Praise be to Allaah, we praise Him and seek His help and
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and
from our evil deeds. Whomever Allaah guides, none can lead astray, and
whomever Allaah leaves astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there
is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear
witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. “O you who
believe! Fear Allaah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state
of Islam (as Muslims), with complete submission to Allaah.” [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 Allaah through
Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of)
the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allaah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.”
[al-Nisa’ 4:1 – interpretation of the meaning]
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Zilaalal-Jannah fi Takhreej al-Sunnah by
al-Albaani, 1/102).
Man’s heart changes constantly, as
the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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).
Allaah is the One Who turns hearts
around and controls them. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas
reported that he heard the Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah, Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to obey You.”
(Reported by Muslim, no. 2654).
Allaah tells us that:
“… Allaah 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 Allaah 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 (Allaah) 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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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.
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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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. Allaah 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
Allaah “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. Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “People will
keep holding back from being in the first row (of congregational
prayers), until Allaah 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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. Allaah has described the hypocrites (interpretation of the
meaning): “… and they do not remember Allaah but little.”
[al-Nisa’ 4:142]
Not feeling angry when the limits set
by Allaah 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 Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever feels
happy to have the slaves of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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. Allaah
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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah, 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 Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“Behold! You are those who are called to spend in the Cause of
Allaah, yet among you are some who are niggardly. And whoever is
niggardly, it is only at the expense of his own self. But Allaah is Rich
(Free of all wants), and you (mankind) are poor. And if you turn away
(from Islam and the obedience of Allaah), He will exchange for you some
other people, and they will not be your likes.” [Muhammad 47:38].
Not practising what one preaches. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Why do you
say that which you do not do? Most hateful is it with Allaah 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah. For
this reason the Messenger
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah, may He be glorified, will make it like dust in the air.”
Thawbaan said, “O Messenger of Allaah, 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us to pay attention
to small acts of goodness. Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him)
reported from Abu Juray al-Hujaymi who said, “I came to the
Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger
of Allaah, we are a desert people. Teach us something by which Allaah,
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 Allaah will appreciate
good deeds of this nature and will forgive sins because of them. The
Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man passed a
branch of a tree lying in the road and said, ‘By Allaah, 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No two people
are friends for the sake of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah, for Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who as soon as they
entered this religion felt this responsibility straight away, for
example, al-Tufayl ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah 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 Allaah, may He be glorified.
The Companions of Muhammad
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him about Islam. Then
Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah be pleased
with him): when the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent him to Yemen, he
advised him: “Beware of luxury, for the slaves of Allaah 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).
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. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “Has not the time come for the hearts of those
who believe to be affected by Allaah’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 Allaah).”
[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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah. For
example, when one reads al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari and Muslim),
you feel the atmosphere of the age of the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, 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 Allaah 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. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“And know that your possessions and children are but a trial
and that surely with Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah and in this case it is praiseworthy. The
Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah. The Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah, 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 Allaah. 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 Allaah,
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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged Muslims to take just
what is sufficient, without hoping for more, which could distract him
from remembering Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah.” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/290; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 2386). The Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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. Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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
Allaah…” (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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah to purify our hearts and
protect us from the evil of our own selves.
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Faith wears out
in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, 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, Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah and resigns himself to the fact that he faces a
struggle to achieve his goal:
Pondering the meanings of the Qur’aan, which
Allaah 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. Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to ponder the meanings
of the Book of Allaah 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 Allaah 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).
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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-Allaah
ibn ‘Umayr and I entered upon ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) and ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Tell
us of the most wonderful thing you saw on the part of the Messenger of
Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah, are you weeping when Allaah 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 Allaah
(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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah) with
you…” [Hood 11:112 – interpretation of the meaning].
The Companions of the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the Qur’aan
and pondered its meaning and were moved by it. Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) was a gentle, soft-hearted man, and when he led the
people in prayer and recited the words of Allaah, he could not stop
himself from weeping. ‘Umar became ill after reciting the words of
Allaah (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 Allaah’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 Allaah…’”
[Yoosuf 12:86]. (Manaaqib ‘Umar by Ibn al-Jawzi,
167). ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: “If our hearts were pure and clean, we would never have
enough of the Word of Allaah.” 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 Allaah…” [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 Allaah 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
Allaah 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 Allaah
sets forth and urges us to ponder and think about. He tells us
(interpretation of the meanings): “ … Allaah 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
Allaah and could not grasp the meaning, so he began to weep. He was
asked, “What makes you weep?” He said: “Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): ‘And these similitudes We put
forward for mankind, but none will understand them except those who have
knowledge (of Allaah 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.”
Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah.”
Trying to feel an awareness of the might of Allaah,
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 Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah 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.’ Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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).
Allaah, 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 Allaah’s might was
described by His Messenger
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “When Allaah 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
Allaah 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
Allaah have mercy on him) described the greatness of Allaah 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 Allaah and which increases one’s faith in Him,
may He be glorified. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…
It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allaah…”
[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 Allaah). This leads to an increase in faith for a
number of reasons, such as the mentioning of Allaah, the descent of
mercy and tranquillity, the angels surrounding the people present, and
Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No people sit
together remembering Allaah, but the angels surround them, mercy
envelops them, tranquillity descends upon them, and Allaah mentions them
to those who are in His presence.” (Saheeh Muslim,
no. 2700). Sahl ibn al-Hanzaliyyah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘No people
gather together to remember (Allaah) and then disperse, but it will be
said to them: “Get up, you are forgiven.”’” (Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 5507). Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “When he spoke of remembering Allaah (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-Allaah!
What are you saying?’ I said, ‘We sit with the Messenger of
Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I said, ‘Hanzalah
has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah.’ The Messenger of
Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Why is that?’
I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah be pleased with him) set the best
example of this, when the Messenger
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this indicates that Abu
Bakr’s days were filled with acts of obedience and worship. The
salaf (may Allaah 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 Allaah 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 (Allaah), 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stirred them to action.
Imaam Muslim (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported in his Saheeh
from Anas ibn Maalik that at the Battle of Badr, when the mushrikeen
approached, the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, Paradise the
width of the heavens and the earth?” He said, “Yes.” He
said, “That’s great!” The Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “What makes you
say, ‘That’s great!’?” He said, “Nothing, by
Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, 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]. Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked: “Which deed
is most beloved to Allaah?” He said, “The one that is
continuous, even if it is little.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
Fath, 11/194). When the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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. Allaah 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 Allaah’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
(Allaah) 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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…” (Saheehal-Bukhaari,
39). According to another report, he said: “Be
moderate, and you will reach what you want.” (Saheeh
al-Bukhaari, 6099. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him)
entitled the chapter Baabma yukrah min al-Tashdeed fi’l-‘Ibaadah
(Chapter on what is disliked of extremism in worship)).
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) learnt that ‘Abd-Allaah
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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do what you can
of (good) deeds, for Allaah will never get tired although you get tired.
The most beloved deed to Allaah 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 Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah be pleased with her) saw him praying two rak’ahs after ‘Asr
and asked him why, he
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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. (Fathal-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 Allaah be pleased with her) said: “I
asked the Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah be pleased with him) said: “To
be certain that Allaah would accept just one prayer from me would be
dearer to me than the world and everything in it, for Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily, Allaah 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 Allaah (i.e., always thinking that one has not done enough or
done them properly). The Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends
on a pair for the sake of Allaah will be called from the gates of
Paradise, ‘O slave of Allaah, 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah be pleased with
him) reported that the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three
whom Allaah loves and three whom Allaah hates. As for the three whom
Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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-Allaah,” and he said, “I
cannot say it.” Another was told to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah,
and he started humming a song. A businessman whose trade had made him
forget the remembrance of Allaah was told, when death was imminent, to
say La ilaaha ill-Allaah, 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-Allaah,
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-Allaah, 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-Allaah 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
Allaah 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 Allaah above what
he said! He accused Allaah of being unjust on his deathbed.” Then
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah 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-Allaah, 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Peace be upon
you, O dwellers of this place, believers and Muslims. May Allaah have
mercy upon those of us who have gone on before and those who will follow
later. In sha Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah
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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah have mercy on them) used to
think of death when they advised a person who was committing a sin. One
of the salaf (may Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah 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
Allaah 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 Allaah
that exist in the Universe. Al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others report that
when the Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a cloud or noticed a
wind, this would be visible in his face. ‘Aa’ishah said, “O
Messenger of Allaah, 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to be alarmed when he
saw an eclipse, as is reported in Saheehal-Bukhaari
from Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The sun was
eclipsed, and the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up in alarm, fearing
that it was the Hour.” (Fath al-Baari, 2/545).
The Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah’s punishment, wrath, might and power. ‘Aa’ishah
said: “The Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) took my hand then pointed
to the moon and said, ‘O ‘Aa’ishah, seek refuge with
Allaah 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 Allaah, or passing the graves of
wrongdoers. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported
that the Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to his Companions,
when they reached al-Hijr [??], “Do not enter upon these places
which were punished by Allaah, 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 Allaah) 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. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Remember Allaah with much remembrance”
[al-Ahzaab 33:41]. Allaah promises success to those who remember Him
much (interpretation of the meaning): “… and remember the
Name of Allaah much, so that you may be successful.” [al-Anfaal
8:45]. The remembrance of Allaah is greater than everything else, as
He says (interpretation of the meaning): “… (and the
remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allaah (in front of the angels)
is greater indeed [than your remembering Allaah in prayers etc.]…”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:45]. This was the advice of the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah.” (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; Allaah has compensated them with dhikr, which takes the
place of physical and financial acts of worship. Neglecting dhikr and
not remembering Allaah cause hardness in the heart.
[poetry omitted]
So the person who wishes to remedy his
weakness of faith must increase his remembrance of Allaah. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “… And remember your Lord
when you forget…” [al-Kahf 18:24]. Allaah explains the
effect that dhikr has on the heart (interpretation of the meaning): “…Verily,
in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find rest.” [al-Ra’d
13:28]. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said,
concerning the remedy of dhikr: “In the heart there is hardness
which can only be softened by remembrance of Allaah, may He be exalted.
So the slave must treat the hardness of his heart with the remembrance
of Allaah, may He be exalted. A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri (may
Allaah 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 Allaah, that hardness softens as copper melts in
the fire. Nothing can soften the hardness of the heart like the
remembrance of Allaah, 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 Allaah. Makhool said: ‘Remembrance of
Allaah 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-Allaah la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd,
wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but
Allaah, He has no partner; to Him be the sovereignty and the praise, and
He is Able to do all things),” and “Subhaan Allaahi wa
bi-hamdih, wa subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem (Praise and glory be to
Allaah, and glory be to Allaah the Almighty),” and “La
hawla wa la quwwata illa billaah (There is no strength and no power
except in Allaah),” 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 Allaah and humbling
oneself before Him. The more the slave humbles himself before Allaah,
the closer he becomes to Him. Thus the Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The closest the
slave can be to Allaah 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 Allaah
have mercy on him) spoke in the most eloquent terms expressing humility
before Allaah 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 Allaah also strengthens
faith. Allaah 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 Allaah, but Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah from hoping for a long life.’”
Thinking of the insignificance of this
world until the heart is detached from it. Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah be please with him) said: “I heard the
Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘This world is
cursed and what is in it is cursed, except the remembrance of Allaah 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 Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Thus it is. And
whosoever honours the Symbols of Allaah, then it is truly from the piety
of the heart.” [al-Hajj 22:32]. The limits set by Allaah are
the rights that Allaah 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
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah, 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
Allaah is not to think of minor sins (saghaa’ir) as
insignificant. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood reported that the
Messenger of Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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
Allaah 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 Allaah, faith
grows very weak and the principles of faith recede, but if one devotes
one’s loyalty towards Allaah, then one will befriend and support
the believing slaves of Allaah 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 Allaah. The Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah,
even though he is able to do so, Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah, remembering Allaah, adhering to the Qur’aan
and Sunnah, being humble, living simply (zuhd), fearing Allaah, feeling
that Allaah is always watching. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah 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. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O
you who believe! Fear Allaah and keep your duty to Him. And let every
person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allaah.
Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.” [al-Hashr 59:18]. ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah, is one
of the most efficient means which the slave must employ, as the Prophet
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) peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Faith wears
out in the heart of any one of you as clothes wear out, so ask Allaah to
renew the faith in your hearts.”
O Allaah, we ask You by Your beautiful Names and sublime
Attributes to renew the faith in our hearts. O Allaah, 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 Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
