I don’t sit in worship like before. I don’t get satisfaction from recitation of Quran, prayer etc. Only worldly matters come to mind. I think about who said what, who did what. Suddenly very angry for little reason. It seems that I am slowly moving away from Allah Ta’ala. Is there any way out of this situation?

Not concentrating on worship or not enjoying worship, being quick to anger for little reasons, suffering from mental instability, etc. have been identified by the learned scholars as the causes of weak faith.

In this regard, Shaikh Salih Al Munajjid has made a famous book entitled “Signs, Causes and Remedies of Iman Weakness”. He said:

“Laziness in worship is one of the signs of weakness of faith. Even if people of weak faith worship, it is an empty movement of the gut – without the touch of soul. Basically: This is the characteristic of the hypocrites. Allah Ta’ala says:

“Surely the hypocrites are deceiving Allah, while they themselves are deceiving themselves. In fact, they stand when they stand in prayer, to show off the people in a very relaxed way. And they remember Allah little.” (Surah Nisa: 142)

Some of the aspects of laziness in worship are laziness in performing the Sunnat Raatba (the Sunnat which is recited regularly before and after the five obligatory prayers), besides Tahajjud, the important nafl prayers such as Salatut Tawbah, Salatul Istikhara, Salatuz Juha (Prayer Prayer) etc. Negligence to attend even the funeral prayer. Not going to mosque in advance etc.

One aspect of weak faith is feeling constricted in the heart and experiencing unusual changes in mind and behavior.

In this state, a person feels so mentally unstable that he feels like a huge burden is pressing on his head.

Such people are quick to anger. It hurts a little. His patience, tolerance and generosity of spirit departs and he feels very narrow-minded in the behavior of people around him. But it is stated in Sahih Hadith:

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked about faith, he said: Faith is: patience and generosity.” (Maqarimul Akhlaq-Ibn Abid Dunya, Ha/56, Silsila Sahiha, Ha/427)

💠 What is the reason for this?

He mentioned many reasons for weakness of faith. Some of them are as follows:

1) Staying away from religious environment for a long time.
2) Staying away from the company of honest, ideal and followable people.
3) Abstaining from seeking Ilm (knowledge) of religion.
4) Living in a sinful environment and indulging in sin.
5) Being immersed in worldly preoccupations.
6) Eating too much, sleeping too much or spending a sleepless night. Similarly wasting extra time in socializing with people and courting etc.

💠 What is the remedy?

Shaykh Imaan has described many ways to get rid of weakness and these problems. Some of them are as follows:

1) Study Al Quran
2) Realizing the excellence and greatness of Almighty Allah, after learning about His Names and Attributes, understanding their meaning, imbibing them in the heart and reflecting them in actions.
3) Seeking knowledge of religion
4) Regular attendance at meetings where Allah’s dhikr and discussion about Allah and Allah’s Deen are discussed
5) Do more good deeds and stick to good deeds all the time
6) Different types of worship
7) Excessive remembrance of death
8) One of the ways to renew faith is to remember the different places of the Hereafter
9) Being affected by natural disasters and events
10) Remembrance of Allah
11) Making dua to Allah Ta’ala by pointing out one’s weakness
12) Do not expect to live long
13) Thinking that earthly life is very insignificant
14) To show respect to the rules and standards of Allah
15) Al Wala Wal Bara (Friendship with the believers and enmity with the disbelievers)
16) Adopt modesty in behavior
17) Self-criticism.

May Allah Ta’ala strengthen our faith, remove all our mental restlessness and problems – so that we can experience true taste in His worship. True emotional contentment, peace and joy lies in worshiping Him, Zikir-Azkar, shedding tears in fear of Him and walking in His ways. May Allah pour them into our hearts and keep our hearts firm on His path only till death. Indeed, He is the possessor of eternal power.
Allahu Alam

To answer:
Abdullahil Hadi bin Abdul Jalil
Dai, Jubail Dawah and Guidance Center, Saudi Arabia.