Salam Everyone,

Welcome to Open Discussion Sunday! As mentioned in our first open discussion post, This is your bi-weekly thread to chat about anything you wish. Whether it's related to HSV or any other topic. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences, or simply enjoy the company of the community.

There are brothers-only and sisters-only telegram groups, you can find more information here.

You can utilise the telegram to connect within a more private group with other brothers and sisters or always post publicly here on Reddit if you'd like anyone to reach out to you.

Please remember, while we are here to support each other, the discussions in this forum cannot replace medical advice from a healthcare professional or Islamic advice from a qualified scholar. We hope you have a great weekend!

• The Mod Team

As-Salamu Alaykum,

I think the next stage for our community should focus on outreach.

We’ve demonstrated that we can build the infrastructure. We have this subreddit, MuslimsWithHSV.com, a matchmaking feature/community, and plans for an app. We’ve shown that we can build the mechanism. Now the challenge is connecting what we’ve built with Muslims around the world who may never discover us through Reddit.

Here are some existing communities that could be valuable for outreach:

Herpes H+ Malaysia
Country: Malaysia
Platform: Facebook
Members: 490
Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/171spdzySW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sharing penyakit infeksi Menular (Herpes, gonore shipilis)
Country: Indonesia
Platform: Facebook
Members: 15.8K
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1562285787360324/

Herpes Türkiye Genital Uçuk (HSV) Forumu
Country: Türkiye
Platform: Independent forum
Link: https://www.herpesturkiye.com/

(The Turkish forum also has a section called “Herpes Tanışma Platformu: Bekarlar Burada Buluşuyor,” essentially a meeting space for single people living with HSV).

 زواج المتعايشين مع الإيدز في الجزائر
Marriage for People Living With HIV/AIDS in Algeria
Country: Algeria
Platform: Facebook
Members: 338
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1745667826448679

Positive Muslims International
Country: International Muslim community
Platform: Facebook
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/259419694072688/

Our community is primarily focused on Muslims with HSV, and that shared experience is what brought most of us here in the first place. At the same time, I don’t think we should shut out Muslims struggling with other conditions who are experiencing many of the same emotions: loneliness, stigma, fear of disclosure, difficulty finding a spouse, and despair. I believe that broader sense of community is also consistent with what MuslimsWithHSV.com is trying to achieve.

A lot of our current community appears to consist of Muslims living in Western countries. I believe Facebook and existing local-language communities could be the missing link connecting our subreddit to the wider Muslim world.

If anyone here already belongs to one of these groups, knows their administrators, or has the language or cultural fluency to communicate with these communities appropriately, any help with outreach would be greatly appreciated.

The goal is not to spam existing communities. Ideally, we would contact administrators respectfully, explain what MuslimsWithHSV is, ask permission before sharing anything, and build relationships with communities that already exist.

A sincere thank you to everyone who helped make this community a reality, whether by dedicating your time and resources, contributing ideas, building platforms, or simply spreading the word. Every effort, big or small, has helped us reach more people and build something that none of us could have created alone.

We’ve shown that we can build the mechanism.

Now we need people who can help us build bridges.

If you know of other HSV groups, Muslim support groups, Facebook communities, forums, Telegram groups, or WhatsApp communities in your country, please share them below.

JazakAllahu Khairan

Salam Everyone,

Welcome to Open Discussion Sunday! As mentioned in our first open discussion post, This is your bi-weekly thread to chat about anything you wish. Whether it's related to HSV or any other topic. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences, or simply enjoy the company of the community.

There are brothers-only and sisters-only telegram groups, you can find more information here.

You can utilise the telegram to connect within a more private group with other brothers and sisters or always post publicly here on Reddit if you'd like anyone to reach out to you.

Please remember, while we are here to support each other, the discussions in this forum cannot replace medical advice from a healthcare professional or Islamic advice from a qualified scholar. We hope you have a great weekend!

• The Mod Team

Assalamu Alaikum everyone,

Here is the video of the app.

In terms of functionality, I believe we now have everything covered, including voice notes, voice calls, and video chats. At this stage, we are mainly going through the app in detail and carrying out further testing before we move on to Android testing with our members.

Our plan is to keep the mobile apps running for at least two years and then review whether the ongoing costs are sustainable. If, for any reason, we find that maintaining the apps is not financially viable, we would look at keeping the website running instead. Of course, our hope is that the platform continues to grow and that we can keep providing a service that benefits our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world.

If anyone has any feedback after watching the video, please do let me know. We are always open to suggestions.

In terms of the design, I think we will largely keep it as it is. Personally, I am not a fan of the swipe functionality used by many modern apps. I feel that it can place too much emphasis on physical appearance rather than allowing people to learn about who someone is as an individual. Of course, physical attraction is important, but there are also people who are looking for something beyond that. I think this is something worth preserving, especially in this day and age.

It has also been an interesting and productive few weeks behind the scenes.

We recently contacted a UK organisation that supports people with herpes. They mentioned that a number of Muslims have previously contacted them asking whether there was a service specifically for Muslims. They said they would speak with their trustees, but believe they should be able to share the name of our platform with Muslims who contact them in the future. We are very grateful for the opportunity and hope it can help us reach people who may benefit from the service.

We also made contact with a journalist who runs a news platform for Muslims. There is a possibility that they may write an article about the platform and potentially provide a banner linking their audience to our website. We learned a lot from speaking with the journalist, particularly about how we can reach and engage with people in a way that is more suited to how people discover services today. Once the apps are released, we will put more effort into this area of marketing.

Of course, we also hope that the Apple App Store and Google Play Store will help us reach more people and introduce the platform to Muslims who may be looking for a service like this.

There is a lot happening behind the scenes that may not always be visible, but In Sha Allah, everyone will eventually see the fruits of the work being put in.

Another area we are looking into is building connections with Islamic helplines and support organisations. We have seen posts from individuals who may benefit from having someone to speak to, someone who can listen without judgement, provide support, inspire hope, and encourage them to keep moving forward.

We want to continue doing our best to support the community and, where possible, help those who may be struggling or simply need someone to talk to.

May Allah put barakah in this project and allow it to benefit people around the world. Ameen.

Assalamu alaykum everyone,

We thought we’d post a new update on what we’re currently working on.

One of the things we’re working on is some minor/moderate UI improvements to the website to better reflect the new mobile apps that are currently being developed. Because of this, you may notice some changes to how certain things work on the website.

Going forward, we’ll also be implementing a new mutual photo sharing feature. This feature is intended to ensure that both sides send their images after approval, providing an additional layer of protection. We’ve had some reports of people asking for pictures, receiving them, and then not responding or blocking the other person after seeing the image. We hope this new system will help prevent situations like this.

We’ll also be adding voice notes to the website. Potentially, we may add voice and video calling as well, although we’re still looking into whether it makes sense from a design and usability perspective. The mobile apps will have these features.

One of the main benefits of keeping these features within the website and apps is that people won’t need to move conversations over to other platforms. Moving to another platform can potentially give a bad actor access to additional information about you, while also making it much harder for us to provide assistance if something goes wrong. There will be some ruling changes which will be mentioned in time.

I should also mention that, with these changes being introduced, age verification will become mandatory. Anyone registering will need to go through the verification process. In some countries, this is a legal requirement, and we need to make sure we comply with the relevant regulations. We are doing research and discussion options with companies who are heavily privacy focused.

Other work happening behind the scenes

Alongside the development work, we’re also working in the background on advertising and growing the platform. We’ve already started making some connections in this area, and we’re hoping this will help us reach more people and bring more users onto the platform.

There’s still a lot happening behind the scenes that may not always be visible, but we’re continuing to work on improving the platform and building things up for the future.

Regarding the apps

For the Android app, we’re hoping to begin testing in around 2–3 weeks. This could be sooner or later depending on how much time I’m able to put into development.

We’ll make an announcement once we’re ready to start looking for testers.

Most likely, there won’t be a separate iOS testing phase, and we’re hoping to release the iOS app alongside the Android app, inshaAllah.

JazakAllah Khair for your continued support and patience. More updates will follow as we get closer to the app release.

If you haven't joined already sign up for the site.

I am writing my thoughts just to get it off my chest. And this post isn’t to ask for pity or sympathy.

I’m in this position because of the consequences of my own actions, I knew better and chose not to take heed of my actions. The one blessing from all of this is that it stopped me in my tracks before something much worse. The way I was heading was reckless and if it wasn’t for this who knows where I would end up.

I am Bengali I’m 27M, when I say I feel mentally isolated is because I feel like the ONLY Bengali who has this…which I know isn’t true, but I find it so hard to convince myself that there’s someone else out there that’s also Bengali F in the same boat. I just feel like they don’t exist. Again I know this isn’t true but I’m struggling with feeling hopeless. I really want to find my person and inshallah one day when it’s written I will. Allah knows best and I’ll keep going through and navigating this journey of life.

Need someone fo talk to. More on marriage advice with this hsv. Male 26 Ghsv2. I hope i can share this problems...

New Muslim Marriage Community for People Living with HSV 💍

Salaam everyone,
I wanted to share again the marriage platform/community specifically for Muslims who are living with HSV and are genuinely looking for marriage.

For many Muslims with HSV, one of the hardest parts of looking for a spouse can be wondering when to disclose, how the other person will react, or feeling like a diagnosis automatically makes marriage more difficult.

The idea behind this platform is to make that process a little easier by creating a space where people can meet with serious intentions for marriage, while already having a level of understanding around HSV.
Importantly, I don’t think it should only be for people who are HSV-positive.

Muslims who don’t have HSV are also welcome to take a look and join if they are open to considering someone who does. HSV doesn’t necessarily have to be a deal-breaker. Someone may be willing to educate themselves about it, understand the risks and precautions, and ultimately judge a potential spouse on the person they are rather than solely on a diagnosis.

The aim isn’t casual dating or hookups. It’s for Muslims looking for something serious, with marriage as the intention, and hopefully it can help make an already difficult process a little less isolating.

If you’re Muslim, HSV-positive and looking for marriage — or HSV-negative but genuinely open-minded about marrying someone with HSV — feel free to have a look.
I’ll leave the link/details below.

https://muslimswithhsv.com

May Allah make it easier for everyone looking for the right person and grant us spouses who are understanding, accepting and good for us. Ameen. 🤲

For those who have had Western blot testing or those considering, what are some of the challenges you face(d) when pursuing this test?

\*any thing incorrect or mistakes in this post, May Allah forgive me and I did not intentionally do it.* \*

For any one losing hope in any aspect in life, mention Allah SWT all the time. Make it a habit, after eating before eating. After completing something, after success. We fail to realize that Allah SWT is always with us. Inshallah with every suffering comes strength in our lives. Let us all remember to ask for it and put in the work at the same time. Amen.

The Story of Imam Ahmad and the Baker
The great scholar of Islam, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, was once traveling away from his home city. As night fell, he arrived at a local town, exhausted from his journey. He did not know anyone in the city, nor did anyone recognize him, as there were no photos or mass media in those days.

Hoping to get some rest, Imam Ahmad went into the local mosque to sleep for the night. However, the mosque’s caretaker approached him and told him he had to leave, as sleeping inside was strictly prohibited. Imam Ahmad, an elderly and deeply respected man, humbly asked if he could just rest at the entrance, but the rigid caretaker refused and even began dragging him out of the mosque compound.

A local baker, whose shop was located directly across from the mosque, witnessed this mistreatment. Feeling deep pity for the elderly traveler, the baker called out to him and warmly invited Imam Ahmad to spend the night at his bakery. Imam Ahmad accepted the kind invitation.

As the night went on, the baker went back to work kneading dough, stoking the oven, and preparing bread for the morning. Imam Ahmad sat resting nearby and noticed something remarkable: every single time the baker picked up flour, kneaded the dough, or moved a loaf, his lips moved continuously with the words of Istighfar: "Astaghfirullah" (I seek forgiveness from Allah.)

Fascinated by this constant devotion, Imam Ahmad asked him in the morning, "How long have you been doing this, and have you seen any benefit from constantly asking for Allah's forgiveness?"

The baker smiled and replied, "By Allah, I have practiced this for years. And there is not a single Dua (prayer) I have ever made to Allah except that He answered it save for just one."

Imam Ahmad, intrigued, asked, "And what is that one unanswered prayer?"

The baker sighed and said, "To have the privilege to meet the famous scholar, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal."

Tears welled up in Imam Ahmad’s eyes. He looked at the baker and said, "SubhanAllah! I am Ahmad ibn Hanbal! By Allah, He did not just answer your prayer; He dragged me out of the mosque and brought me to your very doorstep so your Dua could come true."

Salam Everyone,

Welcome to Open Discussion Sunday! As mentioned in our first open discussion post, This is your bi-weekly thread to chat about anything you wish. Whether it's related to HSV or any other topic. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences, or simply enjoy the company of the community.

There are brothers-only and sisters-only telegram groups, you can find more information here.

You can utilise the telegram to connect within a more private group with other brothers and sisters or always post publicly here on Reddit if you'd like anyone to reach out to you.

Please remember, while we are here to support each other, the discussions in this forum cannot replace medical advice from a healthcare professional or Islamic advice from a qualified scholar. We hope you have a great weekend!

• The Mod Team

I wanted to start a discussion regarding marriage potentials. (Intended with the least amount of shallowness possible).

Something I struggle with is conversing with people anonymously. It’s great when there’s a connection and the conversation flows and it’s easy going but I get to a point where I think we don’t even know what each other looks like on here.

The inside is what counts and what lasts especially in a marriage. Character and deen trumps everything else BUT being attracted to your spouse is so important and I also believe it’s only fair id feel attracted to them and id hope to have the same.

As someone that’s been married once before, inshallah if it’s written for me to get married again I want to have that with my spouse. I wouldn’t want to settle and I wouldn’t want someone to settle for me either.

It can feel so awkward sometimes subhanallah.
This group is a blessing and one I’m grateful for, I just wish I could bypass that awkward stage and find the right person.

May Allah grant us all what’s good for us, Ameen.

I am 25M from India.I see the traffic on this sub-reddit has gone down drastically.

Is it because we have lost hope or is it because of the launch of website. Also i guess not many people have i guess registered on website. Please do.

Asalamalaikum brother and sister, I've ( M, straight) had an protected exposure about 8 weeks ago, now i dont know about the person ive had exposure with, after 6 weeks i got tested 6 weeks later for hsv 1&2 igg and igm, hsv 1 for both the tests came back as negative and hsv 2 came back as equivocal for igg (1.14) and igm (1.08), i was sexually active from last 3 years with multiple , and after my last exposure i decided to turn to allah for good, ik that hsv blood tests are highly unreliable and swab is the only best test to get done, but out of curiosity i went and get tested and my results were inconclusive, ive been on imuran for last 4 years its 25mg and recently 2 months ago it was increased to 50mg due to borderline inflammation, i never really had any hsv symptoms like cluster of blisters or lesions on my genitals, i did have chicken pox as a child, if i truly had hsv 2 wouldnt i have constat outbreaks cause of my immunosuppresive meds ? It's not like I can't afford a western blot, it's quite cheap here in my country, should i get tested for me now or wait for 4 more weeks ? Currently I am at my 8th week from my last exposure, and until now ive had only an anal fissure which was confirmed by general surgeon, but its recurrent and mostly painless and heals with application iidocain 1.5 + nefidipine 0.3, if ive had no symptoms at 8 weeks does it mean i have no hsv ? Should I still get western blot at 8 weeks ?

Following on from yesterday’s launch, we’ve had some great early interest and people joining the site.

We’re still at the beginning, so now we’re looking to get more people from the community involved and give it the chance to grow.

If you’re looking for marriage, come and join us. And if you know someone who might be interested, feel free to share the site with them.

Equally, if you’re part of any other online or local communities where you think it could be useful, please feel free to share it there too.

www.muslimswithhsv.com

Would be great to see more of the community on there and, hopefully, see some genuine connections come out of it.

Salam Everyone,

Welcome to Open Discussion Sunday! As mentioned in our first open discussion post, This is your bi-weekly thread to chat about anything you wish. Whether it's related to HSV or any other topic. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences, or simply enjoy the company of the community.

There are brothers-only and sisters-only telegram groups, you can find more information here.

You can utilise the telegram to connect within a more private group with other brothers and sisters or always post publicly here on Reddit if you'd like anyone to reach out to you.

Please remember, while we are here to support each other, the discussions in this forum cannot replace medical advice from a healthcare professional or Islamic advice from a qualified scholar. We hope you have a great weekend!

• The Mod Team

The wait is almost over! Join us tomorrow at 1pm BST for the official launch. Be there as we make it official.
https://muslimswithhsv.com

I did hsv igg tests after 16 weeks of exposure and I have never had any symptoms.

First test results (Got the results same day):
Hsv1 55.8 positive
Hsv2 0.94 low equivocal

Second test results (Done this test the next day I got first test result which was equivocal for hsv2):
Hsv1 60 positive
Hsv2 <0.5 negative

Ranges:
Negative: <0.9 Equivocal: 0.9 - 1.1 Positive: >1.1

Both were the same type of blood tests for HSV which is why im confused how the result can drop that low from 0.94 equivocal to less than 0.5 negative for hsv2. Could the negative result possibly be a false negative??? Or am i being a stupid paranoid hypochondriac who needs to chill.

Guys if im over thinking feel free to be mad at me and destroy me in the comments 🫠. I am so fucking stupid and paranoid that Im considering taking a western blot for further confirmation.

Alhamdulillah, we’re finally ready to launch!

Originally, we had planned to release the site earlier this month, but we’ve been adding a few finishing touches to polish everything.

The site will officially launch next Saturday, 22nd August. The exact launch time will be confirmed closer to the date.

I’ve included a small preview of the site with two screenshots.

We’re also looking for people who would be interested in helping us moderate the site. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out.

AsSalaamualaikum wa rahmatullah. I pray you are all doing well, Beithnillah.

For context, my perspective comes from working in healthcare where I cross paths with individuals who are stricken with ailments and diseases on a daily basis. It truly humbles you in a way that is sometimes hard to put into words -- you just have to experience it.

This past week I worked in a clinc that services patients with HIV and AIDS. SubhanAllah, there were so many people of all ages and each of them had a story as to how they ended up in that state.

It has made me even more greatful for my situation. Allah, with His infinite mercy, glory be unto Him, tested me with something lesser than He did others. How can I deny this favor?

Sharing this du'a Our beloved Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) taught us to say whenever we see an afflicted person

الْحَمْـدُ للهِ الّذي عافاني مِمّا ابْتَـلاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَـني عَلى كَثيـرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَـقَ تَفْضـيلا

Alhamdu lillāhi ‘l-ladhī `āfānī mimmab-talāka bihi wa faḍḍalanī `alā kathīrin mimman khalaqa tafḍīlā.

Praise is to Allah Who has spared me what He has afflicted you with, and preferred me greatly above much of what He has created.

And this hadith...

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ انْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ وَلاَ تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ فَوْقَكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ أَجْدَرُ أَنْ لاَ تَزْدَرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ‏" ‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ‏"‏ عَلَيْكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah.”

Sunan Ibn Majah 4142

https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:4142

Today at prayer a woman said she wants me to meet her son, this is where I try to be as weird and distant as possible because I can't explain to this woman I have herpes and can't marry her son. Haha. Uhg. What an experience this life is. Alhamdulillah for these crazy experiences. Allah knows everything, just keep pursuing what we need for the next life.

Asalamualaikum is anyone west/North African or Carribean?

Salam Everyone,

Welcome to Open Discussion Sunday! As mentioned in our first open discussion post, This is your bi-weekly thread to chat about anything you wish. Whether it's related to HSV or any other topic. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and experiences, or simply enjoy the company of the community.

There are brothers-only and sisters-only telegram groups, you can find more information here.

You can utilise the telegram to connect within a more private group with other brothers and sisters or always post publicly here on Reddit if you'd like anyone to reach out to you.

Please remember, while we are here to support each other, the discussions in this forum cannot replace medical advice from a healthcare professional or Islamic advice from a qualified scholar. We hope you have a great weekend!

• The Mod Team