My Iman has been very low lately, and I think I've figured out why: the lack of Islam around me. When I go to Islamic meetings and stuff, my Iman goes up and I fear and love Allaah (swt), but the next day everything I've gained is completely destroyed by school and to a lesser extent family life. It's like trying to warm some food by putting it in the oven, then taking it out again and putting it in the fridge.
Everybody else has just told me to hang on, but what if I die with low iman? Doesn't Allaah (swt) only change our position when we try to change it ourselves.
You have already seemed to diagnose your problem - not being around Islam. The answer is simple Make an effort to keep Islam around you at all times. Best way to do that? Remember Allah (swt)!
Allah (swt) in the Qur'an says:
"those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah, for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction." (13:28)
Make dhikr often, remember Allah (swt) and keep him constantly on your tongue and in your mind. If you're not a fan of using dhikr beads, use your fingers.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "Renew your faith." "How can we renew our faith?" they asked. The Prophet replied: "Say always: la ilaha illallah." (Narrated by Ahmad with a fair chain of authorities)
Also, download the Qur'an and listen to it often. If you have a discman, stick in a cd with Qur'an. If you have an MP3 player, load it up! Carry the Qur'an around with you, and when you have time, pull it out and read a little.
If you have a little extra money, get the book "Remember Me and I Will Remember You - Drawing closer to Allah" - it has several little chapters with ways to remember Allah (swt) in your daily life.
I agree, if Islam isn't around you, then you gotto be around Islam. So surround yourself with Islamic literature, cds, videos and play a recitation of the Quran daily. Listening (with translation) to the Quran is an amazing way if increasing one's imaan. Try to memorise a verse & it's meaning each day. Repetition will be a constant reminder of Allah's word inshaAllah.
The other thing you MUST do is (yeh, I'm being pushy) read the biographies of the four Caliphs and anything to do with islamic history. You will enjoy finding a whole new sense of appreciation for the early muslims, their struggles and how even after the Prophet's death they upheld their faith as they did in the Prophet's (PBUH) life. Incredible and amazing bedtime reads that fuel the imaan and make you want to sacrifice your life for Islam.
Sorry, can't think of other pointers right now (am tired). I'll post some more effective ideas tomorrow inshaAllah.
My Iman has been very low lately, and I think I've figured out why: the lack of Islam around me. When I go to Islamic meetings and stuff, my Iman goes up and I fear and love Allaah (swt), but the next day everything I've gained is completely destroyed by school and to a lesser extent family life. It's like trying to warm some food by putting it in the oven, then taking it out again and putting it in the fridge.
Everybody else has just told me to hang on, but what if I die with low iman? Doesn't Allaah (swt) only change our position when we try to change it ourselves.
You always have signs of Islam available to you. Some things that are at your finger tips.
The Glorious Qur'an, it is a meeting on it's own
Listen to some recitations
Search through the forum
Look at each object and person you see, try to find ways to relate that to a Surah or the Sunnah
Get the phone numbers of some brothers at the Masjid
You just have to create a system for continuous improvement. After that, i don't think you even have the time to 'think' negative thoughts.
and InshaAllah your eeman will increase.
wassallam.
25:36 And the true servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk the earth with humility and when the ignorant address them, they respond with words of peace.
I think it may be like that for many people, myself included...when I'm somewhere that reminds me of islam I can feel my spirit lift but at other times one can be at their lowest, the best thing to do is suplicate Insha'ALLAH, coz you can do that at anytime, no matter what sort of people you're surrounded by..may Allah life the burdens Insha'Allah!
~In The Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful~
All Praise be to the one who Created us;
There are some who make His existence a fuss;
Those who disbelieve in Him, they are in Loss;
In this life we have a test;
The question: whose fear of Allah is the best?
To worship him is our quest.
Time and Time again we are faced with situations;
In which we must make tough decisions;
Fools are we, we think we're so smart;
shaytan attacks us with many ideas like darts;
According to him, we plan and chart;
Not knowing that he is poisoning our hearts;
The time comes when we realize the mistake in our Parts;
One last chance!, for some the tauba starts;
Even still, some don't ask of His Forgiveness;
They don't realize that they're in a big mess;
Never do they ask of Allah's Mercy;
They have eyes, but can they really see?;
There are also the righteous however;
Forget to ask Allah?, NEVER!;
They ask Allah in every endeavor;
To help them as part of His Favor;
Then, even if they are affected by Shaytans call;
They are not hurt by the hard fall;
They quickly get back up, standing tall;
Racing to gain forgiveness from The Merciful;
Allah promised to answer the caller's call;
Take a lesson from the fitra of the child;
With the lesson of walking they are trialed;
Yes, they do fall, but they are not beguiled;
They get back up and take a step;
Maybe again they accidentally trip;
But they stand up again and get a grip;
More and more steps take place;
Before you realize it, they are walking with so much grace;
An example for us, as we grow in our age and Deen;
Like the baby, hard challenges we have seen;
As the baby walks with so much grace;
We should also pick up our pace;
We are travelers, there is no question;
To Allah is our ultimate destination!
May the Prayers and blessings of Allah be on His beloved;
and on the companions who prayed and strived;
That the Deen of Allah might be carried on to those who came later;
On high thrones will they be raised in the hereafter.
I think when our imaans at a low, we have to keep reminding ourselves why we are here and where we are going next.
We have to ask ourselves what we desire after death. Unsurprisingly, we all want the highest station in jannah and we know we won't get there unless we put in some hard work in this life. That is a big incentive to strive harder in our religion.
We have to keep pushing ourselves, even if it's the last thing we feel like doing. We are slaves and we have to obey our Master's orders. It could be that through our struggle, Allah makes it easier for us by increasing our imaan by His Kindness and Mercy.
We have to remind ourselves of Allah's blessings. Put ourselves in scenarios where we are deprived of the blessings we enjoy and take for granted. Imagine waking up blind? Imagine losing your sense of taste and smell and never being able to enjoy food again. Recognising and focusing on Allah's blessing makes us thankful and mindful of The Praise-Worthy.
We have to remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we have no one but Allah. He is there for us when no one else is. We depend on Him entirely. Therefore when our imaan is low, we should still turn to Him for help. Allah wants us to ask for his help. Even Allah wanting us to ask Him is a great blessing for us. He has given us the means (salah) to contact HIm directly. SubhanAllah how lucky we are.
Remember no blessing is small. Each is significant and important in it's own way. Only we do not always see. Reflect and contemplate on this. Say Alhumdulillah repeatedly and ask for Allah to protect you against the shaytaan. Whether you are at home or out, keep reciting 'SubhanAllah' or any other words of praise with each step you take. InshaAllah you will find peace in your heart and the ice will begin to melt. There is no hope, except in the rememberance of Allah.
It is important for one's faith to remain with other believers.
The Bible encourages Christians to meet with other believers regularly, to study and to pray together.
I am sure the same applies to Muslims.
I have hear faith described as a lump of coal, which burns red with heat.
Take one out of the fire and lay it on the hearth, and it will become cold and dark quite quickly. It cannot maintain it's own heat for very long alone.
Leave it in the fire, amongst all the other hot coals, and they will keep each other glowing hot for ages!
Peace
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
try to make your room an islamic library...although if my memory recalls correctly, yu share it with your brother...am i right ...in that case, make a corner where you can put islamic books...spend your time there...you know...like in nurseries, kids have a kind of small library...and they sit in the corner looking at the books, you could do that...its great...i have one it my room...although it is really small, it still is great
It's still like this, in fact it's got worse. When I go to classes and lectures, it's different to just reading LI or listening to lectures. As somebody else said, the problem is not about how many books I have, or how many tapes there are. It's about the way my life is. I feel happy at the lectures, sitting with all those brothers, who never say or do anything bad. When I listen to the lectures, about what Allaah (swt) grants us in paradise, or how easy it is to get blessings, I want to say subanallah. My iman goes up really high and I want to dedicate my life to being a good Muslim. But then, when I come home, my iman decreases, and by the end of the school day, almost all of it's been burned off. After I come home from school I feel happy from joking and having a laugh with my friends, but it's not real happiness. When I'm back from school, it feels like I'm just filled with the junk and clutter of this world, rather than faith.
Another problem is that whilst there are plenty of services for non-Urdu speakers in Nottingham (there's a website full of events and things), they are all on the other side of the city. I've only ever listened to the Khutbah once. In all of the other Jummahs I've gone to, I've not listened to the meaning, just heard the words of a language I don't understand.
My Iman has been very low lately, and I think I've figured out why: the lack of Islam around me. When I go to Islamic meetings and stuff, my Iman goes up and I fear and love Allaah (swt), but the next day everything I've gained is completely destroyed by school and to a lesser extent family life. It's like trying to warm some food by putting it in the oven, then taking it out again and putting it in the fridge.
Everybody else has just told me to hang on, but what if I die with low iman? Doesn't Allaah (swt) only change our position when we try to change it ourselves.
asssalaamu alaykum brother fishman,
i feel for you, when i first become muslim i lived in a coal mining village, it is difficult to keep your iman up during that time.
i would suggest you try to be around muslims more often, as much as possible, my own local masjid has a small homework club, maybe find a masjid that does the same and join that so at least it gives you another couple of hours a day in that environment?
also, remember not all muslims are perfect so the muslim community is far from perfect but still i believe one of the best decisions i made was to move to a muslim community and though that would be difficult for you but still you can make sure you spend as much time as possible whilst of-course still keeping ties with your family.
Another point you can use on your parents so they don’t think you are being Islamic is to spend some regular time doing walking in the country as a leisure activity, how many times does Allah tell us to look at the signs of the earth and heavens and previous nations for proof of men of understanding?
So perhaps start having a weekly or by weekly walk out in the countryside. That would remind you of the glories of the creation and so remind you of the creator and I know this does it for me, taking time to think and spend time contemplating the creation and its wonders and think about Islam and Allah.
I also know there are brothers who play football regular at weekends in the big park in Nottingham, cant remember its name but it is quite big and near the city centre and perhaps you could go play football in the park, surely your parents would like you taking up such leisure activities?
There are also a group of good brothers, several of them reverts who do a Dawah Stall in the city centre on the square with the Lions and all that, on Saturday lunch times and maybe you could spend the occasional Saturday going shopping and so get to meet other brothers who might have been through what you have.
My Iman has been very low lately, and I think I've figured out why: the lack of Islam around me. When I go to Islamic meetings and stuff, my Iman goes up and I fear and love Allaah (swt), but the next day everything I've gained is completely destroyed by school and to a lesser extent family life. It's like trying to warm some food by putting it in the oven, then taking it out again and putting it in the fridge.
Everybody else has just told me to hang on, but what if I die with low iman? Doesn't Allaah (swt) only change our position when we try to change it ourselves.
''Imaan consists of speach and action, it increases by the obedience of Allah and it decreases by the obecience of the Shaytan''.
That's the explenation of the definition imaan given by Ahlu Sunna Waljama3a (said by Ibnu Alqajjim)
So your not the only one having this issue, you just need to base all your actions and speaches upon what the prophet (Peaze and blessings be upon him) brought!!
May Allah ease it for you
Last edited by FollowingAlhuda; 01-24-2007 at 10:35 AM.
hmm...something i noticed...although am not completely sure...is that you are having fun, educating in a state school...but at the end of the day, you think that you are filled with clutter. that is something you hae to stop thinking. think that whatever you do and whenever you do it, you are dedicating it to Allah (swt). when you are in school, studying, learning, think that you are doing this for Allah (swt)...think what you can do with this for islam. however, do NOT think that it is just a waste of time...or that it isnt going to help you with your imaan. that would cause you to just give up. think of everything you do as something you are doing for the deen.
hmm...something i noticed...although am not completely sure...is that you are having fun, educating in a state school...but at the end of the day, you think that you are filled with clutter. that is something you hae to stop thinking. think that whatever you do and whenever you do it, you are dedicating it to Allah (swt). when you are in school, studying, learning, think that you are doing this for Allah (swt)...think what you can do with this for islam. however, do NOT think that it is just a waste of time...or that it isnt going to help you with your imaan. that would cause you to just give up. think of everything you do as something you are doing for the deen.
tell me...did i make any sense there :confused:
I'm not referring to the facts we learn in school as clutter, I'm reffering to mental 'clutter', all the junk in your mind which stops you from remembering Allaah (swt).
There are also a group of good brothers, several of them reverts who do a Dawah Stall in the city centre on the square with the Lions and all that, on Saturday lunch times and maybe you could spend the occasional Saturday going shopping and so get to meet other brothers who might have been through what you have.
I'm interested in this piece of information, but I don't know how they can do it now that the square is boarded off because of building works. The only bit left is the bit next to the council house right next to the lions, and that's somewhere where loads of people go through.
I'm not referring to the facts we learn in school as clutter, I'm reffering to mental 'clutter', all the junk in your mind which stops you from remembering Allaah (swt).
I'm interested in this piece of information, but I don't know how they can do it now that the square is boarded off because of building works. The only bit left is the bit next to the council house right next to the lions, and that's somewhere where loads of people go through.
assalaamu alaykum,
i will try to contact the brothers and find out where they are now then, this was about a year ago i last went down to visit them but they had been going there every saturday for past few years so assumed they would still be there.
let me try to ring some of them and see if i can find out where they went!
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Make an effort to keep Islam around you at all times. Best way to do that? Remember Allah (swt)!
...in that case, make a corner where you can put islamic books...spend your time there...you know...like in nurseries, kids have a kind of small library...and they sit in the corner looking at the books, you could do that...its great...i have one it my room...although it is really small, it still is great 
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