The Prophet Muhammad (S) said: "Faith wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts” (Mustadrak al-Haakim).
Our Iman is not always as sound and strong as we want it to be as it often fluctuates according to life circumstances. There are several causes for weakening Iman such as deficiencies in our prayers or the insinuating whispers from the Shaytan. Regardless of the cause, it is crucial for all of us to keep a check on our Iman and if we feel it is faltering in any way then we should take measures to restore it. It is our responsibility to know which things decrease our Iman and how to avoid them and those that increase our Iman and how to embrace them.
Here are 7 ways that we can brighten our Iman starting today!
1. Recognise and Repent
All humans commit sins no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Engaging in evil deeds decreases our Iman. Actions like lying, cheating and stealing, to name only a few, take a toll on the human heart which makes us more susceptible to being lead astray from the Path of Allah. It is important for us to reflect upon our deeds and weed out the ones that are contrary to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S). Allah has gifted us with an innate sense of justice and the ability to reason and make sound judgements. Our fitrah (natural disposition) necessitates that we all know when we are committing a sin. And if we don't know, we certainly have a bevy of resources to find out from!
2. Perform Salah Regularly
Completing the five daily prayers, on time and according to the Sunnah, is an excellent way to increase our Iman. Not only are we performing an obligatory deed when praying, but by doing so we have a standing audience with the Creator of this world where we can ask for help and mercy. The effect of the salah on the human soul is cooling as Muhammad (S) once said that it cooled his eyes. The salah connects us with our Creator and, along with obedience to Allah, helps us to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses -this Qur’an- are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); Who perform salah and spend out of that We have provided them. It is they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their Lord, and Forgiveness and a generous provision (Paradise)” (Al-Anfal: 2-4).
3. Qur’anic Recitations
Medical studies have shown that simply listening to a recitation of the Holy Qur’an has a physiological effect on our bodies. Research has also proven that the Qur’an has healing qualities on the body, mind and spirit. What better way to increase your Iman than to listen to a recitation of the Holy Qur’an on an audio device! Listen to the melodious rhythm of the Qur’an and while doing so try to reflect upon the meanings of what you are listening to.
4. Engage in Dhikr
"…Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (13:28)
Remembering Allah much through acts of dhikr brings peace to the heart. It also gives us a sense of taqwa, a consciousness that makes us realise that Allah Almighty is ever near and that we should always strive to please Him. Some beneficial dhikr include:
Subhan'Allah- 'Praise be to Allah'
Al-Hamdullilah- 'Thanks be to Allah'
Allahu Akbar – 'Allah is the Greatest.'
5. Voluntary Fasting
Fasting can be thought of as a prescription for us, which cures the maladies of the human soul. There are innumerable benefits to fasting nawafil fasts. Fasting helps us be thankful to Allah for His Bounty, control unlawful desires, have compassion for the less fortunate and it weakens the effects of waswas, the insinuating whispers from the Shaytan.
6. Carry Out Good Deeds
Doing good deeds for others can be like switching on a light bulb in a darkened room. No matter how awful we are feeling there is just something about offering a helping hand to someone in need that lifts our spirits and brightens our Iman.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an: "For those who believe and work righteous deeds is a reward that will never fail” (Fussilat: 8).
Types of good deeds that any of us can fulfill include acts of dawah, feeding a poor person or donating something of value to charity. Not only does the deed benefit another person but it also benefits our own souls by polishing up our Iman.
7. Trust in Allah
The best way to increase your Iman is to completely submit your will to Allah by following every command in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Live your life according to them and you will find success around every corner. Turn to Allah in times of distress and be thankful to Allah in times of bounty. Have patience in Allah's Decree and always remember that no matter what trials or tribulations we face in this World, one day we will be called to account for our deeds which were hopefully sent forth with much goodness and patience.
Wow subhanallah thats really great
i have been looking for articles like this
jazakallah khair brother
Dear Allah. I pray that whoever reads this message shall have your comfort, joy, peace, love, & guidance. I may not know their troubles, but you do. Please keep protecting us. Ameen.
may Allah love you and fill ur heart with the remembrance of Allah , Taqwa ,Iman happiness ,peace ,love ,warmth and satisfaction in this Dunyah and in the hereafter and may he reward you with Jannat Al Ferdaws with out being reckoning
and the same Duaa for All of u Ameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen
asalam wr wb my dear brothers and sisters in islam pls feel free to pass this post on to anyone who you feel may benefit and if theres anything else you need please let me know and i will try my best to help you! please make dua for me! allah hafiz
Jazakallah khayran brother Hamza. I would like to know how to perform salah, if it's impossible at work. I wanted to create a thread about this issue, but I don't have 50 posts yet.
Jazakallah khayran brother Hamza. I would like to know how to perform salah, if it's impossible at work. I wanted to create a thread about this issue, but I don't have 50 posts yet.
Firstly brother tell me what is it that makes it difficult for you to perform salah at work? which country you from?
Firstly brother tell me what is it that makes it difficult for you to perform salah at work? which country you from?
It is not the case at this moment, but it is possible that we can face this problem. What if it's the case? This worries me so much. Maybe there are already threads about this, but I haven't seen them. I will search for it.
I'm sorry brother I forgot to mention that I live in the Netherlands..
well my brother previously i created a thread in another forum called sunniforum exactly about this topic! Because i have seen many people make some very feeble and lame excuses not to pray salah at work! It is so easy to pray salah at work brother! here is what in that thread:
Asalaam wr wb, i hope all the brothers and sisters are making the best of this most blessed month and may allah give us and our familys barakah and mercy,forgiveness and freedom from the fire of hell inshallah.
This issue of people missing salat when at work is one that is very sad indeed. People think that just because they are doing a full 8 or 12 hour shift that they are exempted from performing salat. This is a sad state of affairs when we can't even make the smallest of efforts to simply either bring a rug or sheet to work, or even read on one's jacket. Anything that is clean and simply pray on it! Wheres the difficulty in that? Which work place would refuse or ban anyone from performing salat?
Every work place gives us a breaks as it is by law that they have to! Everyone certainly is given the lunch hour, whether it be half an hour,45 minutes or an hour. It is so easy to read zuhr salat in ones lunch break which will take a matter of minutes! we are all given an afternoon break as well and one can simply pray asr in this afternoon break(if in the winter) which again will take a matter of minutes and also if in the winter if we need to pray maghrib prayer then what is wrong with simply asking one's manager or supervisor politely if they can give us a few minutes to do a quick prayer? It comes down to how much effort were willing to make and how determined we are in order to fulfil our obligations to allah no matter where we are! There is no excuse whatsoever for not praying where ever we are!Why should one perform kazah for all the prayers missed whilst working when we are very able to pray all our salats at our own workplace? All it takes is a very small amount of effort and we will get barakat in our work and money. Excuses like "oh its too dirty to pray here" or "the toilets here are dirty and used by kufaar" etc" is absolute rubbish and just one of the many excuses shaythan wants us to make! Just simply wet a few tissues and wipe the toilet seats and u have a clean toilet seat! And every toilet will have a sink where one can do wuzu! lets not look for lame excuses to avoid praying at our workplace or where ever we are!The more effort and trials we go through in life the more we will be rewareded and allah knows whats in our hearts!
We should revolve our life around salat not vice versa!
May allah make it easy on us to fulfil our obligations to him and make us of the inhabitants of jannatul firdaus! ameen (pls remember me in ur duas)
Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.
Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat
Neglecting the Sunnah.
Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.
Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.
Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.
Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.
Desiring status and wealth.
Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.
Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves.
Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.
Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.
Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.
Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.
Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.
Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.
Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.
Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.
Okay, how to increase our faith then ?
Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.
Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.
Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah's names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.
Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.
We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.
We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.
Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.
Make dua, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don't covet material things in this life.
Our love for Subhana Wa Ta'Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.
Realize the effects of sins and disobedience- one's faith is increased with good deeds and our faith is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah.
1. Praying to your Lord, Glorified and Exalted, in secret, supplicating a lot to Him, hoping in His reward, and engaging in much remembrance of Him.
2. Contemplating His Book, for nothing helps the recovery of the heart except the Book of Allah Mighty and Sublime. There are many youth who busy themselves even with sciences of the Shari`ah at the expense of reciting the Qur'an until their hearts eventually harden. So if this happens with acts of obedience, what about one who occupies his heart with sins?
3. Regularly performing your obligatory prayers in congregation, for Allah guaranteed the one who guards his obligatory prayers in congregation that he will neither abandon him, nor humiliate him, and that He will guard him in this world and the next.
4. Regularly performing as-sunan ar-rawatib (acts of Sunnah that were stressed and regularly performed by the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), and doing plenty of them, for whenever you prostrate to Allah with a prostration, He raises your level.
5. Accompanying and loving the righteous. "The person is with one he loves." [Al-Bukhari] "Do not befriend except a believer, and let no one eat your food except a taqiyy (a pious, God-fearing person)." [Hasan, related by Ahmad, At-Tayalisi, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and others]
6. Knowing that Allah al-Wahid al-Ahad watches over us, and knowing that He is with you: "Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?" [al-Mulk (67):14]
Knowing also that He knows what you hide and what you make apparent: "Have you not considered that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth? There is no private conversation of three but that He is the fourth of them, nor are there five but that He is the sixth of them - and no less than that and no more except that He is with them [in knowledge] wherever they are. Then He will inform them of what they did, on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed Allah is, of all things, Knowing." [Al-Mujadilah (58):7]
Our Shortcomings in the World of Iman
1. Taking oneself to account as the Salaf (Pious precessors) used to do; they used take themselves to account in detail prior to sleep: What did we put forth from good so that we thank Allah? What did we do from evil so that we repent to Allah?
2. Seeking guidance and advice from the people of knowledge and callers to Allah.
3. Visiting graves, for it is a means of remembrance of death and the hereafter, and it guides a slave to the Straight Path.
4. Praying upon Allah in secret and supplicating to Him in the last third of the night.
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