Your heart does not distance itself from Allah overnight. It is a slow process most of the time.
First, you start becoming lazy with acts of worship, delaying prayer, belittling your sins and rationalizing your sins. The guilty feeling that was constantly bugging you slowly loses its voice and the heart becomes hardened.
Another way is simply falling in a constant cycle of sin, until it feels like an addiction. Pleasures of this life become your main concern and certain sins become a habit that you can’t seem to get rid of, until you start feeling like you don’t really have a purpose in life.
The Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:
وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ
“There lies within the body a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Verily this piece is the heart.” [Sahih Muslim]
.عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا أَخْطَأَ خَطِيئَةً نُكِتَتْ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَإِذَا هُوَ نَزَعَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ وَتَابَ سُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِنْ عَادَ زِيدَ فِيهَا حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ قَلْبَهُ وَهُوَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ : ( كلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ) ” . قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a blackspot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Ran’ which Allah mentioned: ‘Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran which they used to earn
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحَقَّرَاتِ الذُّنُوبِ فَإِنَّهُنَّ يَجْتَمِعْنَ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ حَتَّى يُهْلِكْنَهُ
“Beware of minor sins. Verily, they pile upon a man until he is ruined.
However, to err and to sin is human.
كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ وَخَيْرُ الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ
The Prophet said: “All the children of Adam constantly err, but the best of those who constantly err are those who constantly repent.”
وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ لَمْ تُذْنِبُوا لَذَهَبَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ وَلَجَاءَ بِقَوْمٍ يُذْنِبُونَ فَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ فَيَغْفِرُ لَهُم
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) having said:
By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.
To err is human, but the best among us are those who ask for forgiveness and expect Allah’s mercy in return.
Abu Huraira reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: When Allah created the creation as He was upon the Throne, He put down in His Book: Verily, My mercy predominates My wrath.
Get to know Allah.
The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : “يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي، فَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ، ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلَإٍ، ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلَإٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ بِشِبْرٍ، تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ ذِرَاعًا، تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا(1) وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي، أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً
“Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly greater than it. If he draws near to Me a hand’s length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” [Sahih Muslim]
To have a heart connected with Allah, we first must get to know Him.
By reading and understanding the Quran. The Quran is Allah’s timeless message to humankind.
By following the Sunnah of His beloved Prophet.
By learning His names and attributes and their meanings.
Have hope for His Mercy and Forgiveness,
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Allah is always there for us, He is closer to us than we think.
He says in the Quraan 50:16
وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ وَنَعۡلَمُ مَا تُوَسۡوِسُ بِهٖ نَفۡسُهٗ ۖۚ وَنَحۡنُ اَقۡرَبُ اِلَيۡهِ مِنۡ حَبۡلِ الۡوَرِيۡدِ
Surely We have created man, and We know the promptings of his heart, and We are nearer to him than even his jugular vein.
عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ : قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى : يَا ابْنَ ادَمَ ، إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتََنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي ، غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْكَ وَلَا أُبالِي . يا ابْنَ ادَمَ :لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنانَ السَّماءِ ثُم َّ اسْتَغْفَرْتَني ، غَفَرْتُ لَكَ . يَا ابْنَ ادَمَ : إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَنِي بِقُرَابِ الأَرْضِ خَطَايا ثُمَّ لَقِيتَني لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْأً ، لَأَتيْتُكَ بِقُرَابِها مَغْفِرَةً
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” [Tirmidhi]
Once sins become a habit or norm in our lives, we start feeling an emptiness, a sense of loss of purpose and direction. The only way to fill this void is by reconnecting with Allah and striving for His mercy. His Mercy, like His love, is boundless.
Performing prayer
أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ نَهَرًا بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ، يَغْتَسِلُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسًا، مَا تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ ”. قَالُوا لاَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ شَيْئًا. قَالَ ” فَذَلِكَ مِثْلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ، يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهَا الْخَطَايَا ”
If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day would you notice any dirt on him?” They said, “Not a trace of dirt would be left.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds.”
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The example of the five (daily) prayers is like that of a clear-water river flowing in front of your houses in which a person washes himself five times a day – cleansing him from all dirt.” [Sahih Muslim]
Prayer is our way to call on Allah five times a day, to keep our relationship with Him alive and our hearts connected to Him. Prayer is the first of what we shall be asked of on the Day of Qiyaamah.
To fix our lives and the voids we feel, we need to look at not only the fact that we pray 5 times a day, but the quality of our prayers. Do we pray on time? Are our hearts connected to prayer? Do we just pray as a habit or obligation or do we call upon Allah, hoping for His mercy and blessings. The five daily prayers are a constant refresher of our faith and cleanser of our hearts and souls.
Prayers revive us spiritually if performed correctly.
Reading and pondering over the Qur’an
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ
“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) hearts are assured.” (13;28)
In order to be consistent with the remembrance of Allah , we have the above-mentioned five daily prayers, but we have also been given the Qur’an.
Quraan is a message from Allah, a message we are meant to listen, ponder and reflect upon.
A good way to interact with the Quraan is by listening to it, finding the meaning to the words, the story behind the revelation. Most, if not all the times, we feel connected and the content is relatable, in one way or another.
Fasting
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ كُلُّ حَسَنَةٍ يَعْمَلُهَا ابْنُ آدَمَ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ ”
“For every good deed that the son of Adam does, he will have (the reward of) ten the like thereof, except for fasting. It is for Me and I shall reward for it.
عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَىُّ الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ “ عَلَيْكَ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ عِدْلَ لَهُ ” .
It was narrated from Abu Umamah that he asked the Messenger of Allah
Which deed is best? he said: “Take to fasting, for there is nothing equal to it
Fasting while performing extra worship activities aims to purify the soul and refocus and recharge our faith.
عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ ”
It was narrated that Muadh bin Jabal said: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Fasting is a shield.
Surround yourself with people that remind you of Allah
مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالْجَلِيسِ السَّوْءِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ، وَكِيرِ الْحَدَّادِ، لاَ يَعْدَمُكَ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا تَشْتَرِيهِ، أَوْ تَجِدُ رِيحَهُ، وَكِيرُ الْحَدَّادِ يُحْرِقُ بَدَنَكَ أَوْ ثَوْبَكَ أَوْ تَجِدُ مِنْهُ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً ”
The Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The likeness of a righteous friend and an evil friend, is the likeness of a (musk) perfume seller and a blacksmith. As for the perfume seller, he may either bestow something on you, or you may purchase something from him, or you may benefit from his sweet smell. And as for the blacksmith, he may either burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to his awful smell.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Choose to be around people who bring you closer to righteousness, people who remind you of Allah and encourage you to do good deeds, the ones who support you and believe in you in the good times, as well as the bad times.
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, “You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in interceding with Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe. They will say, ‘O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.’ Allah will say, ‘Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one (gold) Dinar.’ Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire) up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and Allah will say (to them), ‘Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one half Dinar.’ They will take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will say, ‘Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant), and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize.” Abu Sa’id said: If you do not believe me then read the Holy Verse, “‘Surely! Allah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) but if there is any good (done) He doubles it.” (4.40) The Prophet added, “Then the prophets and Angels and
the believers will intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty (Allah) will say, ‘Now remains My Intercession. He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been burnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance of Paradise, called the water of life. They will grow on its banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows. You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree, and how the side facing the sun is usually green while the side facing the shade is white. Those people will come out (of the River of Life) like pearls, and they will have (golden) necklaces, and
then they will enter Paradise whereupon the people of Paradise will say, ‘These are the people emancipated by the Beneficent. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).’ Then it will be said to them, ‘For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.'”
Self reflection.
Frequently assess the state of your heart and think about the way you affect others. Does your character and the way you speak to and treat others, bring them closer to Allah, or does it drive them away?
We need to constantly be aware and self reflect on how our actions can affect someone else.
We can all do our part in making the world a little better for someone. It might not impact everyone, but if it can have an impact on even one life, on one heart, then there is still value in it and it still makes a difference.
Visualize the reward in the next life for holding on to your faith in this life.
Imagine Paradise. Imagine its beautiful rivers and palaces, imagine meeting the Prophets and the great Muslims of our past, imagine meeting righteous loved ones who have passed away, imagine never falling ill, never having to struggle or pay for anything, imagine how beautiful you will look, in sha Allah!
Talking about Paradise, Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet said:
“Allah said: “I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of.”
Remember Allah’s wrath and punishment.
Allah Says,
(Surely it has been revealed to us that the chastisement will surely come upon him who rejects and turns back. 20:48;
And:
“Then leave Me alone with such as reject this Message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceive not.” (Qur’an 68:44) ,
“(As for) those who disbelieve in Our communications, We shall make them enter fire; so oft as their skins are thoroughly burned, We will change them for other skins, that they may taste the chastisement; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise” (4:56).
Narrated AbuSa’id al-Khudri: Verily, the Messenger of Allah said: “The least tormented of the inhabitants of the Fire would be he who would wear two shoes of Fire and his brain would boil on account of the heat of the shoes.”
Habeebaty Writes 