Hello Guru,

I am a 19-year-old girl. I was born in the United States and lived there up to high school. I am currently in Pakistan for the completion of my higher studies. My problem is that at first I wasn’t religious at all, I used to wear western clothes, listen to music, party all night with friends … In short, I was living a carefree life, but now I am feeling a change in myself. I have started reciting Quran and started to follow the lectures of famous Islamic scholars, but my family doesn’t understand me and they are judging me wrong. They think that I am doing this just to show off, but that is not the case. This thing is making me feel frustrated now. Please suggest something.

Frustrated Girl

Dear Frustrated Girl,

Everyone is entitled to choose their own path. Just follow your heart and don’t pay attention to what others say. Remember that you are only answerable to Allah and not to your family. It’s your prerogative to lead your life as you want to. If you are satisfied from inside then worldly things should not matter to you. Don’t feel upset girl, just do what you think is right and appropriate for you and let others do whatever they like to do. Good luck!

Her family is so rigid

Salaam Guru,

I have been reading your column for many years. I am very inspired by you and your answers. I am 20 years old and a student of B.Com. My problem is that I am tensed about my future. I love a girl who is of my age and studies in my college. Her parents are considering some proposals for her. My problem is that I love her and she loves me, too, but she can’t wait for me and my parents are not willing to talk about this topic now. I am very confused about what to do. We can’t live without each other. Another problem is that she belongs to a conservative family where there is no concept of love marriage. What am I supposed to do?

Confused CJ  

Dear Confused CJ,

I can very well understand your dilemma but there is nothing much you can do about it at this time. You are only 20 and you still need few more years to build your career. On the other hand that girl cannot wait for you for so long, especially when she is getting good proposals. In such circumstances, what you can do is to persuade your parents to send your parents to her home with a proposal. If they say yes to your proposal then you can get engaged to that girl and can marry her when you are established enough. But taking into consideration her conservative set up, it seems like a far fetched idea. In any case, you can try your luck. And in case of rejection, don’t lose heart and try to live a normal life. Good luck!

How can I grow taller?

Dear Guru,                                                            I am a 15-year-old boy and I belong to a Pathan family. My problem is simple but still I am really worried about it as you know that most of the teenagers’ height increases very fast between the age of 14 to 16 and I turned 16 this March. My height is 5.3 feet and I am doing my best to increase my height to 6.2 feet. I feel very embarrassed when I see my friends taller than me and sometimes I am really angry at myself and think of getting myself killed. I made a mistake; when I was 14, I used to sleep in jeans mostly at night and I didn’t know that sleeping in jeans could slow down my growth rate so I just want a solution to keep myself happy and grow instantly.

Worried Teenager

Dear Worried Teenager,

First of all, just remove this misconception from your mind that ‘sleeping in jeans can slower your growth’. It is just a myth and there is no reality involved in this notion. As far as your height is concerned, you should not worry, as you still have few more years to grow. Boys can grow up to 18 years of age. It goes without saying that most of us always have a secret wish to grow taller. The most effective natural way to gain height is performing height exercises including stretching. As you must be aware that night time is the best time for your growth as muscles grow in dark only. So try to sleep well and wear loose pajamas while sleeping. Most importantly, eat balanced diet. In your growing years, your bones and muscles need all essential vitamins and minerals in order to grow. So a healthy, nutritious diet can definitely help you in growing taller. Good luck!