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10 things I do to increase my faith (Iman)

 


 


Are there any times when you feel your faith is weak? Or do you find yourself not performing Salah or wearing your hijab anymore? I asked myself once, "Why?"

 In this world full of temptation, hardship, and enjoyment, we tend to forget who we really are, our purpose, and that Allah swt is watching us. Some of us chose to drink wine over halal drinks. Some chose to scam people instead of earning in a permissible way. And some of us chose to have fun over standing in front of our Lord.

 Why do we do this? Why are we taking for granted the commandments of Allah swt? There are many reasons why we lose our Iman; sometimes it is because we are not patient with the trials that Allah has afflicted us, or sometimes it is because we are excessively enjoying our lives. What I noticed with these sisters who stopped wearing their hijab and brothers who drink or smoke is that they are surrounded by non-Muslims; they love and admire the wrong people.

 Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A man will follow the way of his close friends, so let one of you look to whom he takes as a close friend." [1]

 We are not perfect; we commit sins and make mistakes, but does Allah not deserve our obedience?

 We buy properties with riba (interest); we thought we were being smart to invest our savings, but do we know the hour of Yawm al Qiyama (the day of judgement)? Only Allah swt knows, and if we believe that, only Allah knows why he forbids things. So, to tell people that 'I just want to use my money wisely’, know this: we're not wiser than Allah swt; he sees things that we don't see. He knows our past and our future. He knows what is good and bad for us.

 When it comes to our children, we become so soft that we are letting them disobey Allah! Imagine that if the prophet Muhammad is here, he must be crying to see us like this. What happened to our Ummah?

 Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We were the most humiliated people on Earth, and Allah swt gave us honor through Islam. If we ever seek honor through anything else, Allah swt will humiliate us again." [2]

I encourage you my brothers and sisters whenever your faith is weak, get up and do something. Allah is the most forgiving, he is always waiting for us to come back to him. And he loves us, and he will always accept us no matter what, as long as we repent.

 Here are some things that I do to increase my Iman (faith).

 1. Read Quran.

 There is nothing better than reading the Quran. Reading and pondering the meaning of the Quran give light to a heart that has a weak faith. 

The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), used to ponder the meanings of the book of Allah and recite it when he stood for Qiyaam al-layl. On one occasion, he stood in prayer at night and recite one single Aayah from the book of Allah whilst he was praying, and he did not go any further than that (one aayah) until morning. The verse in question was { If you punish them, they are your slaves, and if you forgive them, verily you, only you, are the All Mighty, the All Wise.}[3] [4]

 Allah swt said;

"He has made it straight to give warning (to the disbelievers) of severe punishment from Him, and give glad tidings to the believers, who do righteous deeds, that they shall have a fair reward." [5]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), summed up what the Muslim has to do to remedy the hardness of his heart with the Quran, He said: "There are two main things you have to do. The first is to move your heart from dwelling on the things of this world and move it to dwell on the hereafter, then focus all your heart on the Quran and ponder it's meaning and why it was revealed. Try to understand something from every Aayah and apply it to disease of your heart. These Aayat were revealed (to treat) the disease of the heart, so you will be healed, by the permission of Allah."

 

 2. Read Seerah.

 Reading seerah books or articles about the lives of the prophet Muhammad and other prophets and the lives of the companions of the prophet gives me motivation and helps me learn more about how we should live our lives. Here are some free Islamic e-books. Download pdf here.

 3. Observe nature and amazing creatures.

 Allah's creations are signs for us to see how powerful he is. It boosts my Iman by watching a documentary about them or by reading their stories in the Quran, especially the story of the mosquito who killed Nimrod at the time of Prophet Ibrahim. Or I just go take a look around outside and contemplate how amazing these creations are—no one can create anything like how Allah created them.

 4. I surround myself with righteous Muslims.

 It is important that we surround ourselves with righteous Muslims. We live in a non-Muslim country, so it is really hard to find friends that have the same belief; nevertheless, I still found a few and met them at the nearest Masjid. We meet at least once a week to talk about how Allah blesses and tests us.

"Sometimes, new converts don't just need an adviser: they also need a friend." [6]

 5. Listen to or watch Islamic lectures.

 Listening or watching every day for at least 15 minutes of Islamic lecture can boost our Iman. There are a lot of things to learn about our religion, and by giving ourselves a few minutes a day to listen to these beneficial lectures, we will surely increase our Iman. Watch here..

 6. Dhikr (remembering Allah)

 Doing dhikr every day remind me of how Allah has blessed me by guiding me. That's why I do this every day, in the morning and before sleeping. It helps me be aware that Allah is always watching and listening.

 7. Dua (pray)

 Praying to Allah to increase our Iman, especially when I'm feeling low. I always ask for help from Allah when I’m struggling with something, because I know no one can help me except him, and I can only do things with his help.

Allah is the one who turns hearts around and controls them.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said : "The hearts of the children of Adam are as one between the fingers of the most Merciful, and He turns them in whatever way he wills." Then the prophet said: "O Allah, controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to obey you."[7]

 8. Learn about Faith (Iman).

 I'm planning to write a book about faith, and when I started doing more research, I found out that we have so much to learn.

"One of the signs of proper understanding is when a slave takes care of his Iman, and pays attention to what decrease it, and knows when it increases and when it decreases, and recognizes the temptation of the Shaytaan when he comes to him." [8]

9. Perform Salah

 Performing five daily prayers: we all have our obstacles in life that sometimes block us from completing our daily prayers, but I strive. And I’m telling you, it changed my life.

 10. Study the 99 names and attributes of Allah.

 The more we know who Allah is and what he is capable of, our Iman will eventually increase.

Ibn Al- Qayyim described the greatness of Allah in the most beautiful way:

"He is controlling the affairs of all the kingdoms. He commands and prohibits, creates and gives provision, and gives life and death. He raises and lowers people's status, alternate night and day, gives days (good and not so good) to men by turns, and causes nations to rise and fall, so that one nation vanishes and another emerges. His command and decree are carried out throughout the heavens and on earth, above it and below it, in the oceans and in the air. He has knowledge of all things and knows the number of all things. He hears all voices, and does not mistake one for another; He hears them all, in all the different languages with all their varied requests and pleas. No voice distracts him from hearing another, he does not confuse their requests, and he never tires of hearing the plea of those in need." ( adapted from Al-Waabil al-Sayib, p125)

 Download this free e-book 'Know your Lord'

 

Take care of your heart and be consistent in doing good deeds. May Allah help us all and make it easy for us to deal with our trials. And may the Almighty increase our Iman and accept our ibadah.

There is so much to know about Iman, how it decreases, and how we can increase it. You can read the book of Sheik Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid Weakness of Faith for more understanding.


Let me know what you think of this article in the comment section below, and if you think this is beneficial or somehow helps you, please share it with your family and friends. I would love to hear from you. You can message me here: hayatalmuslima@gmail.com.

 

Ma’asalama!

 

 

 

[1]  Tirmidhi 2378, Abu Dawood 4833]

[2] Al Mustadrak 214. Sahih according to Al-albani

[3] Quran 5:118

[4] Reported by Ahmad, 4/149; see also Sifat as-Salaah by Al-Albani, p 102

[5] Quran 18:2

[6] Imam Karim Abu Zaid on his book Vol 1, The Seerah in a contemporary context 

[7]Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn a-Aas, reported by Muslim, no. 2654

[8] Sharh Nooniyah Ibn Al-Qayyim by Ibn 'Eesa, 2/140

 #iman #islamicpost #islamicreminder #muslims


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