loosing my faith

[LiveIslam]

Inshallah someone will able to give some advice. These couple of weeks I feel like im loosing my faith in islam. I find it so hard, I dnt knw anyone who is practising. Were I live, I live in a kafir area. I love Allah so much hes my whole world without him im nothing. I dnt why I feel like this. I want to learn everything about islam properly e.g have friends who remind me of allah, go to sister circle. My parents are not that practising and very cultural. How can I gain more knowledge and get support

[Nawar]

Inshallah someone will able to give some advice. These couple of weeks I feel like im loosing my faith in islam. I find it so hard, I dnt knw anyone who is practising. Were I live, I live in a kafir area. I love Allah so much hes my whole world without him im nothing. I dnt why I feel like this. I want to learn everything about islam properly e.g have friends who remind me of allah, go to sister circle. My parents are not that practising and very cultural. How can I gain more knowledge and get support


Asalaamu alaikum, Im sorry to see that you are feeling down....

Inshallah you mention that your whole world is nothing without Allah (swt), subhanallah, dont worry, we all go through times when we feel low and dont feel like we have that closeness to Allah (swt)....and the way to increase your emaan and bring you closer to Allah (swt) is like you mentioned, gaining knowledge, reading Qur'aan, and remembering Allah (swt)....If there are no circles and things, maybe you can get some audio lectures or something??? Read quran, definately with english translation...listen to Quran...make du'aa...

Inshallah ofcourse ummah.com is also an opportunity to discuss Islam with fellow muslims!!!!! Inshallah I hope we are here to support each other....

Dont worry, inshallah even if you feel alone, remember that you can talk to Allah (swt) in your du'aas, He (swt) talks to you through the Qur'aan....He (swt) takes us to the past with the story of the Prophets (as) and He (swt) takes us to the future with the descriptions of akhirah.....so you are never alone.....Allah (swt) is always with you... :)

Wasalaam....

[MalikOne™]

Where in london u at? North, east, west or south?

[islamirama]

Inshallah someone will able to give some advice. These couple of weeks I feel like im loosing my faith in islam. I find it so hard, I dnt knw anyone who is practising. Were I live, I live in a kafir area. I love Allah so much hes my whole world without him im nothing. I dnt why I feel like this. I want to learn everything about islam properly e.g have friends who remind me of allah, go to sister circle. My parents are not that practising and very cultural. How can I gain more knowledge and get support


as'salaamu alaikum ukhti,

We all sometimes feel weakness of the faith and there many things that lead to it but the important thing is to hang in there inshallah. It's importan to have goood islamic friends and good company as per hadith of the Prophet *S* for we follow the deen (way) of our friends. Good company helps us stay strong and everyone helps enforce the goodness to each other. Also, bad company or environment just does the opposite and tears done the emaan and struggle you do every day to stay firm on your deen. Cultural environment does just that and it's best to not engage such cultural activities as much as possible that takes one away from islam. A good way to get support these days online, especialy if you lack such support in real life. there's lot of good groups out there that one can join and talk to and make friends with your bro/sis (same gendery only plz) and it helps to talk to someone and give support to each other and discuss your concerns and probles. As for knowledge, best thing i believe is joing an islamic mailing list that sends you some good stuff every day that you can read inshallah every day to not only help you increase in knowledge but also a reminder to you to stay with islam and not deviate too far into culture or non-islamic activities.

So do two things :) find some good sisters to make friends and join a good islamic mailing list ;)

[Guardian Hijab]

The mosque is the best place to meet people sis:)

Trust me eh:D That's where all the practising sisters hang out.

[Ayah]

May Allah keep us steadfast always, Ameen.

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=3259&CATE=17 (http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=3259&CATE=17)

Strengthening of faith: when slipping into spiritual sickness…
Answered by Shaykh Nazim Mangera

http://www.sunnipath.com/images/Q_Image.jpgI used to read namaz and wear the jilbab, but one day I just woke and everything changed its like something was not right I was missing apart of myself. so I stopped reading namaz and took off the jilbab but I still wear the head scarf, it wasn't instantaneously I thought about it but like previous times I would always involve my religion as part of my answer however this time I couldn't care less... I just couldn't care about religion or any other aspect of my life, it’s all going downhill anyway! I don't know what to do, I’ve got this weird feeling it’s like I don't really care if I go to hell, I need some advice.
http://www.sunnipath.com/images/A_Image.jpg
http://www.sunnipath.com/images/bism01.jpg

Assalamu alaikum to all the members, and especially to the sister who asked the above mentioned question,

You can check out the following link about wearing Jilbab:

Is the Jilbab (outer garment) Obligatory?
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002154.aspx (http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00002154.aspx)
As for not feeling religious to such an extent that even the obligatory prayers are being left out, well Sister……First of all, you must understand that at least you have this feeling that you are slipping and getting weak in faith. This is a good sign because sadly to say, there are Muslims who don’t care about prayers and Islam in general. If a sick person doesn’t realize that she is sick, the doctor will never be able to cure her. So realizing that there is a spiritual sickness is a sign that your faith is strong. I have the following words of advice for you:
Al-Haakim reported in al-Mustadrak, and al-Tabaraani reported in al-Mu’jam, that the Prophet (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;. Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 1/52, “It was reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer and its isnaad is saheeh.”) This Hadith tells us that our faith will become weak but we will have to strengthen it with various actions and different good deeds. If we try to implement the following, Insha Allah it will help us all.

On a weekly basis, try to attend some Halaqah or an Islamic gathering. That is a great way of keeping the battery of Iman and actions charged.

A good suggestion would be that you join some weekend or evening Islamic course or something of that sort. You will find good company there which will be a means of strengthening your faith and Iman. And when you feel like you are all “burnt out”, there will be others there who will guide you and help you out and get you back up on your feet again.

Try to read some portion of the Quran everyday and make Zikr of Allah. It will not be a bad idea to start off the day by reciting Surah Yaseen.

Try to have a daily Halaqah of reading from a Hadith book at home. The most widely used Hadith book in English is probably Riyadh us Salihin. Set aside a time at home, and try to sit down with other family members. It does not have to be long. Even five minutes or ten minutes will suffice. A daily dose of the words of Allah and his beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam goes a long way in keeping us attached to our faith.

After prayers or whenever, try to recite as many times as possible the words which are mentioned in the following Hadith: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not forget to say in every prayer, ‘Rabbi a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaadatika (O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You and worship You properly.).’” (al-Nasaa’i, 1303)

Sometimes we commit sins which eventually make us weak in our faith. Islam will prevent us from sins....or sins will prevent us from Islam. Repenting over past sins will not be a bad idea at all. The way we have a habit of sinning, the same way, as soon as a sin is committed, we should make a habit of seeking forgiveness for our sins. We should never procrastinate because death could over take us anytime.

You also must understand that we all go through these weaknesses. We all have those moments when we don’t feel like doing anything Islamic. Faith increases and decreases. This is natural and it will happen many times in our lives.

It is important to know that if a decrease in faith leads to one neglecting one’s duties or doing Haram deeds, this slackening is very serious and one must repent to Allah and start to do something about it at once. If it does not lead to neglect of duties and doing Haram 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 herself out and correct herself until she returns to the proper level of energy and strength in worship. This is what we learn from the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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 forbidden deeds] he will be doomed.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/210; Saheeh al-Targheeb, no. 55).
Read up on the benefits of performing Salat and harms of not performing them. Read those Ahadith again and again. Read up on the bounties of Paradise and Punishments of the Hell fire.
Remember the breaker of worldly pleasures i.e. death. Daqaq (R.A.) says, “Who ever 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.” O Death! Where is thy long awaited sting? ...sigh… I hope the above will help us all in being stronger in our faith. Ameen
And Allah knows best
Sincerely,
Nazim Mangera

[Te'oma]

Do you go to masjid regularly? Perhaps you can reach out to some of the sisters there. Seek Allah in your salat. I am the only muslim in my family and as far as I know, my town. When I pray the salat from my heart any doubts melt away. It really feels like he is there listening which is something that I never got from Christian prayer or Wiccan rituals

[Maryam_akhtar]

AsSalam O Laykum,

never loose faith. I'm sure everyone has been through that stage, me too!!!
All u have to remember, is that life is a test. Ur'l go through good patches and bad.
InshAllah ur'l feel well very soon.

[*IslamicGirl*]

:start:

:salams

Whatever has befallen you was not meant to escape you, and whatever has escaped you was not meant to befall you: If this belief were to be firmly ingrained in your heart, then all hardship and difficulty would become ease and comfort.

The Prophet :saw: Sallalahu Alayhi Wasalam said:
'Whoever Allah wishes good for, He inflicts him (with hardship).' [at-Tirmidhi]

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=5131&CATE=239 (http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=5131&CATE=239)

:love: Allah tests those whom He Loves :love:

"Verily, with every hardship, there is relief." [Surah Ash-Sharh – Ayah 6.]

:salams

[***********]

Inshallah someone will able to give some advice. These couple of weeks I feel like im loosing my faith in islam. I find it so hard, I dnt knw anyone who is practising. Were I live, I live in a kafir area. I love Allah so much hes my whole world without him im nothing. I dnt why I feel like this. I want to learn everything about islam properly e.g have friends who remind me of allah, go to sister circle. My parents are not that practising and very cultural. How can I gain more knowledge and get support

Salaams,
Looking at your location it says London - so I am very surprised that you feel this way......
(I know that I live in a non-Muslim area - only know of two families for atleast 7 or 8 miles - and then there's only a population of about 1k non-Caucasian in nearest town so on occasions I feel this way!!!)
Perhaps if you went along to the nearest masjid you could meet some inspiring sisters??? (Have a look in Muslim Directory for nearest one - I'm sure there must be one).
Alternatively why not say on here your rough area and see if any sisters are also in that area???

Insha'Allah something will come up - keep strong!!!!

Wassalaam

[DeRaye Mustafa]

I do understand how you feel. I too, especially after taking my shahadah had very little contact with Muslims. Go to the closest Masjid near you as much as possible, read Islamic books often (especially Qur'an) and make dua'a to increase your iman. You are not alone.

[Niqaabi]

:salams sister.

What your going through I have gone through already and :alhumdull the result was a blessing!
Shaytaan might be tempting you to lose that faith because you are the only on practising out of your friends and your family, but you have to realise this is actually a good thing. :alhumdull Allah has taken you out of your ignorance and guided you.

Also Allah tests those He loves, and this is probably a test to see if you can follow Allah alone in His path.
Why dont you try and give daw'ah to your friends? Try and talk to them more about Islam and get them join Islamic circles, or start one off with you.

Also when I was alone, although I did have my family, :alhumdull I joined ummah and I found a lot of practising sisters that now I think of my personal friends instead of 'girls I met off the net'.
:insha: why not try to find some girls in your area and see if you can meet up with them.
Its really good to have an islamic surrounding and :insha: if you find that things wont be so hard :)

btw, you can PM me anytime you want.

[Proud_2B_Muslim]

Asalaamu Alaikum,

Dear sister, from what you have stated, it does not seem that you are losing your faith at all. :) You state that you love Allah and you wish to gain more knowledge about Islam so dearest sister, how is that losing faith in this beloved deen? :)

Rather, it seems that you are going through a difficult time where you may feel isolated and lonely due to the lack of a strong Islamic atmosphere. Sister, let me first say that I whole-heartedly empathize with you on this point as I too have lived most of my life in a predominantly non-Muslim environment. It can certainly get depressing and frustrating at times.

Insha'Allah, I may be able to offer some helpful advice.

First, sister, a great cure for any spiritual ailment is regular reading and recitation of the Qur'an. Try to recite the Qur'an in Arabic and read the translation as well so you have an understanding of the verses. Contemplate and digest the teachings contained therein and really allow the meanings to affect you.

Sister, if you can do that, it will go a long way in helping you to overcome feelings of sadness or lonliness. You will also be gaining knowledge of the Qur'an and as you continue to gain knowledge in different areas of the deen, you will become stronger and stronger, Insha'Allah.

Secondly, sister, even though your family may be more culture-oriented, spend lots of time with them and teach them the importance of Islam. You may not wish to be so direct, especially in the beginning, but you can certainly use subtle methods and ways to remind them about their identities as Muslims.

If you have a sibling you're especially close to, share your ideas and concerns with him/her and have regular discussions on some aspect of Islam. For example, I used to visit my younger brothers in their room before they went to sleep and I would just sit there, spend time with them, and then bring up a certain topic of Islam.

This way, the ideas and concepts of Islam will be planted in their minds even if they may not begin to implement the actions immediately. At least they are reminded of the discussions and regular exposure to those ideas will help them to build the foundation of Islam in their hearts and minds.

Also, if your family is making it harder for you to practice Islam, then for the time being, fulfill all your fardh obligations without having to experience additional stress/tension because of some optional acts you may wish to perform. Just as an example, if you really want to wear the niqab, but your family is giving you a hard time with just the hijab and jilbab, then you may wish to consider giving up niqab for the time being.

All in all, don't give up on your family in any sense. The family provides a very strong and stable foundation and personally, I have come to rely greatly on these familial bonds through the routine of life.

Next, sister, what you can do is to visit your local mosque and befriend some sisters who may be active in community work. Obtain their contact information and get to know them so the bonds of sisterhood may be strengthened. Meet up with them at halaqas or engage with them in da'wah work and Insha'Allah, you will find yourself to be much more contented and satisfied.

Lastly, sister, but certainly not least important, make regular dua'a to Allah Ta'ala. He knows what you are going through and it is only through His Will that you may find relief. So rely completely on Him and constantly turn towards Him for surely only He is Eternal.

Insha'Allah, I hope this has helped you in some small way. May Allah Ta'ala grant you ease and relief and may He guide and keep you on the straight path for all time. Ameen. :)

[Guardian Hijab]

I posted a reply yesterday, I don't know why it wasn't uploaded.

But sis, have you tried attending a mosque and looking for sisters there?

[Paris]

What is it that you exactly feel? I mean, why do you feel your losing your faith? Are you starting to doubt the existance of Allah, or the veracity of Islam?

Or do you mean that becuase your surrounded by non-Muslims, you cannot expand on your knowledge of Islam?