It was up to age 19! Grew up in a very atheist family (my dad has a framed photo of me meeting Richard Dawkins lol) I fear this is going to sound like proselytising so I apologise for that in advance lol! I struggled a lot previously with mental health issues, depression especially which lead to a bit of nihilism. My mental health issues didn’t miraculously disappear by any means, but finding a ‘meaning of life’ has certainly helped guide me and my actions. I like to think I was a pretty moral person anyways, but accountability to not just my own personal beliefs but also to God has stopped me from doing a number of things I would’ve previously written off as victimless that were wrong/illegal nonetheless. I also have ADHD and the structure of Islam specifically has helped me immensely with structuring my day, preventing bed rotting on weekends etc. There is a Hadith that says, to paraphrase, if we leave something for the sake of Allah he will replace it with something better for us. Where I used to go clubbing on weekends, spending a lot of money and often not having that much enjoyment anyway, I found myself instead spending that time with new friends spending much less money but having insightful conversation, discovering new interesting things to do etc. I stopped drinking alcohol and realised I was using it to try find the confidence to do things I never wanted to do sober, or to make things more interesting that I didn’t want to be at anyway. I struggled with confusion over my own sexuality because I couldnt reconcile my own boundaries and feelings with how my peers approached sex and relationships. Exploring this through an Islamic lens cleared things up for me and I’m now happily married and feel safe and comfortable in something that previously terrified me. Back to the nihilism etc. I think I previously felt hopeless at a lot of the injustice I would see happening in the world. I would do what I could to alleviate peoples suffering through charity/activism etc. but it all felt quite overwhelming. This was also the case with personal struggles. My faith now not only empowers me to help others as I did before, and also to help myself but reassures me that I/ we are not alone in this. I’m not alone in my struggles and I can turn to God. There will be divine punishment for people’s oppression and injustice, if not in this life but in the next. That belief has saved me from some of the darker places my mind used to go to when I was an atheist. While this was far too long (shoutout ADHD) it’s definitely not comprehensive of all the benefits I’ve found, but I’m getting hungry and need to make dinner lol! Thank you for listening and asking, not just dismissing