Am I still a Muslim?

We all have our ups and downs in our imaan, that’s a given. Some days we may pray all five faridah on time and complete our sunnahs too, other days we can struggle to even make wudu. Low imaan can occur during the good and the bad times in our lives and it is important to distinguish how “low imaan” can mean different things for us at different times in our lives. During the good times we can get so carried away with being content that we forget to thank Allah, or we may not have much kushoo in our salah or even renew our intentions for something. During our more challenging times we can often go one way or the other. We can become super religious and put all of our attention into practising our faith – forgetting that we need to also help ourselves to practically change our situations. On the other hand, we can often lose faith during the worst points of our lives. We may start to think “What have I done to deserve this, why does Allah want to punish me?”, forgetting that He tests who He loves most, and doesn’t punish a soul more than it can bear. It’s also important to try and see the lesson and blessing that Allah is sending us, so rephrasing questions is a good place to start. Instead of asking “why is He punishing me?”, you could ask “What is He trying to teach me?”, or “What is Allah trying to show me about myself?”.

It’s really easy to lose hope when you’re in a dark place, and so many of us experience this, it doesn’t make you a bad person and it definitely doesn’t make you any less of a Muslim. I mean if you’re asking Allah questions then to ask Him you must still believe in Him, right?

It is important that when we’re going through these times that we remember that bad times don’t last, it can’t rain forever – not even in the UK! If you feel like you might be losing faith then try and remember what helped you feel faith in the first place. Do you feel a special connection to Allah whilst listening to a certain surah? Do you feel the connection when you’re walking and making dhikr? Try doing those small things and InshaAllah you’ll see your faith grow. Temporary lapses don’t take someone outside the fold of Islam, and even so it’s only for Allah swt to judge what is in your heart as He is closer to you than your jugular vein. Don’t be scared that He won’t accept or forgive you, remember He is as you think of Him, so take comfort in that. Help keep your heart soft, remember He is the All-Merciful and All-Forgiving.

It is often the small step that we make back towards Allah that can be the most difficult, yet the most important and rewarding. Keep in mind this Hadith:

“Whoever draws close to me by the length of a hand, I will draw close to him by the length of an arm. Whoever draws close to me the by length of an arm, I will draw close to him by the length of a fathom. Whoever comes to me walking, I will come to him running. And whoever meets me with enough sins to fill the earth, not associating any idols with me, I will meet him with as much forgiveness.”
~ Muslim

What helps increase your imaan? Let us know below so we can all benefit!