How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

Society Religion & Philosophy
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*Even though this thread is more focused on Islam (as I am Muslim and I am trying to better myself, I respect some people her may not be Muslim so please also contribute!!!)

These days I feel like I have lost the motivation to keep to my prayers and act as a better Muslim in everyday life, like through my mannerisms, the way I talk or act etc, etc.

I feel so guilty, but I don’t know how to keep myself motivated, Inshallah, to keep it up and not see religion as a chore but more of a lifestyle. Don’t get me wrong, I love being Muslim and I appriciate and love the teachings of Islam but it is HARD…anyone who says Islam ic super easy…I can’t understand that lol.

Anyway, who else ever feels like this? How do you deal? How has Islam made you want to keep going with it 24/7, improved your lifestyle and make you ‘better person’.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

Salam Alaikum,

Islam has taught me what it takes to attain peace and tranquility in this chaotic world of ours. Islam has taught me to never lose hope. Strive to work hard, help those who are unable to help themselves. Be a part of your community (wherever it may be.). Infact, be the best member of your respective communities so that when you are questioned about what values you grew up with, you may have the Ajr of mentioning that "My religion teaches me this. My parents raised me according to these values." What a nice dawah that is! No intrusion or compulsion on others. Show by action, lead by example. :)

I couldn't write enough to do justice to all that Islam has taught me. Can never thank Allah (swt) enough for all that I have, all that is destined for me (both good and bad).

You should not feel guilty or bad for feeling a certain way. Allah tests us in many ways, and the hardest of test for an individual is his/her own Nafs. Once you overcome your own Nafs, you have pretty much overcome all other obstacles no matter how small or large they may be. Feeling dispair is a natural emotion. It is in these times that you should turn to Allah, make dua, recite quran because it soothes the soul of a believer, and tranquility prevails. Your stress melts away. How you feel has a lot to do with the chaos within. The struggle against our desires that allure you towards the temptations laid out all around is a very tough battle.

But if you think about why it is that we do these things (Pray, Fast, Duaa, etc.) you will soon realize it's all a part of discipline. No one likes training phase of anything because it sucks, it feels like a repetition. But once you achieve that, and overcome the feeling of burdensome, you will start to see past the hardship and actually see what fruits it bears.

It is not easy at all, but the solution of the problem is within the problem. The harder it gets, the bigger the reward you will get inshaAllah because this is how Allah (swt) destines to separate the deserving from the undeserving.

Allah knows best....these were just my thoughts.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

This is what I feel helps in everyday situations;

When you start to get angry. Consider the fact that if you swallow your anger and reply in Kind manner, you will be rewarded for it.

For instance, when you start to get agitated with parents; consider the fact that Allah has ordained for us to be kind to our parents because we can never repay them for the hardships they faced on our behalf. Giving birth, then raising the child, but to find out that it was all in vain; rude son/daughter. Can you imagine the kind of injustice that will be considered when all accounts are set?

:) Again, when you start to get agitated or angry, reply with kindness as much as possible. You don't necessarily have to agree with everything everyone says, but how you handle the situation determines the outcome (seen and unseen).

There's that saying "Keep your eyes on the prize"....keep in the back of your mind that the ultimate goal is for you to do more good than bad. The ultimate prize for any muslim is Allah's Mercy, and safety from Hellfire. Every little bit of good that you do intentionally instead of bad, will not only become a reward-worthy act because you did good, but you never know what bad acts it's also erasing that you don't remember. Things that you didn't intend.

I suppose it's about you slowing yourself down, and consider if what you're about to say/do is really worth it. Some things are, some things are not. There are matters in which you need to display anger because it's the right response. Then there are situations where you need to practice restraint and let good overwhelm the negative emotions that might be brewing.

When you really think about it, in a nutshell the little things that we do make us who we are at our core. It feels tedious to amend every little way we act/speak, but when you consider that if you can make a few adjustments to your personality, you will be that much closer to practicing Islam in everything, and every act that you do according to that mindset/set of ethics may be worthy of reward, inshaAllah.... :) points really add up quick!

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

Beautifully written by teggy. I'm not even going to attempt to write a descriptive post because I couldn't for the life of me write in such an articulate manner. But I will say that striving to be a better Muslim has made me more aware of my faults. That's a beginning, isn't it... a step in the right direction, I guess.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

This is it! One step in the wrong direction will seperate a person from the straight path. One step in the right direction, will merge you back with the straight path...

JazakAllah for your kind words. It's nothing by words until Allah (swt) accepts...

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

Also, quite often I don't feel like praying namaaz out of laziness and I used to feel really bad about that and I used to think perhaps Allah taala doesn't even accept my prayers if I'm having to force myself to pray... but then I told myself that I was simply fighting with my nafs and I was winning every time I refused to obey my nafs and did what Allah asked me to do.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

I agree...Teggy that was perfect...you really helped. Thank you so much.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

There is a place for righteous indignation and even anger. IMHO.

Lord Sri Krishna showed righteous indignation when danveer Karna asked for time to pull his chariot wheels off a ditch. When Sisupala kept calling Krishna names, Krishna finally used his chakra. Lord Shiva 's anger is epic.

Corollary: when one encounters prejudice, bigotry and discrimination against folks of different faith and orientation, it is OK to be angry. Lord Krishna would say it is our Dharma to fight for equal rights for all. Even if that entails inconvenience.

OP, thank you for encouraging people from other faiths to chip in.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a ‘better person’?

you sound like a sufi tariqat leader…:hehe:

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Re: How has Islam* made you a ‘better person’?

Lol I’m sorry but that is exactly what I thought to myself during a namaaz and it was like an aha! moment and it made me feel so much better.

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Re: How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

Fighting with nafs part is so true....

and thats what sufis say....obeying Allah instead of obeying nafs is basic of any ibadat which pleases Allah...

aur Aha moment to Allah ka fazl hai aap per...:)