:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)
:sl: (Peace be upon you)
Dearest sister, you know, people's
iman (faith) goes up and down and this flux is not an indication of disbelief. Below are some videos that will
InshaAllah (God-willing) help you and any other human being similarly suffering from
waswas (satanic whispers) and a low
iman (faith). Please watch them in exact order as listed as they will in that manner help you the most
InshaAllah:
1) The life of Prophet :saws: before Prophethood
2) Divine Speech Prologue 1
3) Divine Speech Prologue 2
4) An Amazing Talk! Love Allah for Allah and how to get closer to Allah
Finally, I wish for all of you participating/reading this thread to reflect in this story: There was a big
alim (scholar) once who thought with logic and rationale he could defeat
shaitaan as that was the methodology upon which he most relied as a source of finding truth. However, lying on his deathbed, he found himself arguing with
shaitaan as every time
shaitaan would throw doubts in his mind about Allah and Islam. Another wise
sheikh (learned scholar) came to visit him, and the
alim explained his state of flux and the ensuing fight with
shaitaan and how
shaitaan came by with new logic and rationale to defeat his arguments based in logic and rational proofs. So, that
sheikh said to him that the reason he was being bombarded with
shaitaan's attacks is because he kept arguing with logic and rationale to defeat
shaitaan and the
shaitaan came with new logic and rationale to defeat his own arguments. The
sheikh explained instead he should tell
shaitaan that he just believes and the
shaitaan would go away defeated of his own accord. As the
sheikh said, the
alim did. And
shaitaan went away defeated. And the
alim died on his deathbed with
shahada (recitation of faith) on his lips.
Now, some of you may think what is this? Does Islam not value logic and rationale? The answer: Islam
does value logic and rationale but
only to the extent that it can be used as a tool but it is not the all-encompassing truth barometer in any spiritual sense. My own Islamic teacher,
may Allah bless him, always emphasized, that the heart believes what the mind denies and that Islam's first starting point is that you believe in the unseen. I went to law school. Perhaps you might imagine that I'd be the biggest proponent of logic and rationale to be used. However, logic and rationale are only tools to aid you in your quest for the truth, but they can never be the measuring tool of what the Truth is
. To demonstrate this principle, let me share with you a true story that happened on this board itself: I clearly remember a young Muslim teenager coming on this board and saying that he realizes Islam says we cannot touch people of the opposite gender. However, he said that he thought if he wore a condom and made sure to not touch the girl except with his condom-covered member that he would that way not be touching the girl herself and therefore Islam cannot have an objection to him acting out on this manner his need for sexual relase. Do you see what this young man did? He used logic and rationale to justify subversion of the rule. He was, on a technical level, logically and rationally correct; however, he was 100% incorrect on the Islamic principle which espouses that such intimacy between opposite gender is reserved for marriage because sex is only acceptable to Allah in marriage. Using similarly
solely logic and reason is the same reason Iblis thought, since he was created from fire, he was better than Prophet Adam :as: and therefore should not have to bow to him. However, the reason Allah asked Iblis then in the Heavens to bow to Prophet Adam :as: is because fire has a fiery nature which means that the temperament of Prophet Adam :as:, due to the stuffs used in his creation, made for a calmer disposition more suited to leadership role of Allah's vicegerent on earth. So, logic and rationale is a tool,
only a tool. Do not use logic and tool as the sole ground upon which to build faith as that will be shaky ground indeed. Instead, use logic and rationale as a tool to help you reflect
but build your faith upon the belief in the unseen.
Finally, I used to be an atheist before I turned to Islam. On a material level, each side has arguments upon which to argue their side. However, Islam is based on metaphysical realities which means that you cannot argue on only the rational and logical realm and ever garner a win. Because in doing so, you will pigeon yourself into a corner and begin to lose. All the person has to do is say, "Show me Allah. Why doesn't He show Himself if He's real?" And you will never be able to show Allah, because Allah has chosen to not reveal Himself in this life in the material realm. And the answer to why Allah doesn't show Himself is because He has chosen to give us all signs in our existence instead to know Allah exists, and the people who will be able to read the signs are counted as the most intelligent of human beings on earth because intelliengce cultivated on a spiirtual realm is true intelligence upon which a person will be able to benefit both in this
dunya (world) and
aakhirah (hereafter) whereas intellect in the material realm dies with the person's death, that is, when his/her material existence ends on this earth. Also, think about the vast human knowledge that we have accumulated over human existence on this earth. And you know what that amounts to in the spiritual realm of
all knowledge types in past, present, and future existence as an analogy? A dot on a blank piece of paper is the amount of human knowledge compared to all knowledge that has existed, does exist, and will exist. That in itself should breed humility in man to know his level is of a person who knows nothing. How can a person who knows nothing then claim that he knows Allah doesn't exist when he himself is an ignoramous? This in spiritual terms is a trait known as arrogance, because man can claim to no knowledge except that which he's managed to acquire and that itself is like nothing. And even if we managed to combine all human beings' knowledge (those long dead in history, those living in present, and those who are yet to be born), that combined knowledge compared to what we do not know will still be like nothing. So, if you trust atheism, you are lost. Lost because you're relying on material existence upon which to base and access spiritual truth
. This
is, based on spiritual laws, impossible. That is why Allah says in the Qur'an you must (a) first believe, then (b) strive on the (spiritual) path, and (c) Allah will then open to you signs that will make you to reach real faith instead of imitative faith. But you must be both (1) sincere and (2) patient: sincere because Allah knows your heart and mind, and patient because patience enables you to acquire insights, wisdom, and wins in
deen,
dunya, and
aakhirah. Practicing patience is in fact one of the states of submission to Allah, because you're in essence with your actions and intention making yourself to be entrusting yourself to Allah. My Islamic teacher,
may Allah bless him, always emphasized patience for each human being and said patience must be to our last (dying) breath, because otherwise we will lose either the way or our willpower to be on this way. Islam, please remember, is not a race; instead, Islam is meant as a guidance for all humankind to reach to our Lord.
Sincere Regards & Best Wishes,
:wa: (And peace be upon you)