Peace be Upon you Brothers and Sisters, 

I am asking for money to break free from the debt I accumulated over the years to survive completely on my own after divorcing my abusive ex-husband and trying to get my life together.  My parents are still in Syria and my brother lives in the US. Needless to say, I don't have immediate family in Canada to stay with.

Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to often say, ‘O Allah, I seek refuge with You from worry, sorrow, incapacity, laziness, cowardice, avarice, being overburdened by debt and being overcome by other men.'” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 801)

How I accumulated debt:

I came to Canada in 2009 after marrying my first husband in 2008. We met while working on a project online together. I was in Syria and he was in Los Angeles. He visited me in Syria and we got married. When we moved from Los Angeles to Canada, the marriage began to get rocky it lasted for 3 years. In 2011 he divorced me and left me to fend for myself. I was working fulltime at the time.

I have suffered from severe Depression and Anxiety for as long as I remember. The divorce and adjusting to being 100% independent were taking a huge toll on my mental health. I couldn't work anymore. I was on medical sick leave and that meant I had no income coming in. I got on welfare and had some money but it wasn't enough to survive that is when I started to borrow money from friends in my community. A Syrian family took me in at that point, since I didn't even have enough for rent and simply survive. BarakaAllah feehom. I paid some money to at least contribute.

Bad decisions:

While I was still staying with my guardian angles, another member of the community was trying to find a husband for me about a year after my divorce. I felt the pressure and I knew I couldn't stay living with the family forever. I tried looking for jobs that are less stressful but since I was living in Burlington and every other support was in Toronto, the travel back and forth took a toll on me physically and financially. It wasn't working out. So I thought that maybe if I find a husband myself instead of being set up, would be much efficient since I know what it is I want. I met a young Muslim man in Calgary, on an Islamic Matrimonial website and we talked for a few months. Then we decided that I would move to him and get married to start a new life. I borrowed money from my brother to move to Calgary in 2012.

The first month in Calgary was heavenly then my life took a wrong turn. The next few months I lived in neglect, fear, and seriously worse depression. The mental abuse I endured from my ex-husband made my symptoms worse tenfold. He didn’t believe that I even had a mental illness and he would ridicule me even in front of people. 

The first month in Calgary was heavenly then my life took a wrong turn. The next few months I lived in neglect, fear, and seriously worse depression. The mental abuse I endured from my ex-husband made my symptoms worse tenfold. He didn’t believe that I even had a mental illness and he would ridicule me even in front of people. I couldn't hold a job. My 2nd ex-husband accused me of being deceptive, that my whole mental illness was something I came up with to be lazy, that I was just using and taking advantage of him, and that I even cheated on him. The accusations and the name calling got so bad that I felt completely unsafe. I felt I was ready to hurt myself or be hurt physically by my ex-husband. I mentioned this to a lady who was running a mental health program I was attending, and needless to say, she helped me get out of there and move to a women’s homeless shelter. It was my first time ever to be homeless. I was scared more than anybody can imagine. It was a blessing in disguise though, I felt safe and I was on the way to recovery. In 2013, I moved back to Toronto with a friend, got a job and I was taking care of myself, finally, I even went back to school to a Canadian diploma as I am an immigrant from Syria and felt that I needed a Canadian education and experience in order to improve my life. During School time, I accumulated more debt because I was living on a student loan and credit cards.

Still trying to get it all together:

In 2015, I graduated with honours from college and I’m off to a new job. I was working 50-60 hours on survival mode. I got my own place and for the first time ever I was completely independent. I paid a big chunk of my debt. 3 people and 2 credit cards were paid off.

All this came with a cost, especially since I never really processed and healed from my second marriage that ended pretty bad. I isolated myself and became a workaholic who had no social life or support. My mental and physical health deteriorated miserably. I was lonely and was working 10-12 hours a day I simply neglected everything else that needed to be taken care of. I had no social life and all the money I was making was going to rent, debt, food, transportation etc. I never got to enjoy my earnings.

A new beginning:

In 2016, I met an amazing brother, alhamdulillah. We got married and I was finally able to live like a normal healthy human being. I worked fewer hours so I had more time to enjoy my life and every blessing I was bestowed upon. The hours I was able to work become less and less for I started feeling very weak, ill and very much in pain all the time. After going back forth with different doctors for months, I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia and Cervical osteoarthritis. I continued to work regardless of my illness. Now I am not able to go to work at all. Hence, I’m not able to pay my debt anymore due to my disability. I am working on getting on disability but the process takes time. My husband is paying as much as he can but he cannot do it all. Paying off my debt would take a lot off of our plates.

The Messenger of Allah said, “A man would give loans to the people and he would say to his servant: If the debtor is in hardship you should forgive the debt that perhaps Allah will relieve us. So when he met Allah, then Allah relieved him.” (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a long-term or chronic disorder. It's associated with widespread pain in the muscles and bones, areas of tenderness, and general fatigue. 

What is Cervical Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in a joint begins to break down and no longer facilitates smooth movement between bones, which can eventually result in the joint becoming swollen and painful. When this condition develops in the cervical spine, it is called cervical osteoarthritis. 

People who do experience problems associated with cervical bone spurs may exhibit a wide range of symptoms, including but not limited to:

• Dull neck pain. This type of pain can be a general achiness.
• Neck stiffness. The neck is likely sore and has reduced mobility, especially if experiencing increased pain when turning from side to side.
• Headaches. A cervicogenic headache is a result if an osteophyte pushes against a cervical nerve root that radiates pain to the back of the head—and sometimes to the top or sides of the head and/or behind the eye.
• Radicular pain. A searing or shock-like pain can radiate along the nerve pathway from the neck into the shoulder, arm, and/or hand. It is usually only on one side, but it can also be on both sides.
• Neurological problems. Numbness or tingling in one or both arms and/or hands. There could also be progressive weakness in one or both arms and/or hands with or without impairment of finger dexterity.
• Myelopathy. If the cervical bone spur starts going into the spinal canal and irritates the spinal cord, then a person may have additional neurological problems such as balance and/or coordination issues, excruciating shock-like pains through the arms and/or legs that might be made worse when bending forward, weakness or numbness anywhere beneath the neck, and possibly loss bowel or bladder control.
• Dysphagia. In rare cases, individuals can experience progressive difficulty swallowing or breathing

Breakdown of the debt:

• $6,425.74 - Canadian Tire Credit Card
• $7,791.59 - RBC Credit Card
• $1,817.33 - A dear sister and friend of mine.
• $100.00 - A brother who runs energy healing classes.

The Plan:

I’m starting an online business where I can work around my disability. So InshaAllah, I will not be in the predicament again. Alhamdulillah for everything Allah has given me so far. I wouldn't be making a lot of money at the start since I’m just starting but inshaAllah in time that will only grow. 

"Whoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter.” (Muslim)

If you have questions please contact me and I’ll answer everything that is needed.

Jazakum Allah Khayr for taking time to read my campaign. May Allah (SWT) be pleased with you.