Islam Way Islamic Library Weakness Of Faith Muhammed Salih

islam way islamic library weakness of faith muhammed salih al-munajjid note: spelling and grammar errors had been h

Islam Way
Islamic Library
Weakness
Of
Faith
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
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Introduction
Praise be to Allah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness.
We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our
evil deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whomever
Allah leaves astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no
god except Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear
witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. “O you who believe!
Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of
Islam (as Muslims), with complete submission to Allah.” [Aal ‘Imraan
3:102 – interpretation of the meaning].
“O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single
person (Adam) and from him He created his wife (Hawwa), and from them
both he created many men and women, and fear Allah through Whom you
demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the
wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.”
[al-Nisa’ 4:1 – interpretation of the meaning]
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak
(always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and
will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His
Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e., he will
be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).” [al-Ahzaab
33:70-71 – interpretation of the meaning].
The phenomenon of weak faith has become very widespread among Muslims,
and many people complain about the hardness of their hearts. So often
we hear the words, “I feel hardness in my heart,” “I do not find any
joy in worship,” “I feel that my faith has hit rock bottom,” “Reading
Qur’aan does not move me,” “I fall into sin so easily.” The effects of
this affliction can be seen in many people, and this problem is the
cause of every disaster and adversity.
The issue of people’s hearts is an important and sensitive issue. The
heart is called qalb in Arabic because it changes so quickly and
frequently (taqallub – alteration, variation, ups and downs). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The heart
(qalb) takes its name from its constant changes (taqallub). The
likeness of the heart is that of a feather at the root of a tree,
being turned over and over by the wind.” (Reported by Ahmad, 4/408;
Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2364). According to another report: “The likeness of
the heart is that of a feather in an empty plot of land, being blown
over and over by the wind.” (Reported by Ibn Abi ‘Aasim in Kitaab
al-Sunnah. No. 227. Its isnaad is saheeh, see Zilaal al-Jannah fi
Takhreej al-Sunnah by al-Albaani, 1/102).
Man’s heart changes constantly, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) described: “The heart of the son of Adam changes
more quickly than a pan of rapidly boiling water.” (Ibid., no. 226.
Its isnaad is saheeh: Zilaal al-Jannah, 1/102), According to another
report: “It changes more than a pot of rapidly boiling water.”
(Reported by Ahmad, 6/4; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 5147).
Allah is the One Who turns hearts around and controls them. ‘Abd-Allah
ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “The hearts of the
children of Adam are as one between the fingers of the Most Merciful,
and He turns them in whatever way He wills.” Then he said: “O Allah,
Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to obey You.” (Reported by
Muslim, no. 2654).
Allah tells us that:
“… Allah comes in between a person and his heart (i.e., He prevents an
evil person from deciding anything)…” [al-Anfaal 8:24 – interpretation
of the meaning]
no one will be saved on the Day of Resurrection “except him who brings
to Allah a clean heart [free from shirk and hypocrisy].” [al-Shu’ara’
26:89 – interpretation of the meaning]
“those whose hearts are hardened” [al-Hajj 22:53 – interpretation of
the meaning] are doomed
and the promise of Paradise is for those “who feared the Most
Beneficent (Allah) in the Unseen, (i.e., in the worldly life, before
seeing and meeting Him), and brought a heart turned in repentance (to
Him).” [Qaaf 50:33 – interpretation of the meaning].
So the believer must check his heart, find out the nature and cause of
the problem, and start treating it straight away, before it overwhelms
him and destroys him. The matter is of the utmost seriousness, for
Allah has warned us against the heart that is hardened, closed, sick,
blind and sealed.
There follows a discussion of the symptoms of weak faith, what causes
it and how it may be treated. I ask Allah to benefit me and my Muslim
brothers through this work, and to richly reward all those who have
played a part in producing this book, for He is the One Whom we ask to
soften our hearts and guide us. He is our Protector, He is sufficient
for us and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.
Symptoms of weak faith
There are a number of symptoms of the sickness of weak faith,
including the following:
Falling into sin and committing haraam deeds: there are some sinners
who commit a sin and persist in it, and some who commit many kinds of
sin. When a person commits many sins, sin becomes a habit which he
gets used to, and then he no longer feels that it is abhorrent. He
gradually reaches a stage where he commits the sin openly, and thus
becomes one of those referred to in the hadeeth: “All of my ummah will
be fine except for those who commit sin openly, an example of which is
a man who does something at night, and when morning comes and Allah
has concealed his sin, he says, ‘O So-and-so, I did such and such
yesterday.’ His Lord had covered his sin all night, but he has
uncovered what Allah had concealed.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath
10/486).
Feeling that one’s heart is hard and rough. A man may feel that his
heart has turned to stone which nothing can penetrate or reach. Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “Then, after that, your hearts
were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness…”
[al-Baqarah 2:74]. The person whose heart is hard will not be moved by
reminders of death or by seeing deceased persons or funerals. He may
even carry a dead person to his grave and throw earth into the grave,
but when he walks between the graves it is as if he is merely walking
between rocks.
Not doing acts of worship properly. His mind wanders and he fails to
concentrate properly when praying, reading Qur’aan, making du’aa’,
etc. He does not think about what he is saying, and he recites the
words as the matter of boring habit, if he does these regularly at
all. If he has the habit of praying a certain du’aa’ at certain times,
according to the sunnah, he does not think about the meaning of what
he is saying, and Allah “does not accept the du’aa’ of one whose heart
is heedless of Him.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 3479; al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah, 594).
Laziness and carelessness in performing acts of worship. If he does
them at all, they are just empty movements, devoid of any real
feeling. Allah has described the hypocrites thus (interpretation of
the meaning): “… and when they stand up for prayer, they stand up with
laziness…” [al-Nisa’ 4:142]. This also includes neglecting to make the
most of special occasions and times for worship. This indicates that a
person has no interest in earning reward, so he may delay going for
Hajj although he is able to do so, or fail to go for jihaad when he
has the strength to do so, or fail to attend prayers in congregation,
or even Salat al-Jumu’ah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: “People will keep holding back from being
in the first row (of congregational prayers), until Allah throws them
into the Fire.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 679; Saheeh al-Targheeb,
no. 510). This kind of person does not feel any remorse or guilt if he
sleeps and misses one of the obligatory prayers, or a sunnah prayer
that is strongly encouraged, or a wird [regular du’aa’ and dhikr]. He
does not want to make it up later, and he deliberately omits doing
anything that is sunnah or fard kifaayah (a duty which, if carried out
by some of the people, is no longer obligatory on all, but if no-one
does it, all are held accountable). So he may not attend Eid prayers
(although some scholars say that they are obligatory), or offer the
prayers to be said at the time of lunar and solar eclipses, or attend
funerals. He does not care about reward at all, which is the opposite
of the ideal described by Allah in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the
meaning): “… they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to
call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before
Us.” [al-Anbiya’ 21:90]
Another example of laziness in performing acts of worship is the
neglect of sunnah actions which the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) performed regularly, and praying at night (qiyaam
al-layl), setting out early to go to the mosque, and other naafil
prayers, such as duhaa, never even occur to him, let alone the
two-rak’ahs of tawbah (repentance) and istikhaarah.
Tightness in the chest, mood swings and depression, which weigh a man
down and make him quick to complain about the slightest thing. He
easily gets upset with the people around him, and no longer has any
tolerance. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
described faith when he said, “Eemaan is patience and tolerance”
(Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 554, 2/86), and he described the
believer as being “one who makes friends and with whom others feel
comfortable. There is no goodness in one who does not make friends and
with whom others do not feel comfortable.” (Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah,
no. 427).
Not being moved by the aayaat of the Qur’aan, by its promises of
Paradise or its warnings of Hell, by its commands and prohibitions, or
by its descriptions of the Day of Resurrection. The one who is weak in
faith gets bored when he hears the Qur’aan being recited, and cannot
continue reading it. Whenever he opens the mus-haf, he soon closes it
again.
Not focusing on Allah when remembering Him (dhikr) or making du’aa’,
so dhikr becomes difficult for him, and when he raises his hands to
make du’aa’, he quickly lowers them again. Allah has described the
hypocrites (interpretation of the meaning): “… and they do not
remember Allah but little.” [al-Nisa’ 4:142]
Not feeling angry when the limits set by Allah are violated, because
the flame of zeal has been extinguished in his heart, so he no longer
takes action to stop evil, or enjoins evildoers to do good, or
denounces wrongdoing. He never gets angry for the sake of Allah. The
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
described this heart ravaged by weakness in the saheeh hadeeth: “The
heart will be subjected to trial after trial, and there will appear a
black stain on any heart that is affected, which will spread until the
heart is completely black and sealed, as it were, so that it will not
recognize any good deed or denounce any evil, except whatever suits
its own desires.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 144). Love of good and
hatred of evil have disappeared from a heart like this; all things are
equal to such a person, and he has no motive to enjoin good or forbid
evil. He may hear of some evil that is being done on earth, and may
accept it; in this case he carries the same burden of sin as one who
witnesses evil and approves of it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said in the saheeh hadeeth: “If sin is committed
on earth, the one who witnesses it and hates it [one time he said,
‘denounces it’] will be like one who knew nothing of it. Whoever does
not witness it but approves of it will be like one who witnesses it.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 4345; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 689). This
approval, which is an action of the heart, makes him like one who
witnessed the sin.
Love of fame and prominence, which may take many forms, including the
following:
Desire for leadership without understanding the serious responsibility
involved. This is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) warned us against when he said, “You will be very
keen to be leaders, but you will regret it on the Day of Resurrection,
for although it seems easy in the beginning, it becomes a hardship
later on [literally: the breastfeeding is a luxury but weaning is
miserable].” (The meaning is that at the beginning, leadership brings
wealth, power and enjoyment, but later it brings the risk of being
assassinated or deposed, and one will be brought to account on the Day
of Resurrection). (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 6729). The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: “If you wish, I
could tell you about leadership and what it is. Firstly, it is blame;
secondly, it is regret; and thirdly, it is punishment on the Day of
Resurrection – except for one who is just.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani
in al-Kabeer, 18/72; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1420). If it were the case that
a man wanted to carry out duties and responsibilities, where there is
no one better for the job than him, with the intention of doing his
best and being sincere and just, as Yusuf (peace be upon him) did,
then we could say that this is fair enough. But in most cases it is
the matter of a strong desire to lead and put oneself forward although
there is a better person, denying the opportunity of leadership to
those who are qualified and wanting to be the only one to issue
instructions and prohibitions.
Loving to sit at the head of gatherings, to monopolize the discussion,
to make others listen to one’s words, and to have power. The head of a
gathering is the “slaughterhouse” about which the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) warned us when he said, “Beware of
these slaughterhouses.” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi, 2/439; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 120).
Loving to have people stand up when one comes into the room, because
this makes the one whose heart is diseased feel great. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever feels happy
to have the slaves of Allah stand up for him, let him occupy his house
in Hellfire.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, 977; see
also Silsilah al-Saheeh, 357). Once when Mu’aawiyah went out to see
Ibn al-Zubayr and Ibn ‘Aamir, Ibn ‘Aamir stood up whilst Ibn al-Zubayr
remained sitting (according to one report: and he [Ibn al-Zubayr] was
wiser and more stable in character). Mu’aawiyah said to Ibn ‘Aamir,
“Sit down, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) say, ‘Whoever likes to have men stand up for him,
let him take his place in Hellfire.’” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no.
5229, and by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, 977; al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah, 357). This kind of person will get angry if the sunnah is
followed and people start from the right (and not with him, when
passing out refreshments, etc.); when such a person enters a
gathering, he will not be happy until someone gets up and gives him
his seat, even though the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) forbade this when he said, “No man should make another get
up from his place so that he can sit in it.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
al-Fath, 11/62).
Stinginess and miserliness. Allah praised the Ansaar in His Book by
saying (interpretation of the meaning): “… and [they] gave them [the
muhaajiroon] preference over themselves, even though they were in need
of that…” [al-Hashr 59:9]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) explained that the successful are those who avoid
miserliness, and that weakness of faith generates stinginess:
“Stinginess and faith never exist together in the heart of the
believer.” (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, al-Mujtaba, 6/13; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 2678). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) also described the serious nature of stinginess and its
consequences: “Beware of stinginess, for those who came before you
were destroyed because of stinginess. It commanded them to be miserly,
so they were miserly; it commanded them to cut family ties, so they
cut them; and it commanded them to be immoral, so they were immoral.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/324; Saheeh al-Jaami, no. 2678). When it
comes to miserliness, the person whose faith is weak can hardly give
anything for the sake of Allah, even when there is an honest appeal
and it is quite obvious that his brothers in Islam are suffering the
impact of poverty and are stricken by disaster. There is no more
eloquent statement on the matter of miserliness than the words of
Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “Behold! You are those who are
called to spend in the Cause of Allah, yet among you are some who are
niggardly. And whoever is niggardly, it is only at the expense of his
own self. But Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), and you (mankind) are
poor. And if you turn away (from Islam and the obedience of Allah), He
will exchange for you some other people, and they will not be your
likes.” [Muhammad 47:38].
Not practising what one preaches. Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning): “O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?
Most hateful is it with Allah that you say that which you do not do.”
[al-Saff 61:2-3]. No doubt this is a kind of hypocrisy, and the person
whose deeds do not match his words is blameworthy before Allah and
despicable in the eyes of his fellow man. The people of Hellfire will
soon discover the reality of the one who enjoins good but does not do
it, and forbids evil, but does it himself.
Malicious enjoyment of the failures, losses or disasters suffered by
one’s brothers in Islam, when the blessings that they had enjoyed are
taken away, or when the thing that made another person appear more
distinguished than him is gone.
Looking at matters in black-or-white terms of whether they are sinful
or not, and taking the matter of makrooh lightly. Some people, when
they want to do something, do not ask about what good deeds they could
do, instead they ask, “Will this be counted as a sin, or is it ‘only’
makrooh?” This way of thinking leads them into the trap of issues that
are not clear-cut and deeds that are makrooh, and eventually ensnares
them in haraam deeds. The person who thinks like this has nothing to
stop him from committing makrooh or doubtful deeds so long as they are
not actually haraam. This is exactly what the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) was talking about what he said ,
“Whoever falls into doubtful matters falls into haraam, like a
shepherd who grazes his flock around a place where he is not allowed –
he will soon enter it…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim; this
version narrated by Muslim, no. 1599). When some people ask for a
fatwa about something and are told that it is haraam, they ask, “Is it
very haraam or not? How much sin is involved?” People like this have
no interest in avoiding bad deeds; indeed, they are prepared to commit
the first level of haraam and they take small sins lightly, with the
results that they they have the guts to transgress even further and
violate the limits set by Allah. For this reason the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I will certainly recognize
people who will come on the Day of Resurrection bringing good deeds as
great as the white mountain of Tuhaamah, and Allah, may He be
glorified, will make it like dust in the air.” Thawbaan said, “O
Messenger of Allah, describe them to us and explain this so that we
will not unwittingly be among them.” He said, “They are your brothers
and they look like you. They pray at night as you do, but if they had
the opportunity to violate the limits set by Allah, they would do so.”
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 4245. He said in al-Zawaa’id: its isnaad
is saheeh and its men are thiqaat. See also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5028).
So you will find such a person committing haraam deeds without any
hesitation or reservation, which makes him worse than the one who does
so after pausing and hesitating. Both are in danger, but the former is
worse than the latter. This kind of person takes sins lightly as a
result of his weakness of faith, and does not think that he has done
anything wrong. For this reason, Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased
with him) described the attitude of the believer and of the hypocrite
as follows: “The believer sees his sins as if he were sitting beneath
a mountain which he fears will fall on him, whilst the sinner sees his
sins as if it were a fly passing his nose and he says such-and-such to
it” – i.e., he shoos it away with his hand. (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
al-Fath, 11/102; See also Taghleeq al-Ta’leeq, 5/136, publ. by
al-Maktab al-Islami).
Thinking little of good deeds, and having no interest in doing small
hasanaat. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
taught us to pay attention to small acts of goodness. Imaam Ahmad (may
Allah have mercy on him) reported from Abu Juray al-Hujaymi who said,
“I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we are a desert people.
Teach us something by which Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, will
benefit us.’ He said, ‘Do not look down on any act of goodness, even
if it is just emptying your bucket into the vessel of one who wants to
drink, or speaking to your brother with a cheerful expression.’”
(Musnad Ahmad, 5/63; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1352). If someone comes
wanting to drink from the well, and you lift up your bucket and empty
it for him, this is a good deed; even though it appears insignificant,
you should not think little of it. The same applies to greeting your
brother with a cheerful expression, and cleaning dirt and garbage from
the mosque, even if it is as small as a straw. This deed may be the
cause of your sins being forgiven, for Allah will appreciate good
deeds of this nature and will forgive sins because of them. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A man passed
a branch of a tree lying in the road and said, ‘By Allah, I want to
remove this out of the way of the Muslims so that it will not hurt
them,’ and he was admitted to Paradise.” (Reported by Muslim, no.
1914).
There is something wrong with the person who thinks little of simple
acts of goodness. It is sufficient punishment for this attitude that
he is denied the great advantage described by the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever removes something harmful
from the path of the Muslims, one hasanah will be recorded for him,
and whoever has a hasanah accepted, will enter Paradise.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 593; see also al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, 5/387). Mu’aadh was walking with another man, and he
picked up a stone from the road. The man asked him, “What is this?” He
said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) say, ‘Whoever removes a stone from the road, one hasanah
will be recorded for him, and whoever has a hasanah, will enter
Paradise.’” (al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer by al-Tabaraani, 20/101; al-Silsilat
al-Saheeh, 5/387).
Lack of concern about the Muslims’ affairs and lack of any involvement
whether it be by making du’aa’, giving charity or helping them. Such a
person has a cool attitude towards the oppression, suppression and
disasters suffered by his Muslim brothers in other parts of the world,
and is content merely with his own safety. This is the result of weak
faith, because the believer is the opposite of that. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The believer’s
position in relation to his fellow believers is like that of the head
to the body; the believer feels the pain of his fellow believers as
the body reacts to the pain suffered by the head.” (Musnad Ahmad,
5/340; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1137).
Breaking the ties of brotherhood between two who used to be close. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No two
people are friends for the sake of Allah or in Islam, but they will be
split apart by the first sin (according to another report: they will
only be split apart by the first sin) committed by either of them.”
(al-Bukhaari, al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 401; Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/68; see
also al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 637). This indicates the bad effects
which may impact upon and even destroy the bonds of brotherhood. This
alienation which a man may feel between himself and his brother is a
result of the lowering of faith caused by committing a sin, because
Allah causes him to lose his standing in the eyes of His slaves, and
so he is in the miserable position of having no respect and misses out
on the fellowship of the believers and the protection of Allah, for
Allah protects those who believe.
Not feeling any responsibility to work for Islam and spread this
religion, which is unlike the attitude of the Companions of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who as soon as
they entered this religion felt this responsibility straight away, for
example, al-Tufayl ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), who
became Muslim and went to call his people to Islam straight away. He
was only a new Muslim but he felt that he had to go back and call his
people to Islam, and he went and did this, yet nowadays many people
wait for a long time after they become committed to Islam before they
reach the stage of calling others to Allah, may He be glorified.
The Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
as a result of entering Islam, used to feel enmity towards the
kuffaar, and they would disavow themselves of them and draw a clear
line. When Thamaamah ibn Athaal (may Allah be pleased with him), the
chief of the people of al-Yamaamah, was taken prisoner, he was held in
the mosque, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) told him about Islam. Then Allah caused the light of
Islam to shine in his heart, and he became Muslim. He went for ‘Umrah,
and when he reached Makkah, he told the kuffaar of Quraysh, “Not one
grain of wheat will reach you from al-Yamaamah except with the
permission of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 8/78). This declaration of
opposition to the kuffaar, imposition of economic sanctions and offer
of all resources at his disposal to serve the cause of da’wah all took
place immediately, because strong faith demands action.
Fear and panic when disaster strikes or problems arise. So you will
see such a person shaking and losing his equilibrium, with no focus,
staring wild-eyed and having no idea what to do when faced with
calamity. He is ruled by his fears and can see no way out; he cannot
face reality with a strong and steady heart. All of this is the result
of weak faith, for if his faith was strong he would be steadfast and
he would face the worst disasters with calmness and strength.
Excessive arguing and disputing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth: “No people will go astray
after having being guided except that they become argumentative.”
(Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 5/252; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5633).
Arguing with no proof and for no good reason leads one far away from
the Straight Path, and most of people’s futile arguments nowadays are
conducted without knowledge or guidance or (reference to) a Book
giving light (i.e., the Qur’aan). We have sufficient motive to avoid
futile arguments in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him): “I guarantee a house in the outskirts of Paradise
to the one who forsakes argument even when he is in the right.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 5/150; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1464).
Attachment to this world and rejoicing in it. A person may be so
attached to this world that he feels pain if he misses out on some
share of it, such as money, power, authority, or housing. He feels
that he is unfairly treated because he has not got what others have.
He feels more stress when he sees a brother in Islam who has something
of this world that he does not have, so he envies him (hasad) and
wishes that he will lose that blessing. This goes against eemaan, as
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Eeman
and hasad do not exist together in the heart of the true slave.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 5/150; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1464).
He talks and thinks in a purely rational manner, devoid of the
characteristics of faith. There is hardly any trace of a reference to
the Qur’aan and Sunnah, or the words of the salaf (the early
generations of Islam – may Allah have mercy on them), in the way such
a person speaks.
Going to extremes in the way one cares for oneself, in food, drink,
clothing, housing and means of transportation. So you see these people
showing excessive interest in luxuries, trying to be sophisticated,
buying only the finest clothes, spending extravagant amounts on their
choice of housing and spending too much time and money on such
unnecessary adornments whilst their Muslim brothers are in the
greatest need of that money. This carries on until they sink into the
soft life of luxury which is forbidden, as is reported in the hadeeth
of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him): when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent him to Yemen, he
advised him: “Beware of luxury, for the slaves of Allah do not live a
life of luxury.” (Reported by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah, 5/155; Silsilat
al-Saheehah, 353. A similar version was also reported by Ahmad in
al-Musnad, 5/243).
Causes of weak faith
There are many causes of weak faith, some of which are the same as the
symptoms, such as committing sin or being preoccupied with this world.
There follows a list of some additional causes:
Keeping away from a faith-filled environment for too long. This causes
weak faith in a person. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be
affected by Allah’s Reminder (this Qur’aan), and that which has been
revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the
Scripture before (i.e., Jews and Christians), and the term was
prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them
were faasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).” [al-Hadeed 57:16].
This aayah indicates that spending too much time away from a
faith-filled environment leads to weakness of faith in the heart. For
example, a person who stays away from his brothers in Islam for a long
period, because of travel or work, etc., is going to miss the
atmosphere of faith in which he was living and from which his heart
gained its strength. The believer is weak on his own but strong with
his brothers. Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Our brothers are dearer to us than our families, for our families
remind us of this world, but our brothers remind us of the Hereafter.”
If this absence goes on for too long, it creates alienation in the
heart, which eventually changes into disdain for that faith-filled
atmosphere, which in turn hardens the heart and fills it with
darkness, extinguishing the light of eemaan. This explains the
complete change of heart on the part of some who travel to other lands
on vacation or who relocate for purposes of work or study.
Keeping away from the good example of righteous leaders. The person
who learns from a righteous man gains beneficial knowledge, does a
righteous deed and strengthens his eemaan at the same time; (that
leader) takes care of him and passes on to him the knowledge, good
morals and virtues that he has. If he keeps away from that teacher for
some time, he begins to feel hardness in his heart. For this reason
when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died and
was buried, his Sahaabah said, “We looked at our hearts and felt that
there had been a deep change.” They felt alienated and lost because
their teacher and example (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
had died. According to some reports, they were described as being
“like sheep on a rainy winter’s night.” But the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) left behind great leaders, giants
among men, all of whom were qualified to take up the reins of
leadership, and some of them became examples to the others. But
nowadays the Muslims are in desperate need of examples close at hand
to them.
Failing to seek knowledge and to be acquainted with the books of the
salaf (early generation) and religious books which will uplift and
revive the heart. There are many kinds of books which the reader will
feel stir up faith in his heart and motivate him to fulfil his
spiritual potential, foremost among which is the Book of Allah, may He
be exalted, and the books of hadeeth, followed by the books of
scholars who are good at writing about issues that soften the heart
and who explain ‘aqeedah (correct belief) in a manner that moves the
soul and uplifts the heart, such as Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Rajab and
others. By ignoring these books and reading only intellectual works,
or books of fiqh rulings which do not quote their daleel (evidence),
or books of grammar rules and usool (bases of ‘aqeedah), is something
that may have the effect of hardening the heart. This is not a
criticism of those books per se, it is only a warning to the person
who keeps away from books of Tafseer and hadeeth and hardly ever reads
them, even though they are the books that bring one closer to Allah.
For example, when one reads al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari and Muslim), you
feel the atmosphere of the age of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) and the Sahaabah, and you feel the breeze of eemaan
by sharing the events that happened in their time.
The people of hadeeth are the people of the Messenger; even if they
did not have the chance to be with him, they are with his words.
This problem – keeping away from religious books – clearly has an
effect on those who study disciplines which have no connection with
Islam, such as philosophy, psychology, social science, etc.,
disciplines which have been developed far away from Islamic teachings.
The same applies to those who love to read fiction and love stories,
or who follow worthless news stories in newspapers, magazines and so
on.
Living in an environment that is filled with sin, so you see one
boasting about his latest misdemeanour, another humming popular songs
to himself, a third smoking, a fourth reading a pornographic magazine,
a fifth cursing and swearing, and so on. As for talk about who said
what to whom, gossip, backbiting and discussion about the latest
football match, there is no end to it.
Some environments remind one only of this world, as is the case in
most gatherings and work-places nowadays. Discussions about business,
work, money, investments, work-related problems, raises, promotions,
assignments and so on take precedence in the minds and speech of most
people nowadays.
As for what goes on in the home – there is a lot we can say about the
disasters and evil deeds that cause the Muslim shame and hurt him
deeply. Muslim homes are filled with shameless songs, vile movies,
forbidden mixing of the sexes and so on. No doubt in such an
environment hearts are stricken with the disease of hardness.
Preoccupation with this world, so that the heart is enslaved by it.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: “He is doomed, the slave of the dinar and the slave of the
dirham” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 2730), and, “All that is
sufficient for any one of you in this world is the supply of the
traveller” (reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 4/78; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 2384) – meaning a little of something that will help him to
reach his destination. This phenomenon (preoccupation with this world)
is very apparent in our own times, when material greed and the desire
to acquire more worthless worldly goods have become widespread, and
people are now running after trade, manufacturing and shares. This
confirms what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: “Allah, may He be glorified, says: ‘We have sent down wealth for
the establishment of prayer and the payment of zakaat, but if the son
of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he
had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the
son of Adam will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never
satisfied) then Allah will accept the repentance of the one who
repents.” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/219; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1781).
Being preoccupied with one’s wealth, wife and children. Allah says
(interpretation of the meanings): “And know that your possessions and
children are but a trial and that surely with Allah is a mighty
reward.” [al-Anfaal 8:28] and, “Beautified for men is the love of
things they covet: women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth),
branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the
pleasure of the present world’s life, but Allah has the excellent
return (Paradise).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:14]. The meaning of these aayat is
that if the love of these things, especially women and children, is
given precedence over obedience to Allah and His Messenger, then it is
regarded as being bad, but if the love of these things is within the
bounds of sharee’ah, it helps a man to obey Allah and in this case it
is praiseworthy. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: “In this world, women and good scents have been made dear
to me, but dearest of all to me is prayer.” (Reported by Ahmad, 3/128;
Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3124). Many men follow their wives in doing haraam
deeds, and allow their children to distract them from worshipping
Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Children are the cause of grief, cowardice, ignorance and
miserliness.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 24/241; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 1990). When he said that they are the cause of miserliness,
he meant that if a man wants to spend for the sake of Allah, the
Shaytaan reminds him of his children, so he thinks, “My children
deserve the money, I will leave it for them when I die, so he is
miserly in the sense that he refrains from spending it for the sake of
Allah. When he said that children are the cause of cowardliness, he
meant that when a man wants to fight in jihaad for the sake of Allah,
the Shaytaan comes to him and says, “You will be killed and will die,
and your children will become orphans, lost and alone,” so he stays
home and does not go out for jihaad. When he said that children are
the cause of ignorance, he meant that they distract a father from
seeking knowledge and trying to acquire learning by attending
gatherings and reading books. When he said that children are the cause
of grief, he meant that when a child gets sick, the parent feels
grief; if the child asks for something that the father cannot provide,
this grieves the father; and if the child grows up and rebels against
his father, this is a cause of ongoing grief and distress.
This is not to say that one should forego marrying and having
children; what is meant is that one should beware of becoming
preoccupied with them and letting that lead one to commit haraam
deeds.
Concerning the temptation of wealth, the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: “Every nation has its fitnah (trial or
temptation), and the fitnah of my ummah is wealth.” (Reported by
al-Tirmidhi, 2336; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2148). Eagerness to acquire
wealth is more damaging to a person’s religion than the wolf who
attacks the sheepfold. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) meant when he said: “Two hungry wolves sent
against the sheep do not do more damage to them than a man’s eagerness
for wealth and standing does to his religion.” (Reported by
al-Tirmidhi, no. 2376; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5620). For this reason the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) urged Muslims to
take just what is sufficient, without hoping for more, which could
distract him from remembering Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “All that you need of wealth is
a servant and a means of transportation to go out for the sake of
Allah.” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/290; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2386). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) issued a warning to
those who want to accumulate wealth, except for those who give in
charity: “Woe to those who want to accumulate wealth, except for the
one who says with his wealth, ‘Here! Here! Here!’ (i.e., giving it
away) to one on his right, one on his left, one in front of him and
one behind him,” (reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 4129; Saheeh al-Jaami’,
7137) – meaning all forms of charity.
Hoping for a long life. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Leave them to eat and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied with (false)
hope. They will come to know!” [al-Hijr 15:3]. ‘Ali (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: “What I fear for you is following your desires
and hoping for a long life, for following one’s desires makes a man
ignore the truth, and hoping for a long life makes him forget the
Hereafter. (Fath al-Baari, 11/236). Another report says: “Four things
are causes of doom: dry eyes (i.e., never weeping), a hard heart, hope
for a long life and eagerness for this world.” Hoping for a long life
generates laziness in worship, procrastination, desire for the things
of this world, neglect of the Hereafter and hardness of heart, because
softness of heart and clarity of vision can only be achieved by
remembering death, the grave, reward and punishment, and the horrors
of the Day of Judgement, as Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning): “… and the term was prolonged for them and their hearts were
hardened…” [al-Hadeed 57:16]. It was said: “Whoever does not hope for
a long life will have less worries and his heart will be filled with
light, because he calls death to mind and strives to obey Allah…”
(Fath al-Baari, 11/237)
Another cause of weak faith and hard-heartedness is eating too much,
sleeping too much, staying up too late, talking too much and mixing
with people too much. Eating too much makes the brain slow and the
body heavy, which prevents a person from worshipping Allah and makes
it easy for Shaytaan to tempt him, as it was said: “Whoever eats too
much, drinks too much and sleeps too much, loses a great reward.”
Talking too much hardens the heart, and mixing too much with people
stops a person from having time to be alone and reflect on his own
state. Laughing too much drains life from the heart. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth:
“Do not laugh too much, for excessive laughter deadens the heart.”
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 4193; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’). Time that
is not filled with worship of Allah also leads to hard-heartedness, as
a person pays heed to neither the rebukes of the Qur’aan nor the
advice of faith.
The causes of weak faith are many indeed, and it is impossible to list
them all, but what we have listed above will give the reader an
impression of others which we have not mentioned here. The wise person
understands this innately. We ask Allah to purify our hearts and
protect us from the evil of our own selves.
Curing weak faith
Al-Haakim reported in al-Mustadrak, and al-Tabaraani reported in
al-Mu’jam, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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.” (Reported
by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 1/4; see also al-Silsilat al-Saheehah,
1585. Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 1/52, “It was reported
by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer and its isnaad is saheeh.”) What he meant
is that faith wears out in the heart just as clothes wear out and
become old. The heart of the believer is sometimes overwhelmed by
clouds of sin, and so it goes dark. This is the picture drawn for us
by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
in the saheeh hadeeth: “There is no heart that is not covered by a
cloud like the cloud covering the moon when it is shining, and so it
suddenly goes dark, but when it (the cloud) goes away, it shines
again.” (Reported by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah, 2/196; al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, 2268). Sometimes the moon is covered by clouds, which
conceal its light, but after a little while they go away, and the
light of the moon comes back to light up the sky. In the same way, the
heart of the believer is sometimes covered with dark clouds of sin, so
its light is veiled, and the person finds himself lost in darkness,
but when he strives to increase his eemaan and seeks the help of
Allah, that cloud goes away, and the light comes back to shine in his
heart as before.
One of the most important principles which must be understood in order
to treat the problem of weak faith is that faith increases and
decreases, or waxes and wanes. This is one of the basic principles of
the ‘aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, who say that faith is
something to be spoken in words, to be believed in in the heart, and
to be put into action. Faith increases with obedience and decreases
with disobedience. There is evidence for this in the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, for example, Allah says (interpretation of the meanings): “…
that they may grow more in Faith along with their (present) Faith…”
[al-Fath 48:4] and “… Which of you has had his faith increased by it?
…” [al-Tawbah 9:124]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change
it by his hand (by action), and if he cannot, then by his tongue (by
speaking out), and if he cannot, then by his heart (by feeling that it
is wrong), and that is the weakest of faith.” (Al-Bukhaari, Fath,
1/51).
The effects of obedience and sin, which increase and decrease faith
respectively, are well known from observation and experience. If a
person goes out walking in the market-place, where he looks at
uncovered women wearing make-up, and hears the shouting and idle talk
of the people, then he goes to the graveyard and stops to think and
let his heart soften, he will see the difference between the two
environments and how quickly his heart changes.
Another factor in this discussion is the words of one of the salaf:
“One of the signs of proper understanding is when a slave takes care
of his eemaan, and pays attention to what decreases it, and knows when
it increases and when it decreases, and recognizes the temptation of
Shaytaan when he comes to him.” (Sharh Nooniyah Ibn al-Qayyim by Ibn
‘Eesa, 2/140).
It is important to know that if a decrease in faith leads to one
neglecting one’s duties or doing haraam deeds, this slackening is very
serious and one must repent to Allah and start to do something about
it at once. If it does not lead to neglect of duties and doing haraam
deeds, but just makes a person fall short in doing mustahabb
(recommended) deeds, for example, then a person still needs to know
how to sort himself out and correct himself until he returns to the
proper level of energy and strength in worship. This is what we learn
from the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him), “Every deed has energy and strength, and then this energy and
strength is followed by a slackening, so who’s slackening is in
accordance to my Sunnah he will be fine, and who’s slackening is to
other than that [i.e., doing unlawful or forebidden deeds] he will be
doomed.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/210; Saheeh al-Targheeb, no. 55).
Before we discuss how to treat the problem of weak faith, there is
something we should note: many of those who feel that their hearts are
hard look for an external solution, hoping that they can rely on
others, even though it is within their reach – if they want – to take
care of themselves by themselves. This is how it should be done,
because eemaan is the relationship between the slave and his Lord.
Below, we will discuss a number of ways prescribed by Islam by means
of which the Muslim can deal with his weakness of faith and hardness
of heart, after he puts his trust in Allah and resigns himself to the
fact that he faces a struggle to achieve his goal:
Pondering the meanings of the Qur’aan, which Allah has revealed to
explain everything and as a Light by which He guides whomever He wills
of His slaves. There is no doubt that it contains a powerful and
effective cure. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We
send down from the Qur’aan that which is a healing and a mercy to
those who believe…” [al-Isra’ 17:82]. The method of treatment is to
think and ponder its meanings.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used
to ponder the meanings of the Book of Allah and recite it when he
stood in prayer at night (qiyaam al-layl). On one occasion, he stood
in prayer at night and recited one single aayah from the Book of Allah
whilst he was praying, and he did not go any further than that (one
aayah) until morning. The aayah in question was (interpretation of the
meaning): “If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You
forgive them, verily You, only You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”
[al-Maa’idah 5:118]. (Reported by Ahmad, 4/149; see also Sifat
al-Salaah by al-Albaani, p. 102).
He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to ponder the
meaning of the Qur’aan, to the greatest extent. Ibn Hibbaan reported
in his Saheeh with a jayyid isnaad from ‘Ataarah, who said:
“‘Ubayd-Allah ibn ‘Umayr and I entered upon ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) and ‘Ubayd-Allah ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Tell us of the
most wonderful thing you saw on the part of the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).’ She wept and said, ‘He
got up one night (to pray) and said, “O ‘Aa’ishah, leave me to worship
my Lord.” I said, “By Allah, I love to be near you, and I love what
makes you happy.” He got up, purified himself and stood up to pray,
and he kept weeping until his lap got wet, then he wept and kept
weeping until the ground got wet. Bilaal came to call the adhaan for
him, and when he saw him weeping, he said, “O Messenger of Allah, are
you weeping when Allah has forgiven all of your sins, past and
future?” He said, “Should I not be a thankful slave? This night some
aayaat have been revealed to me, woe to the one who reads them and
does not think (about their meaning). Among them is (interpretation of
the meaning): Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth,
and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for
men of understanding, those who remember Allah (always, and in
prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think
deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth…” [Aal ‘Imraan
3:190-191].”’” (Al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1/106). This indicates that
it is obligatory to ponder the meaning of these aayaat.
The Qur’aan speaks of Tawheed, and contains promises of reward,
threats of punishment, rules and regulations, reports, stories,
etiquette and good morals, and its effects on the heart are various.
Some soorahs fill the heart with fear more than others, as is
indicated by the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him), “(Soorat) Hood and its sisters made me grey before my
time.” (al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2/679). According to another report:
“Hood and al-Waaqi’ah and al-Mursalaat and ‘amma yatasaa’aloon and
Idha’l-shamsu kuwwirat” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3297; al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, no. 955). The Prophet’s hair turned grey because of what
these soorahs contain of the realities of faith and great
responsibilities, which filled his heart and had a visible effect on
his hair and body. “So stand (ask Allah to make) you firm and straight
(on the religion of Islamic Monotheism) as you are commanded and those
(your companions) who turn in repentance (unto Allah) with you…” [Hood
11:112 – interpretation of the meaning].
The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) recited the Qur’aan and pondered its meaning and were moved by
it. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was a gentle,
soft-hearted man, and when he led the people in prayer and recited the
words of Allah, he could not stop himself from weeping. ‘Umar became
ill after reciting the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, the Torment of your Lord will surely come to pass, - there is
none that can avert it” [al-Toor 52:7-8]. (This report and its isnaad
are in Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 7/406). His sobs could be heard from the
back of the congregation when he recited Allah’s words about Ya’qoob
(peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning): “He said, ‘I only
complain of my grief and my sorrow to Allah…’” [Yoosuf 12:86].
(Manaaqib ‘Umar by Ibn al-Jawzi, 167). ‘Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: “If our hearts were pure and clean, we would never
have enough of the Word of Allah.” He was killed unjustly as a martyr
and his blood fell on his mus-haf – the reports from the Sahaabah
concerning this are many. Ayyoob said: “I heard Sa’eed (ibn Jubayr)
reciting this aayah twenty-odd times: “And be afraid of the Day when
you shall be brought back to Allah…” [al-Baqarah 2:281 –
interpretation of the meaning]. (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 4/324). This
was the last aayah to be revealed of the Qur’aan, and the ending of it
is (interpretation of the meaning): “… Then every person shall be paid
what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.”
[al-Baqarah 2:281]. Ibraaheem ibn Bashshaar said: “The aayah which
‘Ali ibn Fudayl was reading when he died was (interpretation of the
meaning): ‘If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell)
Fire! They will say: “Would that we were but sent back (to the
world)!…”’ [al-An’aam 6:27]. When he reached that point, he died, and
I was one of those who prayed for him [at his funeral], may Allah have
mercy on him.” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 4/446). Even when they
prostrated as required when reading Qur’aan (sajadaat al-tilaawah –
prostrations required when reciting certain aayaat of the Qur’aan),
they reacted in different ways. One of them was the man – may Allah
have mercy on him – who, when he read the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning), “And they fall down on their faces weeping and it adds to
their humility” [al-Isra’ 17:109], prostrated as required, then he
rebuked himself by saying: “This is the prostration, but where is the
weeping?”
Among the features of the Qur’aan which are most deserving of
contemplation are the examples and parables which Allah sets forth and
urges us to ponder and think about. He tells us (interpretation of the
meanings): “ … Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that
they may remember” [Ibraaheem 14:25] and “… Such are the parables
which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect.” [al-Hashr
59:21].
One of the salaf once read one of these parables of Allah and could
not grasp the meaning, so he began to weep. He was asked, “What makes
you weep?” He said: “Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And
these similitudes We put forward for mankind, but none will understand
them except those who have knowledge (of Allah and His Signs, etc.)’
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:43], and I do not understand the parable. I am not
one who has knowledge, and I am weeping for all the time I have wasted
and not gained knowledge.”
Allah sets forth many parables for us in the Qur’aan, such as the
following (interpretation of the meanings): the one who kindled a fire
[al-Baqarah 2:17], the one who shouts to the (flock of sheep) that
hears nothing [al-Baqarah 2:171], the likeness of a grain (of corn)
that grows seven ears [al-Baqarah 2:261], the dog who lolls his tongue
out [al-A’raaf 7:176], the donkey who carries huge burdens of books
(but learns nothing from them) [al-Jumu’ah 62:5], the fly (which none
but Allah can create, even if they join together for that purpose)
[al-Hajj 22:73], the spider (which builds a house for itself, but it
is the frailest of houses) [al-‘Ankaboot 29:41], the blind and the
deaf and the seer and the hearer [Hood 11:24], the ashes on which the
wind blows furiously on a stormy day [Ibraaheem 14:18], the goodly
tree [Ibraaheem 14:24], the evil tree [Ibraaheem 14:26], the water
which is sent down from the sky [al-An’aam 6:99], the niche within
which is a lamp [al-Noor 24:35], the slave under the possession of
another who has no power of any sort [al-Nahl 16:75], the (slave) man
belonging to many partners [al-Zumar 39:29], and others. The point
here is that we should refer to these aayat and pay special attention
to them, pondering their meanings.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) summed up what the Muslim
has to do to remedy the hardness of his heart with the Qur’aan. He
said: “There are two main things you have to do. The first is to move
your heart from dwelling on the things of this world and move it to
dwell on the Hereafter, then focus all your heart on the Qur’aan and
ponder its meanings and why it was revealed. Try to understand
something from every aayah and apply it to the disease of your heart.
These aayaat were revealed (to treat) the disease of the heart, so you
will be healed, by the permission of Allah.”
Trying to feel an awareness of the might of Allah, learning His names
and attributes, pondering their meanings, trying to understand them
and to establish these feelings in the heart so that they may have an
effect on one’s actions. The heart is the controller of the faculties,
which are like soldiers and followers; if it is sound, they will be
sound, and if it is corrupt, they will be corrupt.
The texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah which speak of the greatness and
might of Allah are many. When the Muslim reads them, he is shaken and
becomes humble before the Most High, the Most Great, the All-Hearing,
the All-Seeing, and his fear and submission to the Lord of the first
and the last increases. Many of His names and attributes are mentioned
in the Qur’aan. He is the Most Great (al-‘Azeem), the Watcher over His
creatures (al-Muhaymin), the Compeller (al-Jabbaar), the Majestic
(al-Mutakabbir), the Most Strong (al-Qawi), the Subduer (al-Qahhaar),
the Great (al-Kabeer), the Most Exalted (al-Muta’aal). He is the
Living Who does not die, although jinn and men die. He is the One Who
has irresistable power over His slaves. The thunder glorifies and
praises Him, and so do the angels because of His awe. He is
All-Mighty, All-Able of retribution. He is the Self-Sustaining who
does not sleep. He has full knowledge of all things. He knows the
fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal. He has described
His vast knowledge in the following terms (interpretation of the
meaning): “And with Him are the keys of the ghayb (all that is
hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or
on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There
is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry
but is written in a Clear Record.” [al-An’aam 6:59]. One of the
aspects of His greatness about which He has told us is (interpretation
of the meaning): “… And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the
earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in
His Right Hand…” [al-Zumar 39:67]. The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah will seize the earth on
the Day of Resurrection and will roll up the heavens in His right
hand, then He will say, ‘I am the King, where are the kings of the
earth?” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6947). The heart trembles when one
reads the story of Moosa and how he said (interpretation of the
meaning): “ ‘O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You.’
Allah said, ‘You cannot see Me, but look upon the mountain, if it
stands still in its place, then you shall see Me.’ So when his Lord
appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Moosa fell
down unconscious…” [al-A’raaf 7:143]. When the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) explained this aayah, he said, “Like
this,” and gestured with his thumb on the highest knuckle of his
little finger, then he said, “and the mountain trembled and
collapsed.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 3074; Ahmad, 3/125, 209. Ibn
Katheer quoted its isnaads in his Tafseer, 3/466. Ibn al-Qayyim said:
Its isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim. Al-Albaani
quoted it and classed it as saheeh in Takhreej al-Sunnah by Ibn Abi
‘Aasim, hadeeth 480). Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has “a
veil of light, and if He lifted it, the glory of His countenance would
burn all of His creation as far as he could see.” (Reported by Muslim,
no. 197). Another aspect of Allah’s might was described by His
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “When Allah
settles a matter in heaven, the angels beat their wings in humility
and submission to His words, (with a sound) like a chain (beating) on
a rock. When they settle down, they say, ‘What did your Lord say?’
They say, ‘What He says is the Truth, and He is the Most High, the
Most Great.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 7043). There are many such
texts, which indicate that feeling the greatness of Allah by pondering
the meaning of these texts and others is one of the best ways of
dealing with the problem of weak faith. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have
mercy on him) described the greatness of Allah in the most beautiful
way: “He is controlling the affairs of all the kingdoms. He commands
and prohibits, creates and gives provision, and gives death and gives
life. He raises and lowers people’s status, alternates night and day,
gives days (good and not so good) to men by turns, and causes nations
to rise and fall, so that one nation vanishes and another emerges. His
command and decree are carried out throughout the heavens and on
earth, above it and below it, in the oceans and in the air. He has
knowledge of all things and knows the number of all things. He hears
all voices, and does not mistake one for another; He hears them all,
in all the different languages and with all their varied requests and
pleas. No voice distracts Him from hearing another, He does not
confuse their requests, and He never tires of hearing the pleas of
those in need. He sees all that is visible, even the walk of a black
ant across a solid rock in the darkest night. The unseen is visible to
Him, and secrets are known to Him… ‘Whosoever is in the heavens and on
earth begs of Him (its needs from Him). Every day He has a matter to
bring forth (such as giving honour to some, disgrace to some, life to
some, death to some, etc.)!’ [al-Rahmaan 55:29 – interpretation of the
meaning]. He forgives sins, eases worries, relieves distress, helps
the defeated person back on his feet, makes the poor rich, guides the
one who is astray and confused, fulfils the needs of the desperate,
feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, conceals faults, and calms fears.
He raises the status of some and lowers the status of others… Even if
all the inhabitants of heaven and earth, the first and the last of
them, mankind and jinn alike, were to be as pious as the most pious
among them, this would not increase His sovereignty in the slightest;
if they all, the first and the last of them, mankind and jinn alike,
were to be as rebellious as the most rebellious among them, this would
not decrease His sovereignty in the slightest. If everything in heaven
and on earth, the first and the last of them, mankind and jinn, living
and dead, animate and inanimate, were to stand in one place and ask of
Him, and He were to give them everything that they asked for, this
would not decrease what He has by even an atom’s weight… He is the
First, before Whom there is nothing, and the Last, after Whom there is
nothing, may He be blessed and exalted. He is the Most deserving of
being remembered, the Most deserving of being worshipped, the Most
deserving of being thanked. He is the Most Compassionate of kings, the
Most Generous of those who are asked… He is the King Who has no
partner or associate, the One who has no rival, the Self-Sufficient
Master, Who has no son, the Most High, and there is none like unto
Him. “Everything will perish save His face” [al-Qasas 28:88 –
interpretation of the meaning], and everything will vanish except His
sovereignty… He will not be obeyed except by His permission, and He
will not be disobeyed except with His knowledge. He is obeyed, so He
shows His appreciation, and He is disobeyed, so he forgives. Every
punishment on His part is justice, and every blessing from Him is a
favour. He is the closest of witnesses and the nearest of protectors.
He seizes people by their forelocks, records their deeds and decrees
the appointed time for all things. Hearts conceal nothing from Him,
for secrets are known to Him. His gift is a word and His punishment is
a word: ‘Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He
says to it, “Be!” – and it is.’ [Yaa-Seen 36:82 – interpretation of
the meaning].” (Adapted from al-Waabil al-Sayib, p. 125)
Seeking Islamic knowledge, which is knowledge that leads one to fear
Allah and which increases one’s faith in Him, may He be glorified.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… It is only those who
have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah…” [Faatir 35:28].
Those who have knowledge and those who do not are not equal in faith.
How can one who knows the details of sharee’ah, the meaning and
implications of the Shahaadatayn, the things that will happen after
death – such as the torment of the grave, the horrors of the final
gathering, the stages of the Day of Resurrection, the delights of
Paradise and the punishments of Hell, the wisdom of sharee’ah in
prescribing halaal and haraam, the details of the Prophet’s seerah,
and other kinds of knowledge… How can one who knows all this be equal
in faith with one who is ignorant of the religion and its rulings and
what Islam says about matters of the Unseen. All the latter knows
about his religion is mere imitation, and the little knowledge he has
is of poor quality. “…Say: Are those who know equal to those who do
not know? …” [al-Zumar 39:9 – interpretation of the meaning].
Regular attendance at gatherings of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). This
leads to an increase in faith for a number of reasons, such as the
mentioning of Allah, the descent of mercy and tranquillity, the angels
surrounding the people present, and Allah mentioning them to the
chiefs (angels) on high, showing His pride in them to the angels and
forgiving their sins. This was mentioned in saheeh ahaadeeth, for
example, when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: “No people sit together remembering Allah, but the angels
surround them, mercy envelops them, tranquillity descends upon them,
and Allah mentions them to those who are in His presence.” (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 2700). Sahl ibn al-Hanzaliyyah (may Allah be pleased with
him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: ‘No people gather together to remember (Allah) and
then disperse, but it will be said to them: “Get up, you are
forgiven.”’” (Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5507). Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy
on him) said: “When he spoke of remembering Allah (dhikr), he meant
doing it regularly and persistently, by doing acts that are obligatory
or encouraged, such as reciting Qur’aan, reading hadeeth, and studying
with other people.” (Fath al-Baari, 11/209). Another indication that
gatherings of dhikr increase one’s eemaan is the report narrated by
Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh from Hanzalah al-Usaydi, who said: “I met
Abu Bakr, and he asked me, ‘How are you, O Hanzalah?’ I said,
‘Hanzalah has become a munaafiq (hypocrite).’ He said, ‘Subhaan-Allah!
What are you saying?’ I said, ‘We sit with the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he tells us about Hell
and Paradise until it is as if we can see them, then when we leave the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we get
involved with our wives and children and earning a living, and we
forget a lot.’ Abu Bakr said, ‘I feel the same way.’ So Abu Bakr and I
went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him), and I said, ‘Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of
Allah.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: ‘Why is that?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we sit with
you and you tell us about Hell and Paradise until it is as if we can
see them, then when we leave you, we get involved with our wives and
children and earning a living, and we forget a lot.’ The Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said, ‘By the One in
Whose hand is my soul, if you continued to be as you are when you are
with me, and to make dhikr, the angels would shake your hands in your
beds and on the road. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time for this and a
time for that’ – and he said this three times.” (Saheeh Muslim, no.
2750).
The Sahaabah, may Allah be pleased with them, were keen to sit
toegther for the purpose of dhikr, which they used to call eemaan
(faith or belief). Mu’aadh (may Allah be pleased with him) said to a
man: “Let us sit and believe for a while.” (Its isnaad is saheeh;
Arba’ Masaa’il fi’l-Eemaan, revised by al-Albaani, p. 72).
Doing a lot of righteous deeds and filling one’s time with them. This
is one of the best ways of dealing with weak faith, and is clearly
very effective in strengthening faith. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allah
be pleased with him) set the best example of this, when the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked his Sahaabah: “Who
among you got up fasting this morning?” Abu Bakr said, “I did.” He
asked, “Who among you has attended a funeral today?” Abu Bakr said, “I
have.” He asked, “Who among you has fed a needy person today?” Abu
Bakr said, “I have.” He asked, “Who among you has visited a sick
person today?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” The Messenger of Allah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “No man does all of that but
he will enter Paradise.” (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab Fadaa’il
al-Sahaabah, Baab 1, Hadeeth 12).
This story demonstrates that Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased
with him) was keen to make the most of every opportunity and to do a
variety of acts of worship. Because this was an unexpected question on
the part of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
this indicates that Abu Bakr’s days were filled with acts of obedience
and worship. The salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) reached the
highest levels in their efforts to do righteous deeds and fill their
time in this manner. An example of this is what was said about a group
of the salaf among whom was Hammaad ibn Salamah. Imaam ‘Abd al-Rahmaan
ibn Mahdi said: “If it were said to Hammaad ibn Salamah, ‘You will die
tomorrow,’ he would not be able to do more good deeds (than he was
already doing).” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 7/447).
The Muslim should pay attention to the following when doing good
deeds:
He should hasten to do good deeds, because Allah says (interpretation
of the meanings): “And march forth in the way (which leads to)
forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the
heavens and the earth…” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:133] and “Race one with another
in hastening towards Forgiveness from your Lord (Allah), and towards
Paradise, the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth…”
[al-Hadeed 57:21]. The meaning of these aayaat motived the Companions
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and stirred
them to action. Imaam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) reported in
his Saheeh from Anas ibn Maalik that at the Battle of Badr, when the
mushrikeen approached, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said, “Get up to Paradise the width of the heavens and the
earth!” ‘Umayr ibn al-Himaam al-Ansaari said, “O Messenger of Allah,
Paradise the width of the heavens and the earth?” He said, “Yes.” He
said, “That’s great!” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said, “What makes you say, ‘That’s great!’?” He
said, “Nothing, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, except that I hope I
will be one of its people.” He said, “You will be one of its people.”
He took some dates out of his pocket and started to eat them, then he
said, “If I live to finish eating these dates it will be too long.” He
threw aside the dates then fought them until he was killed. (Saheeh
Muslim, 1901). Long before that, Moosa had hastened to meet his Lord,
and said, “…I hastened to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased.”
[Ta-Ha 20:84 – interpretation of the meaning]. Allah praised Zakariyah
and his wife by saying (interpretation of the meaning): “…Verily, they
used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with
hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.” [al-Anbiya’
21:90]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Deliberation in all things,” but according to another report, he
added, “except in deeds that pertain to the Hereafter [i.e., good
deeds].” (Reported by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, 5/175; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 3009).
Continuing to do good deeds, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said, transmitting the words of his Lord in a
hadeeth qudsi: “… ‘My slave keeps drawing nearer to me with naafil
(supererogatory) deeds until I love him.’” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 6137).
The phrase maa yazaalu (“keeps [drawing near]”) gives the impression
of continuity. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: “Continue doing Hajj and ‘Umrah.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no.
810; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1200). This is an important principle
when it comes to strengthening one’s eemaan and not neglecting oneself
to the point of stagnation. A small deed that is continuous is better
than a big deed that is not done regularly. Continuity in righteous
deeds strengthens eemaan. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) was asked: “Which deed is most beloved to Allah?” He said,
“The one that is continuous, even if it is little.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, Fath, 11/194). When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) did something, he kept it up.” (Reported by Muslim,
Kitaab Salaat al-Musaafir, Baab 18, Hadeeth 141).
Striving one’s utmost to do good deeds. Dealing with a hard heart
should not be the matter of a temporary solution, where eemaan
strengthens for a period of time then becomes weak again; rather, it
should be an ongoing effort, which can only be achieved by striving
one’s utmost in worship. Allah has mentioned the efforts of His slaves
in their worship in several places in the Qur’aan, such as
(interpretation of the meanings): “Only those believe in Our aayaat
(signs, etc.) who, when they are reminded of them, fall down
prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and they are not
proud. Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear
and hope, and they spend (charity, in Allah’s Cause) out of what We
have bestowed on them.” [al-Sajdah 32:15-16] and: “They used to sleep
but little by night [invoking their Lord and praying, with fear and
hope]. And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah)
for forgiveness, and in their properties there was the right of the
beggar and the mahroom (the poor who does not ask from others).”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:17-19]. Reading about how the salaf achieved the
qualities of true worshippers is something that fills one with
admiration and makes one try to follow their example. For example,
they used to complete the recitation of one-seventh of the Qur’aan
every day; they used to pray at night (qiyaam al-layl) even when they
were fighting on military campaigns; they used to remember Allah and
pray tahajjud even in prison, standing on their feet with tears
streaming down their cheeks, thinking about the creation of heaven and
earth. One of them would lie down next to his wife until she slept,
just as a mother lies down next to her child to get him to sleep, then
he would slip away from the bed to pray qiyaam al-layl. They divided
their nights between themselves and their wives, and their days
between fasting, studying, teaching, attending funerals, visiting the
sick and attending to people’s needs. In some cases, years passed and
they never missed the takbeerat al-ihraam (beginning of the prayer)
with the imaam; they would wait for prayer after prayer. One of them
would check on his brother’s children after his brother died, spending
on them for years. In this way their faith would increase.
Not exhausting oneself (avoiding “burnout”). Doing acts of worship
continually or striving one’s utmost does not mean that we have to
fall into the trap of becoming bored and fed up. The idea is that we
should not give up striving in worship when we have the energy and
inclination, and when we feel tired, we should just do as much as we
can. All of these ideas are indicated in the ahaadeeth, such as when
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Religion
is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not
be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but
try to be near to perfection…” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 39). According to
another report, he said: “Be moderate, and you will reach what you
want.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 6099. Al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on
him) entitled the chapter Baab ma yukrah min al-Tashdeed fi’l-‘Ibaadah
(Chapter on what is disliked of extremism in worship)). Anas (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) entered (the mosque) and saw a rope strung between
two pillars. He said, ‘What is this rope for?’ They said, ‘This rope
belongs to Zaynab, when she feels tired, she holds on to it.’ The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘No, untie
it. Let one of you pray so long as he has the energy, and when he
feels tired, let him sit down.’” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 1099). When the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) learnt that
‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas was staying up to pray (qiyaam
al-layl) the whole night, and fasting for days on end, he told him not
to do that, and explained why: “If you do that, your eyes will become
weak (because of staying up late too often), and you will feel
exhausted.” The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: “Do what you can of (good) deeds, for Allah will never get tired
although you get tired. The most beloved deed to Allah is the one that
is continuous, even if it is little.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath,
3/38).
Making up for what one has missed. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be
pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said: “If a person sleeps and misses the part of
the Qur’aan that he was supposed to read at night, or a part of it,
and then reads it between Salaat al-Fajr and Salaat al-Zuhr, it will
be recorded for him as if he read it at night.” (Reported by
al-Nisaa’i and others, al-Mujtaba, 2/68; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1228).
‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), if he prayed a
prayer, he would always do it. If he missed praying at night because
sleep or pain overwhelmed him, he would pray twelve rak’ahs during the
day.” (Reported by Ahmad, 6/95). When Umm Salamah (may Allah be
pleased with her) saw him praying two rak’ahs after ‘Asr and asked him
why, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told her: “O
daughter of Abu Umayyah, you asked about the two rak’ahs (I prayed)
after ‘Asr. Some people came to me from ‘Abd al-Qays, and distracted
me from praying the two rak’ahs after Zuhr, so these two rak’ahs are
what I prayed just now.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 3/105). If he
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not pray four rak’ahs
before Zuhr, he would pray them afterwards. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
no 426; Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 727). If he missed the four
rak’ahs before Zuhr, he would pray them after Zuhr. (Saheeh al-Jaami’,
4759). These ahaadeeth indicate that one should make up sunan rawaatib
(Sunnah acts that are done regularly) when one misses them. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) made more than three points
about the Prophet’s fasting in Sha’baan, the first of which was that
he used to fast three days in every month, but maybe he had been
distracted from this fasting for several months, so he put them
together to make up for what he had missed before the obligatory fast
(i.e., Ramadaan) came. (Tahdheeb Sunan Abi Dawood, 3/318). He (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to remain in retreat
(I’tikaaf) during the last ten days of Ramadaan, but when he missed it
one year because of travelling, the following year he spent twenty
days in I’tikaaf. (Fath al-Baari, 4/285).
Hoping that one’s deeds will be accepted whilst fearing that they may
not. After striving one’s utmost in deeds of worship and obedience,
one should fear that they may be rejected. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) about this aayah (interpretation of
the meaning): ‘And those who give that (their charity) which they give
with their hearts full of fear (whether it has been accepted or not)…’
[al-Mu’minoon 23:60] – were they those who drink alcohol and steal? He
said, ‘No, O daughter of al-Siddeeq. They are those who fast and pray
and give charity whilst fearing that these deeds will not be accepted
from them. “It is these who race for the good deeds” [al-Mu’minoon
23:61 – interpretation of the meaning].’” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
3175; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1/162). Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: “To be certain that Allah would accept just
one prayer from me would be dearer to me than the world and everything
in it, for Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily, Allah
accepts only from those who are al-muttaqoon (the pious).’
[al-Maa’idah 5:27].” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/67). Among the attributes
of the believer is looking down on one’s own self when it comes to
fulfilling one’s duties towards Allah (i.e., always thinking that one
has not done enough or done them properly). The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If a man were to be dragged on
his face from the day he was born until the day he died of old age in
order to earn the pleasure of Allah, he would think that was too
little on the Day of Resurrection. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad,
al-Musnad, 4/184; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5249). Whoever knows Allah and
knows himself will see clearly that whatever good deeds he may
accomplish will not be enough, even if he brought the good deeds of
all of the two races (men and jinn), but Allah, may He be glorified,
accepts them by His grace and mercy, and rewards for them by His grace
and mercy.
Doing a variety of acts of worship. It is a part of the mercy and
wisdom of Allah that He has given us a variety of acts of worship to
do, some of which are physical, such as salaah, some financial, such
as zakaah, and some combine both physical and financial aspects, such
as Hajj. Some of them are spoken, such as dhikr and du’aa’. One type
of worship may be divided into fard (obligatory) and sunnah
mustahabbah (encouraged), both of which also vary. For example ,the
(sunnah) prayers number 12 rak’ahs, some of which are lower in status,
such as the four rak’ahs before ‘Asr and Salaat al-Duhaa, and some are
higher in status, such as Salaat al-Layl (praying at night). There are
also different ways of doing these prayers, such as praying them two
by two (as a series of two-rak’ah prayers), or four by four. Witr
could be five or seven or nine rak’ahs, ending with one tashahhud.
Whoever tries to do acts of worship will find a great variety in
numbers, times, ways, types and rulings. Perhaps the wisdom behind
this is so that no one will get bored; instead his interest will
constantly be renewed. People are not all the same, and they do not
have the same motivation all the time or the same abilities. Some
people may enjoy some kinds of worship more than others. Glory be to
the One Who has made gates of Paradise according to different types of
worship, as is stated in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah.
According to this hadeeth, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends on a pair for the sake of
Allah will be called from the gates of Paradise, ‘O slave of Allah,
this is good.’ Whoever is one of the people of prayer will be called
from the gate of prayer. Whoever is one of the people of jihaad will
be called from the gate of jihaad. Whoever is one of the people of
fasting will be called from the gate of al-Rayyaan. Whoever is one of
the people of charity will be called from the gate of charity.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 1798). What is meant here is those who
do a lot of different types of naafil (supererogatory) deeds. As far
as fard deeds are concerned, there is no option – they must be done by
all. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The
father is the middle gate of Paradise” (reported by al-Tirmidhi, no.
1900; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7145), meaning honouring and respecting one’s
parents. This variety is of benefit in dealing with weakness of faith
by doing more of the acts of worship to which one has an inclination,
as well as continuing to do obligatory acts which Allah has commanded
us to do. Thus when the Muslim refers to the texts which speak about
acts of worship, he will find unique types of worship which will have
a beautiful effect on his soul, an effect which can be found nowhere
else. Two examples of this are as follows:
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three whom
Allah loves and three whom Allah hates. As for the three whom Allah
loves, (they are) a man who meets a group of the enemy, so he keeps
fighting them until he is killed or he penetrates (the enemy lines)
for his companions to follow; people whose journey at night becomes so
long that they long to touch the ground, so they make camp, but one of
them stays aside and prays until he wakes them up to resume their
journey; and a man who has a neighbour who disturbs him but he bears
the annoyance with patience until they are separated by the death or
departure of one of them. (Musnad Ahmad, 5/151; Saheeh al-Jaami’,
3074).
A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
complaining that his heart was hard. The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said to him, “Would you like your heart to
become soft and to get what you want? Show mercy to the orphan, pat
his head, feed him from your own food, and your heart will become soft
and you will get what you want.” (Hadeeth reported by al-Tabaraani;
there are also corroborating reports. See al-Silsilat al-Saheehah,
2/533). This has direct relevance to the topic of dealing with weak
faith.
Fearing a bad end, because this will motivate the Muslim to worship
Allah and will renew the faith in his heart. There are many causes of
a bad end, including weakness of faith and indulging in sin. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned examples
of this, such as: “The one who kills himself with a piece of iron will
have the piece of iron in his hand, stabbing himself with it in the
fire of Hell, for ever and ever, without end. Whoever drinks poison
and kills himself will be sipping it – drinking it and swallowing it
slowly – in the fire of Hell, for ever and ever, without end. Whoever
throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself, will be
throwing himself down in the fire of Hell, for ever and ever, without
end.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 109). Some such events happened during the
life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), such
as the man who was with the Muslim army, fighting in a manner unlike
anyone else (i.e., recklessly). The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said, “He is one of the people of Hell.” One of the
Muslim men followed him to see why. The man was wounded severely and
he wanted to hasten his death, so he put his sword against his chest
and leaned on it, killing himself. (The story is in Saheeh
al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 7/471). The stories of how people met with a bad
end are many, and the scholars have explained a number of them. For
example, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book
al-Da’ wa’l-Dawa’ that one of them was told, when he was dying, to say
“La ilaaha ill-Allah,” and he said, “I cannot say it.” Another was
told to say La ilaaha ill-Allah, and he started humming a song. A
businessman whose trade had made him forget the remembrance of Allah
was told, when death was imminent, to say La ilaaha ill-Allah, and he
started to say, “This is a good piece, this fits you, this is a
bargain” and so on, until he died. (Tareeq al-Hijratayn, p. 308). It
was reported that when one of the soldiers of the king al-Naasir was
dying, his son started telling him to say La ilaaha ill-Allah, but he
said, “Al-Naasir is my master.” His son kept saying the same thing,
and his father kept repeating “Al-Naasir is my master, al-Naasir is my
master,” then he died. Another was told to say La ilaaha ill-Allah,
but instead he said, “Such-and-such a house, repair this and that in
it; such-and-such a garden, do this and that in it.” One of those who
deal in interest was told to say La ilaaha ill-Allah when he was
dying, but he started to say, “Ten for eleven,” repeating it until he
died. (Al-Da’ wa’l-Dawa’, pp. 170, 289). Some of them turned black, or
turned away from the Qiblah. Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: “I heard one of those in whom I thought there was a lot of
good saying on the night of his death, ‘My Lord is treating me
unjustly’ – exalted be Allah above what he said! He accused Allah of
being unjust on his deathbed.” Then Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy
on him) said: “I remained depressed and in despair of finding
something that would help me when I face that day (my own death).”
(Sayd al-Khawaatir, 137). Subhaan-Allah, how often have people seen
this, but they do not know about what really happened to those who
were about to die; they do not know the half of it.” (al-Da’
wal-Dawa’, 171)
Remember death often. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: “Remember often the destroyer of pleasure, meaning
death.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2307; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1210).
Remembering death deters one from sin and softens the hard heart. No
one remembers death at the time of hardship but he will feel ease, and
no one remembers death at the time of ease but he will feel
constricted. One of the things that remind a person of death most is
visiting graveyards, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) commanded us to visit them. He said, “I used to forbid you
to visit graves, but now (go and) visit them, for this softens the
heart, makes the eyes weep and reminds one of the Hereafter, and do
not speak in an obscene manner.” (Reported by al-Haakim, 1/376; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 4584). The Muslim is even permitted to visit the graves of
kuffaar in order to derive a lesson from this. The evidence for this
is the report in al-Saheeh which says that he visited his mother’s
grave and wept, making those around him weep too. He said, “I asked my
Lord for permission to ask for forgiveness for her, and He did not
allow me to do so, then I asked Him for permission to visit her grave,
and He granted me permission, so visit graves, for they remind one of
death.” (Reported by Muslim, 3/65). Visiting graves is one of the best
means of softening the heart. The visitor benefits from remembering
death, and the dead benefit from the du’aa’s offered for them. An
example of this reported in the Sunnah is when the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Peace be upon you, O dwellers
of this place, believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy upon those
of us who have gone on before and those who will follow later. In sha
Allah we will join you soon.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 974). The one
who wants to visit graves should observe the correct etiquette and
have the proper presence of mind when approaching them. The purpose of
his visit should be to earn the pleasure of Allah and to reform his
corrupt heart, and also to learn a lesson from those who are under the
ground, cut off from their families and loved ones. He should think
about the condition of his brothers who have passed away, how they
achieved their worldly ambitions and gathered wealth, but then were
cut off from all of that and their wealth is no longer of any avail to
them. The earth has wiped out the beauty of their faces, their bodies
have disintegrated in the grave, their wives have become widows and
their children have become orphans. Let him remember the error of
being deceived by material means and of relying on good health, youth
and the inclination towards leisure, for he will inevitably share
their fate. Let him think of the state of the deceased, how his legs
are destroyed, his eyes have become liquid, the worms have eaten his
tongue, and the earth has consumed his teeth. (Adapted from
al-Tadhkirah by al-Qurtubi, p. 16ff).
[Poetry omitted]
Whoever remembers death frequently will benefit in three ways: he will
hasten to repent, he will become content, and he will be active in
worship. Whoever forgets death will be punished in three ways: he will
delay repentance, he will no longer be content with what is
sufficient, and he will be lazy in worship. One of the effective ways
of reminding oneself about death is to see those who are about to die,
for seeing the dead, witnessing the death throes and thinking about
how a person looks after he has died will put an end to empty pleasure
and keep one awake at night, and will motivate one to do good works
and to strive harder. Al-Hasan al-Basri once went to visit a sick
person and found him in the throes of death, so he saw the distress
and anguish that had befallen him. He went back to his family with a
different colour from when he had left them (i.e., he was visibly
shaken by what he had seen). They said to him, “Come and eat, may
Allah have mercy on you.” He said, “O my family, go ahead, eat and
drink. I have seen death, and I shall never stop working hard until I
meet it.” (Al-Tadhkirah, 17).
One way of increasing awareness of death is to attend funerals,
carrying the deceased on one’s shoulders, going to the graveyard,
participating in the burial and throwing earth into the grave. This
reminds one of the Hereafter, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said: “Visit the sick and attend funerals; this
will remind you of the Hereafter.” (Reported by Ahmad, 3/48; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 4109). In addition to that, attending funerals brings a
great reward, as was stated by the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him): “Whoever attends a funeral from the house [of the
deceased] {according to one report: whoever attends the funeral of a
Muslim out of faith and in hope of reward} until he prays for the
deceased, will have one qeeraat, and whoever attends until the person
is buried will have two qeeraats of reward.” It was said, “O Messenger
of Allah, what are the two qeeraats?” He said, “Like two great
mountains.” {According to another report: “Each qeeraat is like
[Mount] Uhud.”}. (Reported by the two shaykhs and others. The above is
compiled from a number of reports. Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz by al-Albaani,
p. 67).
The salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) used to think of death when
they advised a person who was committing a sin. One of the salaf (may
Allah have mercy on him), when there was a man in his presence
gossiping about another, warned him by saying, “Remember the cotton
which they will put on your eyes,” i.e., when shrouding him for
burial.
Remembering the different levels of status in the Hereafter. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “If his mind is clear,
he will have insight, which is a light in the heart, with which he
will see the promise and the threat, Paradise and Hell, and what Allah
has prepared in each for His friends and His enemies, respectively. He
will see, in his mind’s eye, the people coming forth from their
graves, hastening towards the call of Truth; the angels coming down
from heaven and surrounding them, and Allah coming to His Throne which
is set up for judgement; the earth filled with His light and the Book
being set forth; the Prophets and martyrs being brought; the scale
being set up and the records flying into their owner’s hands; the
disputants being brought together; every creditor hanging on to his
opponent; the appearance of the hawd (cistern) and the bringing near
of its cups; intense thirst, but only a few being allowed to drink;
the setting up of the bridge and the jostling of the people to cross
over it; the sharing out of lights because the bridge to be crossed is
very dark; the Fire of Hell, parts of it consuming other parts beneath
the bridge; the huge numbers of those who fall into the Fire, many
times more than the numbers of those who are saved. When his mind’s
eye is opened to all of this, one of the stages of the Hereafter will
dwell in his heart, so he will see that the Hereafter will abide
forever whereas as this world is just a transient, passing thing.
(Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/123). The Qur’aan frequently describes
scenes of the Last Day, in Soorahs such as Qaaf, al-Waaqi’ah,
al-Qiyaamah, al-Mursalaat, al-Naba’, al-Mutaffifeen and al-Takweer.
The books of hadeeth also mention this, in chapters such as those on
al-qiyaamah (resurrection), al-riqaaq (reports that soften the heart),
al-Jannah (Paradise), and al-Naar (Hell). It is also important to read
the books of scholars on this subject, such as Haadi al-Arwaah by Ibn
al-Qayyim, al-Nihaayah fi’l-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim by Ibn Katheer,
al-Tadhkirah fi Ahwaal al-Mawtaa wa Umoor al-Aakhirah by al-Qurtubi,
al-Qiyaamah al-Kubraa and al-Jannah wa’l-Naar by ‘Umar al-Ashqar, and
others. The point here is that one of the things that increase faith
is knowledge about the events of the Day of Judgement, such as the
resurrection and bringing forth from the graves, the gathering,
intercession, the reckoning, reward and punishment, the scales, the
cistern, the siraat (bridge over Hell), and the place of eternal
abode, Paradise or Hell.
Interacting with the signs of Allah that exist in the Universe.
Al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others report that when the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a cloud or noticed a
wind, this would be visible in his face. ‘Aa’ishah said, “O Messenger
of Allah, I see that when the people see a cloud they are happy,
because they hope it will bring rain, but I see that when you see a
cloud, it is clear from your face that you do not like it.” He said,
“O ‘Aa’ishah, how can I be sure that there is no punishment in it, for
some people were punished by the wind, and some people saw their
punishment but said, ‘This is a cloud bringing us rain!’ [al-Ahqaaf
46:24 – interpretation of the meaning].” (Reported by Muslim, 899).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to be
alarmed when he saw an eclipse, as is reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari
from Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him): “The sun was eclipsed,
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up in
alarm, fearing that it was the Hour.” (Fath al-Baari, 2/545). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us, in
the event of an eclipse, to hasten to pray. He told us that both solar
and lunar eclipses are among the signs with which Allah instills fear
in His slaves. There is no doubt that the heart’s interaction with
these phenomena and its alarmed reaction renew faith in the heart, and
remind one of Allah’s punishment, wrath, might and power. ‘Aa’ishah
said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) took my hand then pointed to the moon and said, ‘O ‘Aa’ishah,
seek refuge with Allah from the evil of this, for this is “the
darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness” [al-Falaq 113:3 –
interpretation of the meaning].”’” (Reported by Ahmad, 6/237;
al-Silsilat al-Saheehah). Another example is being affected and moved
when passing by places which were struck by the punishment of Allah,
or passing the graves of wrongdoers. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said to his Companions, when they reached al-Hijr
[??], “Do not enter upon these places which were punished by Allah,
unless you do so weeping. If you do not weep, then do not enter them,
lest what befell them befall you also.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no.
423). Yet people nowadays go to such places as tourists and take
pictures there. Go figure!
Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) is a very important method of dealing
with weak faith. It brings cleansing and healing to the heart that is
suffering disease, and it is the very spirit of righteous deeds. Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Remember
Allah with much remembrance” [al-Ahzaab 33:41]. Allah promises success
to those who remember Him much (interpretation of the meaning): “… and
remember the Name of Allah much, so that you may be successful.”
[al-Anfaal 8:45]. The remembrance of Allah is greater than everything
else, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “… (and the
remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the
angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering Allah in prayers
etc.]…” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:45]. This was the advice of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the man who thought that
the duties of Islam were too much; he told him: “Keep your tongue wet
with the remembrance of Allah.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3375; he
said, this is a hasan ghareeb hadeeth, See also Saheeh al-Kalim, 3).
Dhikr pleases al-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful) and keeps away the
Shaytaan. It dispels worry and distress, and brings provision and
opens the door to knowledge. It plants the seedlings of Paradise and
helps one to avoid the evils of the tongue. It offers consolation to
the poor who do not have the means to give charity; Allah has
compensated them with dhikr, which takes the place of physical and
financial acts of worship. Neglecting dhikr and not remembering Allah
cause hardness in the heart.
[poetry omitted]
So the person who wishes to remedy his weakness of faith must increase
his remembrance of Allah. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… And remember your Lord when you forget…” [al-Kahf 18:24]. Allah
explains the effect that dhikr has on the heart (interpretation of the
meaning): “…Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.”
[al-Ra’d 13:28]. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
concerning the remedy of dhikr: “In the heart there is hardness which
can only be softened by remembrance of Allah, may He be exalted. So
the slave must treat the hardness of his heart with the remembrance of
Allah, may He be exalted. A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah
have mercy on him), ‘O Abu Sa’eed, I am complaining to you of the
hardness of my heart.’ He said, ‘Soften it with dhikr.’ The more
forgetful the heart is, the harder it becomes, but if a person
remembers Allah, that hardness softens as copper melts in the fire.
Nothing can soften the hardness of the heart like the remembrance of
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Dhikr is healing and medicine
for the heart. Forgetfulness is a disease, the cure for which is
remembrance of Allah. Makhool said: ‘Remembrance of Allah is a cure
and remembrance of people is a disease.’” (Al-Waabil al-Sayib wa
Raafi’ al-Kalim al-Tayyib, 142).
By means of dhikr, the slave can overcome the Shaytaan, just as the
Shaytaan overcomes those who are neglectful and forgetful. One of the
salaf said: “When dhikr becomes well-established in the heart, if the
Shaytaan gets too close, a person can defeat him. Then the shayateen
gather around him (the shaytaan who tried to get close to the heart of
the believer) and say, ‘What is wrong with this one?’ and it is said,
‘He was harmed by a human!’ (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 2/424). Most of
the people who are harmed by the shayaateen are neglectful people who
do not protect themselves with awraad and adhkaar (du’aa’s and
prayers), so it is easy for the shayaateen to overwhelm them.
For some of those who complain of weakness of faith, it is difficult
for them to do some of the things that can cure it, such as praying
qiyaam al-layl or observing naafil acts of worship. It is appropriate
for them to begin with this kind of treatment (i.e., dhikr) and be
eager to do it. They should learn some general adhkar which they can
recite continually, such as “Laa ilaaha ill-Allah la shareeka lah,
lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There
is no god but Allah, He has no partner; to Him be the sovereignty and
the praise, and He is Able to do all things),” and “Subhaan Allahi wa
bi-hamdih, wa subhaan Allah il-‘Azeem (Praise and glory be to Allah,
and glory be to Allah the Almighty),” and “La hawla wa la quwwata illa
billaah (There is no strength and no power except in Allah),” and so
on. They should also memorize the du’aa’s which according to the
Sunnah should be recited at certain times or in certain places, such
as in the morning and evening, when going to sleep, when waking up,
when seeing visions and dreams, when eating, when going to the
bathroom, when travelling, when rain falls, when hearing the adhaan,
when going to the mosque, when making a decision (istikhaarah), when
stricken with calamity, when visiting graveyards, when there is wind,
when seeing the new moon, when getting into or onto a means of
transportation, when greeting someone, when sneezing, when one hears
the cock crow or the donkey bray or the dog bark, when a gathering
comes to an end, when seeing someone who is afflicted with suffering,
and so on. No doubt whoever perseveres with this will see a direct
effect on his heart. (Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah wrote a very useful
book on the topic of adhkaar, entitled Al-Kalim al-Tayyib, which has
been abridged by al-Albaani under the title Saheeh al-Kalim
al-Tayyib).
Confiding in Allah and humbling oneself before Him. The more the slave
humbles himself before Allah, the closer he becomes to Him. Thus the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“The closest the slave can be to Allah is when he is prostrating to
Him, so make lots of du’aa’ then.” (Reported by Muslim, 482).
Prostration is the position of humility, quite unlike any other
posture or position. When the slave puts his forehead – the highest
part of his body – on the ground, he becomes as close as he can be to
his Lord. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke in the
most eloquent terms expressing humility before Allah and the
contrition of the one who repents to Him: “Oh how sweet are the words
of the one who speaks thus: ‘I ask You by Your power and my humility
to show mercy to me. I ask You by Your strength and my weakness, by
Your independence of me and my dependence upon You. Here is my lying,
sinful forelock in Your hands. Your slaves other than me are so many,
and I have no refuge or sanctuary from You except with You. I ask You
in the manner of the poor and wretched, I pray to You in the manner of
one who humbly submits, I call on You in the manner of one who is
fearful and blind, one whose neck is totally bowed to You, whose eyes
shed tears for you, whose heart is humbled before You.’ When the slave
comes whispering words such as these, his faith multiplies
exponentially in his heart.”
Showing one’s need for Allah also strengthens faith. Allah has told us
how much we need and depend on Him. He tells us (interpretation of the
meaning): “O mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allah, but Allah
is Rich (Free of all wants and needs), Worthy of all praise.” [Faatir
35:15]
Not hoping for a long life. This is a very important facet of renewing
faith. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The greatest
thing we learn from these aayaat (interpretation of the meanings) –
‘Tell Me, if We do let them enjoy for years, and afterwards comes to
them that (punishment) which they had been promised! All that with
which they used to enjoy shall not avail them’ [al-Shu’ara’
26:205-207] and ‘… (it will be) as if they had not stayed (in the life
of this world) but an hour of a day…’ [Yoonus 10:45] – is that the
whole length of this world should not make a man hope for a long life
or say, ‘I will live, I will live…’ One of the salaf said to a man,
‘Lead us in Zuhr (prayer).’ The man said, ‘I will lead you in Zuhr
prayer but I cannot lead you in ‘Asr prayer.’ He said, ‘It is as if
you hope to live until the time of ‘Asr; we seek refuge with Allah
from hoping for a long life.’”
Thinking of the insignificance of this world until the heart is
detached from it. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… The
life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving
thing).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:185]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said: “The food of the son of Adam is set forth as
a metaphor of this life; see what comes out of the son of Adam even
though salt and spices were added to it, he knows how it is going to
end up.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 1/198; al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, no. 382). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be please with him)
said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) say, ‘This world is cursed and what is in it is cursed,
except the remembrance of Allah and what is connected to it, and
knowledge, and teaching.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 4112; Saheeh
al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, no. 71)
Respecting the limits set by Allah. Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning): “Thus it is. And whosoever honours the Symbols of Allah,
then it is truly from the piety of the heart.” [al-Hajj 22:32]. The
limits set by Allah are the rights that Allah has over us. They may be
with regard to people, places or times. With regard to people, for
example, there is paying proper respect to the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him); with regard to places, for example,
there is respect for the Haram [in Makkah]; with respect to times, for
example, there is the month of Ramadaan. “… And whoever honours the
sacred things of Allah, that is better for him with his Lord…”
[al-Hajj 22:30 – interpretation of the meaning]. Another way in which
one may respect the limits set by Allah is not to think of minor sins
(saghaa’ir) as insignificant. ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood reported that the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Beware of sins that are seen as insignificant, for they will keep
accumulating until they destroy a man.” The Messenger of Allah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained this by comparing them
to people who stop to camp in the wilderness and decide to build a
fire, so one man goes out and brings back a stick, and another man
brings a stick, until they have gathered enough, then they light a
fire and cook whatever they throw onto it. (Reported by Ahmad, 1/402;
al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 389).
[Poetry omitted]
Ibn al-Jawzi said in Sayd al-Khaatir: “Many people are too easy-going
in matters which they think are not serious but which in fact destroy
the bases of faith, such as looking at haraam things, or, as some
students do, borrowing text-books and not returning them.” One of the
salaf said: “I took the matter of a small morsel too lightly and I ate
it; now forty years later I am still slipping backwards.” He said this
because of his modesty, may Allah have mercy on him.
Al-wala’ wa’l-bara’ (friendship/loyalty versus enmity/disavowal),
i.e., friendship and loyalty towards the believers, enmity towards and
disavowal of the disbelievers. When the heart is attached to the
enemies of Allah, faith grows very weak and the principles of faith
recede, but if one devotes one’s loyalty towards Allah, then one will
befriend and support the believing slaves of Allah and hate and oppose
His enemies, and then faith will be revived.
Modesty also has an active role to play in renewing faith and
cleansing the heart of arrogance, because modesty in speech and
appearance is indicative of modesty in the heart towards Allah. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Modesty (in
appearance) is a part of eemaan.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah 4118;
al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 341. What is meant is modesty in
appearance and dress; see al-Nihaayah by Ibn al-Atheer, 1/110). He
also said: “Whoever refrains from dressing (in fancy, expensive
clothes) out of humility towards Allah, even though he is able to do
so, Allah will call him on the Day of Resurrection at the head of His
creation and will give him the choice of whatever garment of faith he
wishes to wear.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2481; al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, 718). ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with
him) could not be distinguished from his slave.
There are deeds of the heart which are important for renewing eemaan,
such as loving Allah, fearing Him, putting one’s hope in Him, thinking
of Him in positive terms and putting one’s trust in Him, accepting His
decree, giving thanks to Him, being sincere towards Him and having
certain faith in Him, trusting in Him, repenting to Him, and other
deeds of the heart.
There are certain stages which the slave must follow in order to
complete the treatment (of weak faith), such as being righteous,
returning to Allah, remembering Allah, adhering to the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, being humble, living simply (zuhd), fearing Allah, feeling
that Allah is always watching. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on
him) has discussed all these stages in detail in his book Madaarij
al-Saalikeen.
Self-evaluation also plays an important role in renewing faith. Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Fear Allah
and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has
sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware
of what you do.” [al-Hashr 59:18]. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: “Take account of yourselves before you are
called to account.” Al-Hasan said: “You will not meet a believer
except he is evaluating himself.” Maymoon ibn Mahraan said: “The pious
person is harder on himself than a stingy partner.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Doom comes about
because of neglecting to evaluate one’s self and because of just
following one’s whims.”
So the Muslim must take the time to be alone and evaluate himself and
check how he is doing, and what he has sent forward for the Day of
Judgement.
Finally, du’aa’, calling on Allah, is one of the most efficient means
which the slave must employ, as the Prophet ) peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said: “Faith wears out in the heart of any one of
you as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in your
hearts.”
O Allah, we ask You by Your beautiful Names and sublime Attributes to
renew the faith in our hearts. O Allah, make faith appear beautiful to
us and adorn our hearts with it, and make kufr, sin and disobedience
abhorrent to us. Make us of those who are rightly guided. Glorified be
the Lord of Might above what they ascribe to Him. Peace be upon the
Messengers and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
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