Its pretty tough trying to keep up a strong front these days when it comes to faith.
Whats the use? There is no heart in prayer, in reading the Quran, in fasting. I’ve tried to douce myself in the environment around people who are very pious (or seem it) and thats no use. The only thing I have going right now is listening to recitations. Other than that, blah, dont’ give a damn about anything. I don’t feel the need to prove myself to Him at this point. Thats unspoken of eh? (bet many have thought it)
I don’t want to hear any of the fanatics and their long winded f’in drone lines. Heck, I’m so close to blasphemising all I hold dear Infact I think I already have!
Its really upsetting because thats the one foundation you have and then its shaken left with NOTHING. And not giving a $hit about stuff because its just not in you to do it anymore
Anyone else going through this or is it just me? I’m open for any suggestions.
It’s when you feel like that the most, you need to hold onto Him all the more. yaar i don’t know what to suggest. He doesn’t place a burden on anyone greater than they can hold… remember that. If we didn’t feel this way from time to time, we wouldn’t be human. See it as a God-given opportunity to undertake jihad - struggling to be deeper in your imaan. We ALLLLL go through days like that, believe me… At times i have felt i have gone through years feeling like that. But trust me, it’s times like those when He is listening to you the most. Isn’t there an ahadith (or is it an ayat) that if you reach out to Allah, He will reach out to you. He is always listening to His servants, never feel despair - or at least never audibly voice your despair. Remember He is closer to us than our jugular veins - everything may seem worthless at times, but it never actually is.
i don’t know what else to say, i’m truly sorry. But i know how you feel. So never think you are alone. Allah is always with you.
I think Nadia has summed up really nicely, just to add, when you offer prayers, do it with all your submissiveness, and always recite Quran with translation; as it really helped me strengthen my faith, since I get to understand the message of Allah, and how He tells believers over and over that the best amongst you are the ones who actually patiently persevere, and how the remembrance of Allah fills their hearts with joy. He is the most wise, most merciful, and just ask for His closeness, and inshallah, things will become easier for you, when you truly start to believe that everything comes from Allah’s best plans.
Rejecting Allah is akin to being rebellious; the footsteps of Iblees. You don't want to be his follower now don't you :D. I pray that everything works out for you, and may Allah makes things easier. Enjoy the ramazaan :)
You know, I felt like that for a while. And maybe, in my heart I had turned away temporarilly. But then you know what happened? I lost a lot that was dear to me, in this world. And when I turned around for something to hold onto in this world, there was nothing there. But I believe God was.
I can't really talk about it in detail but for about 2 years I felt like I had been abandoned. I turned to GS more in those days - hence my abundant postings. But I began to read namaz, but this time with some real emphasis on the spiritual side of it. I think namaz helped me a great deal, and prayer. Once I got a sense of peace within myself, everything followed - the self-confidence, the ability to put myself back together again and not let my past get to me, etc.
And now I'm happy as a lark.
I guess we all go thru ups and downs. My friend went thru one and she claimed she wasn't a muslim for a while, but now she's slowly turning back to it.
Plus, I would recommend for the moment not focussing on nitty gritty rules like can you wear nailpolish during namaaz (as if that would even be on your mind...), but on more spiritual matters.
At some point, you'll know, and you'll stop believing. Your faith will get turned into knowledge and God's presence will be a fact. After that, you wont ever go back to doubting.
coco i had felt that at one point in my life as well..but just as PCG said, i found religion on my own terms rather than all the red tape that it gets presented with, focused on the important aspects, and am still trying to be better at that..
We’ve all felt that way... I apostated a few years ago when I lacked proper Islamic knowledge and thought everything politically correct to be correct, I was so brain washed into thinking like the non-Muslims that I just couldn’t see the wisdom behind some Islamic beliefs and practices, then some Christian missionaries quoted Quran and Ahadeeth out of context and I stopped believing, praying and bothering about Haram-Halal completely then I don’t know how but Islam started making sense to me as I learnt more about it from the right sources I could see the wisdom in Islam…
Pray the five prayers on time with khushu, listen to Quran recitation with translation and meditate on it, do dhikr and pray to Allah to guide you.
Also seek refuge in Allah from Satan the accursed whenever he whispers evil thoughts into your heart. Reading the last Surah also helps.
May Allah fill our hearts with Imaan and keep us all firm on Islam, Ameen.
i went thru it a few months back.. not wanting to pray at all.. i would even say sorry to Allah Mian for not praying and move on with life.. prayer was not satisfying me.. it wasnt giving me the answers i wanted or i guess i wasnt getting what i desired.. nothing made sense anymore..
i stopped praying for a bit or kinda like started missing some prayers..
neways.. i think its a very personal thing.. what works for one person doesnt always work for another.. forcing urself to listen to duas or recitations can work.. but it wont work unless you are their spirtually... does that make sense?
i personally believe Allah Mian tests those people who are much closer to him... and thats prob why ur going thru it.. the more one puts pressure on themselves to achieve the best.. i think the more inclined we are to move away... confusing... yes
^
Also don’t you think sometimes we’re looking for the wrong feeling in prayer? At least I did, I wanted ‘that ecstatic feeling’ the getting high feeling you get in pagan religions, all sensual ‘pleasures’… and Namaaz never gave me that but then I realised that that’s not the purpose of prayer, I’m not suppose to get 'high' of it I’m suppose to feel myself humbled before the Master, it’s suppose to make me feel calm…
Ok erm did any of that make sense.?. I’m not really good with words when I'm tired...
^ no u made perfect sense :) actually... thats exactly what i thought about prayers.. during HS most of my friends were very religious chritians and they used to talk about prayers taking them to another world to the point they had tears.. i tried to find the same estacy in namaaz.. but couldnt..
lekin yeah i do know that namaz calms me a lot.. if im angry or upset.. i generally go and pray.. maybe its my own psycho belief that namaz calms me.. u know how u can make urself believe certain things? but oh well... at least it keeps me praying
I think that every one above has shared their personal experiences and given you very sincere advice. I just want to add the following which I got from the Net, as it shows how much Allah (swt) loves the ‘erring Soul’ to return back to Him.
““O Allah! You are my servant and I am Your Lord!”
Astaghfirullah (May God forgive me)! What a terrible statement! Indeed, if someone deliberately makes such a statement, it would be a grave sin, a blasphemy. Fact of the matter is that Allah is our Lord and we are his servants, and there cannot be an identity or honor for us that is higher than this. God can choose any one, any group, any species to serve him and his cause. But those of us who believe and submit to God have been identified by our Benevolent Rabb (creator, sustainer, nourisher, evolver) as his servants. Then, what is the significance of an otherwise blasphemous statement as mentioned above?
Well, there is a both serious and lighter side to it. The serious side is related to the fact that under extreme and desperate circumstances human beings tend to do extraordinary, exceptional, uncommon - or, put it another way, crazy - things. During moments of shock, suffering, agony, and frustration, we tend to do things that otherwise we generally do not. Quite similarly, at moments of true and profound joy, relief, deliverance, achievement, success, once again, we often lose control of ourselves.
Just look at the reactions people show at extremely profound negative or positive moments. Quite often, this is natural - just like when we cry or moan due to pain or shock, or when we laugh at funny things or show ecstasy at joyous situations.
But, that is human behavior. Happiness and sadness, joy and sorrow, ecstasy and depression - all these are various states of human emotion. What about our Benevolent Rabb - God, who describes himself as ar-Rahmanir Rahim (the Most Kind, the Most Gracious), al-Gafoorur Rahim (the Most Forgiving, the Most Gracious)? Does he care? Is he sensitive?
Do we really matter to him?
Developing a proper understanding of this issue requires recognizing an essential dimension of Islam: balance. There are certain verses in the Quran and narrations from the Prophet that seems to give an impression that we hardly matter. “O my servants, you will not attain harming me so as to harm me, and you will not attain benefiting me so as to benefit me. O my servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase my kingdom in anything. O my servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease my kingdom in anything. …” (Forty Hadith Qudsi, #17)
From statements such as the above one might get the feeling that we really are inconsequential to God. But in light of the reality this would be the fitting message for those who with pride and haughtiness deny, reject or ignore the Truth and live according to their whims without recognizing any sense of relationship with or accountability before him.
Then, there is the other side of the story. We do matter to God, and indeed, a great deal. God did not create us as perfect beings so that we won’t commit any mistake, error or sin. We should try our best not to do so. However, if we ever err, the remedy is as simple as a sincere repentance - an act that makes God indescribably delighted. How happy God really can be? Well, who can illustrate it better than his messenger himself?
The Prophet said: “God is more pleased with the repentance of a servant as he turns towards him for repentance than this that one amongst you is upon the camel in a waterless desert and there is upon (that camel) his provision of food and drink also and it is lost by him, and he having lost all hope (to get that) lies down in the shadow and is disappointed about his camel and there he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of his nosestring and then out of boundless joy says: O Allah! You are my servant and I am Your Lord. He commits this mistake out of extreme delight.” (Sahih Muslim, Vol. #4, #6618)
Notice that God is “more” pleased than this ecstatic servant. Now, do we matter to God? Does he care about us? You can draw your own conclusion. My feeling is that he does. A great deal!
Now what about the blasphemous statement? People who might not appreciate the context of a statement, they might like to have the head of such person committing blasphemy chopped. Those who understand the context might appreciate that loving relationship is not merely guided by rigid laws and rules. Beyond the appropriate and beneficial realm of laws and rules, there is a realm of love and affection, where sincere mistakes can be natural and parties to it understand each other quite well. Just as the Prophet did and clarified it that the person who made that statement did so out of extreme delight. And, God is more ecstatic at our repentance than that person who out of extreme delight made such an otherwise blasphemous statement. What a beautiful illustration of the fact that we do matter to God and he does care!
It is in this context the Hadith “God said, ‘I am to my servant as he THINKS of Me’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 9: #596) needs to be understood. Does this mean that we should not care about fulfilling our role as his servants? Not at all. This is a two-way relationship. God is still the Master of the Day of Judgment! “When my servants asks you concerning me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the calls (da’wah) of every supplicant when he calls on me: Let them also, with a will, listen to my call, and believe in me, that they may walk in the right path.” Quran 2:186”
I am still going through the phase :( Only when ramadan started i thought what the heck even if prayer isn't working for me i will do it. I do feel a little less frustrated. So hopefully ramadan knocks some sense into me and oh in you to coco :p.
The questioner has mentioned this problem and is afraid of its consequences. I say to him, Rejoice, for its consequences cannot be anything but good. By means of this waswaas, the Shaytaan tries to gain control over the believers and shake the sound belief in their hearts, and make them suffer psychological and intellectual anxiety that will affect the purity of their faith and their life, if they are believers.
This is not the first or the last time that the believers are exposed to this. It will continue so long as there is any believer in this world. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) also faced this problem. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Some of the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said to him, ‘We find in ourselves thoughts that are too terrible to speak of.’ He said, ‘Are you really suffering from that?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That is a clear sign of faith.’” (Narrated by Muslim).
It was narrated in al-Saheehayn, also from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The Shaytaan comes to one of you and says, ‘Who created such and such? Who created such and such?’ until he says, ‘Who created your Lord?!’ If that happens to any of you, let him seek refuge with Allaah and put a stop to these thoughts.”
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “I think thoughts to myself, which I would rather be burnt to a cinder than speak of them.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Praise be to Allaah, Who has reduced all his [the Shaytaan’s] plots to mere whispers.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Kitaab al-Eemaan: “The believer may suffer from the whispers of the Shaytaan insinuating thoughts of kufr, which may make him feel distressed. The Sahaabah said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, some of us think thoughts which we would rather fall from heaven to earth than speak of them.’ He said, ‘That is a clear sign of faith.’ According to one report, ‘… thoughts which are too terrible to speak of.’ He said, ‘Praise be to Allaah, Who has reduced all his [the Shaytaan’s] plots to mere whispers,’ meaning that the fact that these whispers come, but they are so greatly disliked, and they are pushed away from the heart, is a clear sign of faith. This is like the mujaahid to whom the enemy comes, but he resists him until he overwhelms him, and this is a mighty jihaad… Hence the seekers of knowledge and devoted worshippers experience waswaas and doubts which others do not face, because they (the others) are not following the way prescribed by Allaah, rather they are following their own whims and desires and neglecting to remember their Lord. This is what the Shaytaan wants, in contrast to those who are striving to draw closer to their Lord by seeking knowledge and worshipping Him. He is their enemy and seeks to prevent them from drawing closer to Allaah.” (p. 147 of the Indian edition)
I say to this questioner, if you are faced with this waswaas from the Shaytaan, then fight it and resist it. Know that it can never harm you when you fulfil the duty of fighting and resisting it, and you refuse to be controlled by it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Allaah will forgive my ummah for any insinuating whispers that may cross their minds, so long as they do not act upon it or speak of it.” (Agreed upon).
If it is said to you, Do you believe the insinuating whispers you experience? Do you think that they are true? Do you really think that Allaah is like what this waswaas says? You would say, “It is not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (O Allaah)! This is a great lie” [al-Noor 24:16 – interpretation of the meaning]. You would denounce that in your heart and with your tongue, and be the one who objects to it the most, for it is only whispers and thoughts that cross your mind. It is a trap set by the Shaytaan, who flows through the son of Adam like blood flows, to make you doomed and to confuse you about your religion.
Hence you will find that the Shaytan does not cast doubts or suspicions into your heart about trivial matters. For example, you may hear of the existence of great cities filled with people and buildings in the east and the west, but it would never cross your mind some day to doubt that they exist or to criticize them and say that they are in ruins and unfit for habitation, or that they are uninhabited, and so on. The Shaytaan has nothing to gain by making people doubt about these cities. But he does have a lot to gain by corrupting the believer’s faith, so he strives with his cavalry and his infantry to extinguish the light of knowledge and guidance in his heart and to make him fall into the darkness of doubt and confusion. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us of the appropriate remedy for that, which is to seek refuge with Allaah and put a stop to it. If a person puts a stop to that and continues to worship Allaah, seeking and hoping for (the reward) which is with Allaah, that will stop by Allaah’s leave. So turn away from all the thoughts of this kind that cross your mind. You are worshipping Allaah, calling upon Him and glorifying Him, and if you were to hear anyone ascribing to Allaah the things that are whispered to you (waswaas), you would probably kill him if you could. So the things that are whispered to you are neither real nor true, they are merely imagination and whispers which have no basis.
Our advice may be summed up as follows:
Seek refuge with Allaah and give up these thoughts completely, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded.
Remember Allaah and control yourself and do not continue to think of these whispers.
Occupy yourself with worship and doing good deeds, in obedience to the command of Allaah and seeking to please Him. When you devote yourself completely and seriously to worship, you will forget about these whispers, in sha Allaah.
Frequently seek refuge with Allaah and make du’aa’ to free you from these whispers.
I ask Allaah to keep you safe and sound, and protect you from all evils,
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Fadeelat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, vol. 1, p. 57-60 (www.islam-qa.com)
(bet many have thought it)
Infact I think I already have!
If we didn’t feel this way from time to time, we wouldn’t be human. See it as a God-given opportunity to undertake jihad - struggling to be deeper in your imaan. We ALLLLL go through days like that, believe me… At times i have felt i have gone through years feeling like that. But trust me, it’s times like those when He is listening to you the most. Isn’t there an ahadith (or is it an ayat) that if you reach out to Allah, He will reach out to you. He is always listening to His servants, never feel despair - or at least never audibly voice your despair. Remember He is closer to us than our jugular veins - everything may seem worthless at times, but it never actually is.