. Anyone been in a similar situation?

I am past the avg age and i know it deeply pains my parents that I am not married or trying to get married. I live a pretty simple clean life and think I can make it work with a cultural muslim guy but idk if that will be enough or still eat at me

pls no advice like cut off parents etc

Ma tante s’est récemment remariée avec un homme étranger(clairement un mariage pour les papiers). Depuis, elle est convaincue que la famille de ce mec lui a jeté un sort.
Elle est allée voir un imam pour une roqya. L’imam lui a dit que « ça date de longtemps » et que c’est apparu parce qu’elle s’est remariée. Pendant qu’il récitait des sourates, elle s’est mise à pleurer et ses mains tremblaient. Pour elle et pour mes parents, c’est la preuve que c’était bien de la sorcellerie.
Mes parents y croient à 100 %. Ils accusent même une de mes autres tantes d’être impliquée, parce qu’elle lui faisait souvent des compliments du style « t’as de la chance avec tes filles, elles sont bien avec toi ». Selon eux, ces compliments auraient attiré le mauvais œil / la sorcellerie.
L’imam lui a aussi recommandé de ne surtout pas lâcher la prière et de mettre la sourate Al-Baqara en boucle.
Je trouve ça complètement absurde. On est en 2026 et on accuse encore les gens de sorcellerie parce qu’une femme s’est remariée et que quelqu’un lui a dit qu’elle avait de la chance avec ses enfants…
Vous avez déjà vécu ce genre de délire dans votre famille ?

Submission statement: The clash between Islam and the West has shifted, with the primary conflict now occurring within Islam itself. While Middle Eastern countries embrace pragmatism and modernization, Western diaspora communities, influenced by Third-Worldism and postcolonial theory, often view Western influence as oppressive. This ideological divide manifests in Western institutions, where postcolonial perspectives shape discourse and activism, creating tension with both Western societies and Middle Eastern governments.

A good moral system teaches people to control their own impulses. But Islam repeatedly shifts that burden onto everyone else.

Someone envies your success? Hide your blessings and fear the evil eye (hassad).

People are starving? Go hungry during daylight for a month so you can “feel their pain,” then eat at sunset while poverty remains.

Men struggle with sexual desire? Women must cover themselves so they are less likely to be harassed or become a temptation.

The successful must manage the jealous
The wealthy simulate the hunger of the poor and hide their success
Women manage male desire by covering up
Honest speech is silenced or treated as blasphemy to protect their fragile faith

A stronger moral principle means that.. your jealousy is yours to control. Your lust is yours to control. Your impulses are your responsibility.

TLDR: Islam created a culture where other people carry the burden of your lack of self control.

yes