how can i strengthen my iman?
 

assalamu alaikum

i'm new to this site.....and i wonder if i can i get some advice or help from my fellow muslims.
I want to strengthen my faith and increase my love for Allah SWT and His beloved messenger Muhammed (saw). what should i do??
i'm a 19 year female, born and raised in a muslim home. unfortanely my faith has faded throughout the years. http://discussworldissues.com/forums...s/icon_sad.gif i haven't been a practising muslim almost my whole teenage and i'm nearly 20 years old now. i feel so empty and depressed. when i were younger i used to pray and think of Allah every day, He was like my invinsible best friend. nowadays i think of worldly stuff like tv shows, boys, clothes, looks etc. i barley think of Allah. also i got a lot of issues, this guy i love recently broke up with me so i'm going throught a heartache. my ex meant the world to me, and now my whole world is crushed. i really need ALLAH bck in my life, how can i improve my faith? i've done almost everything i could in my power, but some how im not getting any better. what am i doing wrong? please help me out. i'm getting deseperate.


your sister in islam

Wa-alikumussalaam Sister,

Firstly welcome to SF...I hope this site is a means of strengthening your faith.

The amazing thing about faith(Iman) is that it fluctuates depending on what environment we are in...for example in Ramadhan (fasting month) everybody is praying and remembering Allah constantly, our Iman is on the high, but as the month draws to an end we begin to slack in worship and as the day of Eid approaches we become more engrossed in preparations for the day of celebration... our Iman begins to loose it's power..the first step to strengthen your Iman is to recognize that it has become weak...so thats a good start.

There are many ways to strengthen our faith
1. Sit in the company of the pious scholars; they are always talking about Allah, sharing Ahadeeth...this is will open your heart and allow the light of knowledge flow into your heart.

2.Every night before you go to bed spend some time doing 'MURAQABA' It is the habit of keeping the heart conscious about the fact that , “Almighty Allah sees and knows everything”. In other words, “it is a system of thinking deeply about own misdeeds and be ashamed of that, about the greatness of Allah, about the creature of Allah and surrender own self to Allah (while thinking).

3. Engage in Zikr...remembering the Almighty....recite the first Khalima...this will strengthen your Iman


Begin by doing small things and constantly ask Allah to increase your strength and give you the ability to do more.

This is just a brief snapshot of what you can start on...

I hope this helps
Umme Hanzalah

Spend a lot of time making istighfaar.

Ask Allah for forgiveness for every, single, individual, act you've ever done that was wrong. Try to make yourself cry out of repentance.

And resolve in your heart that you will never do those things again.

Also, it might help to think about the fact that Allah guides whomever He wills, and leads astray whomever He wills. The fact that Allah has guided you to repentance, and has guided you to this desire to be a better Muslimah, is a wonderful sign!! Be happy that Allah has chosen YOU to be among the guided ones.

http://discussworldissues.com/forums...lies/salam.gif

Read a lot of goos Islamic literature (i.e. educate yourself about Islam) and actively resist any evil thoughts that come to you (i.e. "worldly stuff like tv shows, boys, clothes, looks").

Take care of all Faraa'id and make up any that have been left.

Keep company with the pious and God-fearing, actively keep away from old company that might lead you back.

As others have mentioned, keep making istighfar a lot, as well as shukr that Allah has guided has without our choosing or our virtues, but only through His will.

And of course, we should all keep making du'a that Allah keep us on the right path.

http://discussworldissues.com/forums...lies/jazak.gif

Salaam sister,

im new here too, and i know this post is old, but being in almost the same situation that you have mentioned, i thought about sending you a private message. however, since you are registered as a "brother", i was unable to do so.i was wondering if you could please correct that, so i could share a few opinions.. ?

hoping to hear soon =)

i've changed it now sister. http://discussworldissues.com/forums...icon_smile.gif

can you give me some advice too? I am going through something similar and it has just taken me into a state of depression....

WS

the problem is i have kindov isolated myself a little apart from work.. also when i try to read namaz or Quran my mind drifts so im not even focussed, its like i cant escape my mind, sleep is my only safe time coz im not thinking & thats only when i can sleep in fact im starting to hate waking up. I know its bad to say this but it feels like i am just passing days til i die i dont think my life will ever change & i dont understand why..

Asalam o alaikum

i have been in a somewhat similar situation, and i suggest the following:

1) alot of people suggest doing zikr, reading the Quran and saying the Salaah. ofcourse that does help, but as youve said, sometimes it is difficult to concentrate on those actions, and so they might not help. for that, what you have to do is ALWAYS REMAIN STEADFAST. no matter how hopeless u feel, u have to have faith, i.e. ACTUALLY BELIEVE that doing zikr and saying namaaz will help you. consciously FORCE yourself to concentrate on Allah and try as hard as you can to push other thoughts out of your mind. i know it is very difficult at first, and it will take time, but u have to be patient. as the Quran says, Allah is with the patient ones =) above all, i will repeat just to emphasize on the importnce of it, BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that this is what will help you take control of your condition. believe that zikr will bring peace to your heart. once u achieve the ability to control your thoughts, it really helps.

2) as we are all very weak in our spiritual hearts, it will help alot if you take some time out for yourself, preferably at night, when your sole objective is to do nothing but think of Allah and His Greatness, His Rehmat, His Azmat. you dont have to make zikr with your lips, and u dont have to spend hours- just take out a few minutes, close your eyes, and concentrate with all your might to feel His presence, to find Allah in your heart and soul. later on, when u get the hang of it, u can increase the time- and will find that u WANT to, inshAllah =) yes, it was very frustrating for me at first, but when i achieved that feeling of His nearness, even if it lasted only for a moment, i was flooded with a peace that i cant describe. its like Allah enters your soul and he hears all your problems without you having to say them. He is indeed All-knowing, All-seeing Subhaan Allah. Having Him near really takes away all the pain in your heart, you can take that from me.

3) join some classes, under a professional teacher of Islam- not only will that keep you busy, it will automatically bring u closer to your religion, and hence will help you achieve what ive mentioned in the above two points.

i really hope this helps- remember, this is coming from someone who went through something like what youre going through right now, so it wont hurt to give it a try http://discussworldissues.com/forums...icon_smile.gif please do- i have faith that insha Allah it will help u, as it has helped me. all u have to do is BELIEVE that it will help u, and dont let hopelessness even NEAR u- thts shaitaan-- he sees that youre trying to go closer to Allah and so he attacks u more.

with these simple thoughts and actions, i improved at a great rate, all thanks and praise to Allah (SWT)
Best of Luck! May Allah help us all, Ameen.

=)

WS,

thank you for the advice, I am trying but my mind is my worst enemy as I cant stop thinking about other things, well one thing in particular... is it true if u make enough dua Allah will answer even if it seems impossible right now?

I feel I have been depressed for ages now and the one thing that snapped me out of it has taken me back there again, i seem to have no interest in anything literally & im not sure why Allah gave me happiness just to take it away again, i just feel empty.

I pray i snap out of it but it doesnt change and the days and months pass & im scared my whole life will pass like this, am i being punished for my sins? i just dont understand any of it it feels like it will never change i have been stuck in the same circle all my life =(

my advice for thos who need to strenthen imaan is to spend some time with the tableegh jamaat....also if anyone is in london....the ladies can attend the zikr gatherings of shaykh hadrat asif hussain farooqi who has a very active community of women mureedahs....also try to attend any islamic classes, bayans etc....

Hi,

I am totally new to this, how do I send a private message?? I actually stumbled on this site when i put in a question into google...
Id really like to speak to u as you obviously will understand what I am going through, maybe we can help each other...
can I forward my email address on here?

if u let me know when ur online then i can send it across & delete it straight away.. i don't really want my personal email on public view...

Im online now...

[/email] let me know when uve got it..

that worked really well http://discussworldissues.com/forums.../icon_wink.gif

I deleted it straight away thats why its gone now http://discussworldissues.com/forums...icon_smile.gif
ye thats my msn aswell

yes that was pretty impressive http://discussworldissues.com/forums.../icon_wink.gif
thats cool.. i always appear offline to avoid work people on there and im on leave this week so just ping me a message on here when ur free to talk on there, doesnt have to be today i know how busy it gets working and fasting..
have a good day at wrk http://discussworldissues.com/forums...icon_smile.gif

oh ill be online tonight .. MSN is blocked at my workplace .. LOL

Catch u later hun

JazakAllah

Added ya