Salam brother and sisters.
I want to make this short..
almost 2 years since i started to practice my religion (islam) im 20 soon 21 years old. Since then i have been feeling like a robot, i just pray without intention(i think), and i dont read so much about islam as i should.. And i feel im not happy to being a muslim :/ like im ashamed of it or myself.. I really dont want to be in this state and i know Allah Swt knows it, ive tried praying tahajjud half an hour~ before fajr constantly maybe if i make duaa after every tahajjud and after pray fajr, maybe allah will make me a happy muslim and better my intention and ikhlaas.. But screw it up after 2 nights of tajjahud i dont wake up anymore -.- .. im kinda a depressed. no khushoo in prayer..
I want to change but my naffs dont want to read about islam, sometimes im lazy to get up to pray.. i know i will get punished by Allah.. i want to change. I want to be happy muslim, invite others to the deen, i want to read so so much about islam and other things, but feel depressed and i have so much time i dont use it.
Is it good to wake up and make tahajjud before fajr every night?? maybe it will change me, if i dont give up and work hard to pray tahajjud and fajr..?
No Muslim should ever be content or satisfied with the amount of worship they are doing. It is because we should always be pushing ourselves to do more. The moment we feel satisfied with our worship is the moment we should realise something is seriously wrong. This life is about struggling, striving and continuous self development and self improvement. There should never be a moment in our lives where we should feel content with our state. So my brother know that it is a good sign that you are feeling this way and as Muslims we should be humble.
We only enter Jannah by the mercy of Allah
On the day of judgement a man will face Allah confident. He will say to Allah that i worshipped you all my life, fasted, obeyed your commandments and done extra voluntary worship etc. He will feel so confident that Allah will grant him Jannah. But Allah will tell him to go towards Jahannam. He will be in utter shock. Whilst he is walking towards Jahannam Allah will call him back and then say to him that it is not your deeds alone that will enable you to enter Paradise or be saved from Jahannam but it is with my mercy that you will enter Paradise or be saved from Jahannam".
So know that it is from the mercy of Allah that we will be able to enter Jannah. So it is his mery that we should try and attain through our actions, intentions and sincerety. It is about quality not just quantity. Therefore we should concentrate on having big intentions and being as sincere as possible and then even little deeds will be big in Allah's eyes. It is also about consistency. The most beloved deeds to Allah are those done most often even though they may be small. So do many good actions as often as possible for those are the most beloved to Allah.
Fard Obligations
The main thing that all Muslims should concentrate on is fulfilling our fard obligations unto Allah. The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) has guided us. And Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, has guided us how to draw near to Him. As He said According to Hadith Qudsi:
“Whoever draws near to Me among those drawn near by fulfilling what I have made obligatory on them….
You do not draw near to Allah except by fulfilling the obligatory duties which Allah has made obligatory on you; (that is) the obligatory duties from the obligatory duties (Faraid) such as Prayers, and Zakat (obligatory charity), and Hajj, and Fasting and being good to Parents and all these obligatory duties on you draw you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted.
The faraid (obligatory duties) are the first things that draw you near to Allah. You do not reach the door of nearness nor do you reach to the presence of nearness except by fulfilling the obligatory duties. This is the first thing that draws you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, and you are in His Presence.
So the first thing we need to do is fulfil ALL of our obligatory duties and abstain from that which Allah and his messenger have forbidden us from.
Intentions
We should purify & correct our intentions before doing any acts of worship because we may have other underlying intentions in our hearts without even realizing it. Like for e.g. worshipping to show off in front of others etc.
So before doing any good deed we must ensure our intentions are ONLY to please Allah. Having the right intentions will increase the sincerity in our worship and enable us to earn greater rewards for every good deed we do, even if it is a little good deed.
Ibn Al-Mubaarak said: "Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its intention."
Daily routines like eating, drinking, sleeping, traveling etc can be a source of great reward by having the right intentions. Having good Intentions is easy & great rewards can be gained without making any hard physical effort. By just spending a couple of seconds having the right intention in our hearts we can turn a whole day to a day of worship. Like turning dust into gold.
Sincerety (Ikhlas)
How much reward we get for our good deeds or whether we get any reward at all, depends on the level of sincerety (Ikhlas) we have whilst doing good deeds. The more sincere we are the more we will be rewarded. The less sincerity we have the less we will be rewarded, if at all.
Therefore it is crucial that we do our utmost do be as sincere as possible when doing good actions. We must ONLY do every action for the pleasure of Allah and try our best never to reveal what good we have done to anyone else. The best good deeds are those that are hidden from others.
So let us be sincere as posible whilst doing good deeds and hide them from others as much as possible.
Regarding having more khushu in Salaah to avoid reading it like a robot then the following thread will help inshallah:
Why Can't I concentrate in my Salaah?
Keeping good company and maintaining close connection with the Masjid
It is extremely important to keep good pious company. It is better to be alone than to have bad friends. Bad friends are like poison for us in this world and they will also be against us on the day of judgement. So steer well clear of bad friends and stick to good company. You will find good company in the Masjid so keep a close connection with the Masjid as your imaan wil be safer that way and it is the house of Allah anbd the most beloved places to Allah is the Masjid. The worst places are the market places which are the places of shaythan.
Knowledge
Also knowledge is extremely important especially in increasing imaan. Learn Arabic as you are still young and it is easier to learn the younger you are. There is nothing better than reciting the Qur'an and knowing the deeper meanings of the verses. So strive to learn the original language of the Qur'an. Also start hifdh. There is only good in making intention to learn and memorize the Qur'an, even one ayah a day. Join Islamic courses online or even better in your local Masjid or area. Try to sit with learned people and take from their knowledge and wisdom.
Read and listen to lectures as much as you can about the death and hereafter. Read and learn about the life and seerah of our beloved Rasul (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Read and learn about the lives and stories of the companions. Most of all read and learn good tafseer and commentaries of the Qur'an and ponder and contemplate over the words of Allah. Keep thinking about death and realising you can die any second.Keep picturing yourself in the grave and in the terrible day of judgement. That will keep you motivated. Realise the importance of time and how short our time is ni this world.
Strive as much as you can to do everything to please Allah and refrain from anything which angers and displeases him. Know that you can never achieve perfection so keep pushing yourself and keep trying your best, that is the main thing. But do not overhwhelm yourself. Take things easy. Do what you can within your capacity. As soon as you overwhelm yourself then you will go backwards. So concentrate on doing quality good deeds with big intentions and sincerety. Do everything ONLY to please Allah. If you can worship Allah in the latter part of the night at Tahajjud then definately do so as there is NO voluntary action greater than Tahajjud in which we can achieve closeness to Allah and high ranks of Jannah.
Worship
This thread will help you to increase your daily worship. Build up slowly at your own pace and remember never to burden yourself with more than you can bare for this goes against the purpose of doing good deeds. So do what you can and build up at a steady pace. Ask of Allah to enable you to do more for his pleasure. Remember to make as many good intentions as possible for very good deed and be as sincere as possible ONLY doing it for the pleasure of Allah:
Daily Muslim Worship Plan
I hope the following threads will help you inshallah:
30 ways the youth should spend everyday of their lives!
How much we will regret the precious seconds we wasted in this world!
10 steps to getting closer to Allah
5 Ways to soften the heart to weep to Allah
VERY Rewarding Nafl Salaahs we can Pray Everyday!
Easy Dhikr which is light on the tongue but heavy on the scales!
6 Virtues of praying at the Masjid
30 ways to Gain the Top Ranks of Jannah
How we can get through hardships and trials in our lives
