[AnonymousPoster]

First off, I'm 18 old and a convert of six months. I live with my grandmother and some other family.
I'm writing this because I need some advice, I just need someone to talk to.. My iman is soo weak, its been weak for a long time now, and I'm also having bad thoughts, like example, because of my weak iman, when its time to pray, I think to myself, "is Allah even going to listen to me?" I feel He don't accept my prayers or anything, I feel I'm not good enough for Him, I always try to be a good Muslim and do what I can, but I still feel its not enough. I do all 5 prayers, I read Quran, I'm always reading more about Islam, so I do what I can do make my iman stronger, but its not working.. One thing I don't do is wear hijab, I want to wear it, but it causes problems with my mom, and she just yells at me and even insults Islam, and that makes my Iman more weak. And earlier today someone told me I have severe Islamic knowledge, just because I'm a convert, eventhough the person don't know me, that hurt, because I always try to gain knowledge, but I'm not trying hard enough, and then shaytan puts evil thoughts into my head. I don't know if this is Allah testing me or punishing me, but I can't take it anymore, growing up I suffered from depression, and I still do once and awhile, so sometimes I tell myself, I don't wanna be here anymore, meaning this world. There's so many other things causing me stress, but I'll stop right here, I wish I had someone I can talk to, but I don't know the Muslims well at the Masjid and hardly anyone goes there, its a small Masjid. I have no friends, I'm on my own. So, what can I do about this? How can I strengthen my Iman and be a stronger Muslim? imsad

 

[pvg8260]

Assalam Aleykum Sister

Firstly regarding (is Allah even going to listen to me) the evil thoughts issue.

It was once said “The people of the book claim that they do not get satanic whispers”

The reply was “They are truthful (about their claim), what would Shaytan want to do in an empty house”

it's called Waswasa (Satanic Whispers) and we all experience them in our life.

Here is a website that works for me every time http://www.answering-christianity.com/mahir/i_am_having_evil_thoughts.htmthe Waswasa gets to much read through it and think about some of the points he makes. also doing Wudu always help.

(how can you strengthen you iman) by finding you interest in the faith(Islam), some people it's science,example for me it's Laws and history and Mashallah Islam has both. I hope you get the point i'm trying to make.

Also do some dua’s they are more powerful than you can imagine http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/dua.html

And don't give up ( you know when you are waiting for the bus and you think it won't come and as soon as you leave it comes) Life can be just like that. Allah loves those who are patient

(my answers are based on my experiences)

 

[coddles76]

Asalam Alykum Sister,

I pray that Allah SWT will strengthen you and I hope you will not let go of the favour that Allah SWT has bestowed upon you. You see sister Allah SWT has already led you to islam so I would say he has found something very worthy in your character to have guided you. Allah SWT guides those who arw worthy of the Deen of islam and since you have been shown that light I suggest you keep yourself strong and try to repay Allah SWT back for his kindness. When you say that you have no one and when you say you have no one to talk to, your forgetting that Allah SWT hears all your requests and is always there to listen to you. He is your best of friends, your best of advisers. He will never let you down if you show him your love and respect. Keep strong Sister and know that you have been rewarded with the best of rewards and inshAllah in the hereafter will be given the highest levels of paradise which would be your ultimate success.

A pray that Allah SWT strengthens you and heals your pain you hold inside

 

[AnonymousPoster]

Assalam Aleykum Sister

Firstly regarding (is Allah even going to listen to me) the evil thoughts issue.

It was once said “The people of the book claim that they do not get satanic whispers”

The reply was “They are truthful (about their claim), what would Shaytan want to do in an empty house”

it's called Waswasa (Satanic Whispers) and we all experience them in our life.

Here is a website that works for me every time http://www.answering-christianity.com/mahir/i_am_having_evil_thoughts.htmthe Waswasa gets to much read through it and think about some of the points he makes. also doing Wudu always help.

(how can you strengthen you iman) by finding you interest in the faith(Islam), some people it's science,example for me it's Laws and history and Mashallah Islam has both. I hope you get the point i'm trying to make.

Also do some dua’s they are more powerful than you can imagine http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/dua.html

And don't give up ( you know when you are waiting for the bus and you think it won't come and as soon as you leave it comes) Life can be just like that. Allah loves those who are patient

(my answers are based on my experiences)

JazakAllah khair for reply and the links, I will look into them. I also think I'm letting things get to me, I should try harder to get the thoughts outta my head rather than get upset more.

 

[AnonymousPoster]

Asalam Alykum Sister,

I pray that Allah SWT will strengthen you and I hope you will not let go of the favour that Allah SWT has bestowed upon you. You see sister Allah SWT has already led you to islam so I would say he has found something very worthy in your character to have guided you. Allah SWT guides those who arw worthy of the Deen of islam and since you have been shown that light I suggest you keep yourself strong and try to repay Allah SWT back for his kindness. When you say that you have no one and when you say you have no one to talk to, your forgetting that Allah SWT hears all your requests and is always there to listen to you. He is your best of friends, your best of advisers. He will never let you down if you show him your love and respect. Keep strong Sister and know that you have been rewarded with the best of rewards and inshAllah in the hereafter will be given the highest levels of paradise which would be your ultimate success.

A pray that Allah SWT strengthens you and heals your pain you hold inside

Thank you bro for your kind reply. I do thank Allah for guiding me, I know He's done so much for me, thats why I wish I could do more for Him, but there's always that feeling its not enough. And thats true, I do have Allah, all I have is Him, but sometimes don't seem He is near, because I go through so much and it hurts, not just with my faith, but family issues, education, things around me. But I'll try to move on and be stronger. Thnx again, may Allah bless you.

 

[Snowflake]

assalamu alaykum,

My dear sister increase your salah inshaAllah. Alhumdulillah, you already pray 5 times a day. To what level is your focus on? Wudhu itself is an act of worship for the pleasure of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Make intention and perform wudhu carefully with the knowledge that each action is wiping away your sins and be thankful to Allah for bestowing His Kindness and Mercy upon us in this way. Dress in perfumed clothes for your meeting with Allah.

Before you make takbiratul Ihram (saying Allahu Akbar) focus on this.. You are standing before Allah, the Lord of the Worlds to Worship Him and Him Alone. Forget everything else around you. It's just you standing before Allah.

When you have made takbiratul Ihram, focus on the words of salah. Think about the meaning of each verse and feel it. Take your time. We don't talk 100mph to a person, then why with Allah, our Rabb, our Creator, Who we are supposed to be worshipping.


Do not rush in your actions. Remember when standing up (Qiyam) from Ruku your back bone must be full straight before you go down to make sujood (Prostration). In sujood you are closes to Allah. When you say, "Subhana Rabbiyal 'ala." (Glory to my Lord, the Highest) praise Him from the bottom of your heart and soul and mean it. Imagine every cell in your body is praising Allah. The Prophet (saw) told us to increase supplication in this posture as this is when a servant is closest to his Lord and the most likely time for your supplication to be answered.

If you know other Surahs by heart, recite them during salah. However it it forbidden to recite al-Quraan in ruku and sujood.

In short, make every action, including dikhr after salah, unhurried and deliberate, feeling the meanings and hoping that Allah is pleased with you and fearing Him and Loving Him.

Focusing and feeling your salah will make your heart and body tremble and your eyes cry. Will Allah not love you then and increase His favours upon you?


Try to pray Thajjud, Ishraaq (about 20 mins after sunrise), Chaashat and salatul-awabeen between Maghrib and Isha.

InshaAllah, your imaan will increase. There's a saying which goes like.."Something is only as sweet as the amount of sugar you put into it." Your efforts will be rewarded inshaAllah.


Lastly, the blessings of voluntary Ibadah..

Hadith Qudsi 25:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.

It was related by al-Bukhari.

 

[AnonymousPoster]

assalamu alaykum,

My dear sister increase your salah inshaAllah. Alhumdulillah, you already pray 5 times a day. To what level is your focus on? Wudhu itself is an act of worship for the pleasure of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Make intention and perform wudhu carefully with the knowledge that each action is wiping away your sins and be thankful to Allah for bestowing His Kindness and Mercy upon us in this way. Dress in perfumed clothes for your meeting with Allah.

Before you make takbiratul Ihram (saying Allahu Akbar) focus on this.. You are standing before Allah, the Lord of the Worlds to Worship Him and Him Alone. Forget everything else around you. It's just you standing before Allah.

When you have made takbiratul Ihram, focus on the words of salah. Think about the meaning of each verse and feel it. Take your time. We don't talk 100mph to a person, then why with Allah, our Rabb, our Creator, Who we are supposed to be worshipping.


Do not rush in your actions. Remember when standing up (Qiyam) from Ruku your back bone must be full straight before you go down to make sujood (Prostration). In sujood you are closes to Allah. When you say, "Subhana Rabbiyal 'ala." (Glory to my Lord, the Highest) praise Him from the bottom of your heart and soul and mean it. Imagine every cell in your body is praising Allah. The Prophet (saw) told us to increase supplication in this posture as this is when a servant is closest to his Lord and the most likely time for your supplication to be answered.

If you know other Surahs by heart, recite them during salah. However it it forbidden to recite al-Quraan in ruku and sujood.

In short, make every action, including dikhr after salah, unhurried and deliberate, feeling the meanings and hoping that Allah is pleased with you and fearing Him and Loving Him.

Focusing and feeling your salah will make your heart and body tremble and your eyes cry. Will Allah not love you then and increase His favours upon you?


Try to pray Thajjud, Ishraaq (about 20 mins after sunrise), Chaashat and salatul-awabeen between Maghrib and Isha.

InshaAllah, your imaan will increase. There's a saying which goes like.."Something is only as sweet as the amount of sugar you put into it." Your efforts will be rewarded inshaAllah.


Lastly, the blessings of voluntary Ibadah..

Wa alaykum assalam sis. JazakAllah khair for the nice post.
Actually, I already do all that in prayer, I go slow, I think about what I'm saying, and I feel as if I'm standing in front of Allah. Prayer is the only time I actually feel close to Him, and I feel good, but I get thoughts in my head during prayer too sometimes, thoughts like, problems going on in life, family, schoolwork, So thats something else I'm working on, being more focused in prayer. I will keep trying harder, thanks again, may Allah bless N reward you.

I am feeling alittle better today, but it still gets to me, that my Iman is weak, and sometimes I think, I'm not a full Muslim, because, there's other Muslims, especially converts who do alot more than me, I pray, but I sometimes don't do the Sunnah prayers, I can't fast due to health reasons (but I want to try), I don't even know how to do some prayers, like Tahajjud, which I wish I could do, and of course I don't wear Hijab fully, I do when I'm not near my mom, she just oppresses me when it comes to it, she don't want me to speak to her about hijab, she says she don't want me wearing it around her, because people would stare, and because she's not use to it, eventhough I'm the one wearing it. So me not being able to do all this, I sometimes get feelings that Allah doesnt love me as much as He does other Muslims who do more than me.
Also the environment I am living in, my family, they smoke, drink, curse, yell, argue, I am always around this, and I can't move or anything untill I finish school, which I haven't even started yet, will this year inshaAllah. Its alot for me, but I pray Allah gets me through it, and helps every Muslim going through alot too.

 

[Valeńcianista]

Hey there sis, no worries, I think every single Muslim out there goes through an increase and a decrease in Iman, so you're not alone sis. Just open up your heart to Allah SWT, talk to Him, and ask him to increase your iman :thumbs_up

Also, check this video out. There is some good advice on it, n' I hope it helps

http://www.islamictube.net/watch/44...ease-Your-Iman-(Faith)-And-Guard-Against-Sins

 

[alcurad]

it's alright, don't push yourself too much, what comes easily, goes away easily.
faith takes a while to build, and we all have stumbled several times, it's only human.
try not to compare yourself to others, rather strengthen you relationship with God, and leave the rest to him.
I'd advice not doing anything more than is necessary, that is, don't overdo it, now you are overflowing with desire to better yourself and compete, but there will be times when the opposite happens. so again, take it step by step, and welcome to the fold

 

[mathematician]

salamu 'alaykum, the problem with MANY MANY MANY muslims when making du'a to Allah is they think He is like santa claus. Allah is not someone who is there waiting for you to make a du'a and then magically give you what you want. For example, if it was up to you sister, you would want Allah to put you in the heart of someone who cheated on you. I don't want to sound mean sister, but with that kind of mentality how do you expect Allah to give you what you ask for? Maybe you are asking for things that to the sane human being would be crazy ideas. It's easy for young people to sit there make du'a for something that's not good for them and then say Allah doesn't listen to me, I'm not good enough for Him.
Remember one thing when making a du'a. Allah answering a du'a is a privilege. He doesn't have to answer your du'a is He doesn't want to. The best way to do a du'a is to ask Allah for good things and then lower your expectations. If you see that you get what you ask for, then praise Allah. If not, then you need to remember it's His choice. Have you met somebody who did everything you asked them to? Santa Claus would!! But Allah is NOT santa claus. Allah is the Best Being that exists. Allah is the Creator of this huge universe. So maybe through Allah not answering your du'a you learn to be humble. You learn that Allah is not a slave to you (astaghfirullah) but that you are a slave of His. He gives you commands but you CANNOT give Him commands sister. Allah is too big for anyone to expect Him to follow orders. Read this over and over if you have to.

Hijab is not the only way of being a good muslim. There are many other good deeds that you can do. For example, you can show mercy to people, as this is a deed highly praised by Allah. Allah shows mercy to those who show mercy to those He created. So, there are other opportunites to do good.

It seems to me that you haven't heard of some old saying, which is true. It says "EVERYTHING happens for a good reason".
So sister, it's ok if someone says you are not intelligent enough. It will help get you to be a stronger person. Don't you see how hurt you are by that worthless comment? The best way for you to grow out of it is face it.
I have been told many negative comments in my life when I grew up as a child and teenager. But all thanks to Allah because those negative comments made me stronger. I cannot thank Allah enough for them.

If you want to take to someone, you can send me private messages. I will listen.

 

[All4Allaah08]

Thanks everyone for the replies....

salamu 'alaykum, the problem with MANY MANY MANY muslims when making du'a to Allah is they think He is like santa claus. Allah is not someone who is there waiting for you to make a du'a and then magically give you what you want. For example, if it was up to you sister, you would want Allah to put you in the heart of someone who cheated on you. I don't want to sound mean sister, but with that kind of mentality how do you expect Allah to give you what you ask for? Maybe you are asking for things that to the sane human being would be crazy ideas. It's easy for young people to sit there make du'a for something that's not good for them and then say Allah doesn't listen to me, I'm not good enough for Him.
Remember one thing when making a du'a. Allah answering a du'a is a privilege. He doesn't have to answer your du'a is He doesn't want to. The best way to do a du'a is to ask Allah for good things and then lower your expectations. If you see that you get what you ask for, then praise Allah. If not, then you need to remember it's His choice. Have you met somebody who did everything you asked them to? Santa Claus would!! But Allah is NOT santa claus. Allah is the Best Being that exists. Allah is the Creator of this huge universe. So maybe through Allah not answering your du'a you learn to be humble. You learn that Allah is not a slave to you (astaghfirullah) but that you are a slave of His. He gives you commands but you CANNOT give Him commands sister. Allah is too big for anyone to expect Him to follow orders. Read this over and over if you have to.

Hijab is not the only way of being a good muslim. There are many other good deeds that you can do. For example, you can show mercy to people, as this is a deed highly praised by Allah. Allah shows mercy to those who show mercy to those He created. So, there are other opportunites to do good.

It seems to me that you haven't heard of some old saying, which is true. It says "EVERYTHING happens for a good reason".
So sister, it's ok if someone says you are not intelligent enough. It will help get you to be a stronger person. Don't you see how hurt you are by that worthless comment? The best way for you to grow out of it is face it.
I have been told many negative comments in my life when I grew up as a child and teenager. But all thanks to Allah because those negative comments made me stronger. I cannot thank Allah enough for them.

If you want to take to someone, you can send me private messages. I will listen.

I don't really ask Allah for much, I just ask Him to help me be a better person and Muslim, I wasn't saying I ask Him for things like a car, house, money, etc...And I didn't say Allah doesn't answer me, I had duas answered before, I'm saying, I get the feeling He is not there sometimes, thats what I meant by "Accept", like He is not listening, but I know its just shaytan making me feel that way, I just hate that feeling and the thoughts that come to me because it makes my Iman weak, I know I'm a slave to Allah and I want to be a better one. The Hijab issue isnt new, so I'm done with that, I just want to obey Allah's commands. And I know everything happens for a reason, I say that to people and I say that to myself. Anyway I think you misread my post..........

 

[All4Allaah08]

And I might as well show my screen name, dont come here much anyway, so people can PM me or something if they want to...