Question
Assalamualaikum,
I am really struggling with my Imaan and religion. I have been having doubts and I think I have completely lost faith in religion and Allah and everything. It keeps playing on my mind and I so want to reconnect with Allah and believe in everything . I pray and read the Quran as best as I can. I think I’m not a good Muslim or a Muslim at all. How do I reconnect and bring back my faith and religion back. I have no one to talk to about this. Is Allah punishing me because He is very angry at me and Allah has blocked me for seeing all the wonderful things and signs?
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Response
As-Salaamun ‘Alaikum – peace be with you,
Thank you for reaching out to us, we know that it isn’t easy and we appreciate the confidence you have placed in us. May you be rewarded, Ameen.
It is inevitable for us to experience periods in our life where our faith fluctuates or times where we feel that Allah (SWT) is not as responsive to our prayers. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself was left, at times, wondering if Allah (SWT) was angry with his actions, so please take comfort in the fact that these feelings are very natural and completely valid.
The fact that you want to still reconnect with Allah (SWT) during these hard times demonstrates your courage and inner strength masha’Allah **(Allah has willed it). In a famous Hadith, Allah (SWT) says:
“Take one step towards Me, I will take ten steps towards you. Walk towards Me, I will run towards you.” [Hadith Qudsi]
This teaches us that Allah (SWT)’s Mercy overpowers His Wrath and that as long as we keep striving towards Him no matter how we feel, there is always hope for us to attain His nearness and pleasure.
Demonstrating patience, resilience and attempting to maintain faith during testing times – although difficult – is a sign of great character. Please also remember that Allah (SWT) tests those He loves the most. The Prophets (AS) for example were of the most tested of all mankind, so try not to think of this as Allah (SWT) punishing you, but rather remind yourself that this life is a test:
“Do people think that on their mere claiming, “We have attained to faith”, they will be left to themselves, and will not be put to a test? [Qu’ran 29:2].
Do remember that this test may look very different to someone else’s test as Allah (SWT) tailors each test to the individual.
On a practical level, learning to manage our expectations of ourselves regularly, and setting realistic goals for ourselves can help us. It is also worth remembering that if we are constantly doubting our faith then this will only exacerbate any negative feelings towards ourselves and may even demotivate us from doing obligatory acts of worship. In these instances of doubt, a useful tip would be to try and “rewire” our thought process by feeling compassion for ourselves rather than anger and guilt. You can do this by repeating positive affirmations and reminding yourself of Allah (SWT)’s beautiful qualities and attributes, such as Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful).
As well as regularly praying and fulfilling regulatory obligations, we can increase our faith through other voluntary acts of worship, such as reciting the morning and evening adhkar (rememberance of Allah (SWT)), spending time in nature and reflecting on Allah (SWT)’s magnificence, volunteering, writing thoughts in a journal, surrounding ourselves with pious company, listening to an Islamic lecture, and reading about the trials experienced by the Prophets (AS). Navigating through testing times is no easy task, but the greater the test the greater the reward In Shaa Allah (If Allah Wills).
These are just some humble suggestions. We sincerely hope and pray that one or more of them will be suitable to your circumstances and help create ease for you, In Shaa Allah (if Allah wills). If you would like to discuss anything else on your mind, we also offer more personalised counselling here at Inspirited Minds.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any further support.
Allah knows best and we hope this helps In Shaa Allah (if Allah wills).
Du’aa (supplication) always,
IM Support Team
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