Amal Al-Sibai
Saudi Gazette
JUST as there are blue, glum days when nothing seems to go right, there are those happy days when it feels like life is great.
Even spiritually we go through similar ups and downs. There are days when your faith is overflowing; you sit at your soft rug 15 minutes before the call to prayer, praising God, calling out to Him, relishing and taking pleasure in the prayer. And then there are days when you literally drag yourself to your prayer rug, perform the prayer as a mundane task; feeling distant from God.
Are you going through one of those phases when you are spiritually lethargic and you lack the enthusiasm in performing acts of worship? Here are 10 steps to get you back on track and bring you closer to God. Recommended by great scholars, some are easy, some are a bit harder, but these steps will train your heart and tone it to beat again with the love of God in every beat.
- Read the Holy Qur’an with understanding; it should be an exercise for the heart and mind and not just for the tongue and mouth. Look up words that you did not understand. Stop at the verses that describe the qualities of the believers and ask yourself if you have these qualities. Listen to the lessons and messages within the verses.
- Be keen on performing the extra, voluntary prayers, and do not limit your prayers simply to the obligatory 5 daily prayers.
- Remembrance of Allah at all times keeps the heart alive and aglow. While driving, while waiting for an appointment, while cooking, while jogging, say, “Glory be to Allah. All praise is to Allah. Allah is great.”
- Be humble towards others and avoid arrogance because a soft, humble heart is a much better vessel for faith than a hard, arrogant heart.
- Altruism is a sure way to make you feel satisfied and rewarded. Help someone out without expecting anything in return, share with your neighbor from the finest foods that you have prepared, give your needy relative from your most elegant and expensive clothes, and not just the old, used, tattered clothes.
- Mention Allah’s names and think deeply about what each name means to you; such as the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful, the Forgiving, the Hearer of All, the Just, the Generous, the Guide.
- Wake up in the predawn hours to pray; when everyone else is asleep. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Hold fast to night prayer, for it was the way of the righteous before you, a way of drawing closer to your Lord, expiation of wrong deeds, a shield from sin, and it repels sickness from the body” (Tirmidhi)
- Keeping good company; true friends are those who encourage you to do good, advise you, remind you of recommended acts of worship, and bring your closer to Allah rather than increase the distance between you and Allah.
- Every once in a while, go against your whims and refuse to give into some of your favorite indulgences. For example, on the days when you are overeating and obsessed with food, pick a day to fast to go against your desires. When you have been on a massive shopping spree, the next day donate an even larger sum to a good cause; keep the pleasure of Allah one step ahead of your own worldly pleasures.
- Express gratitude. Acknowledge that every blessing: the loved ones in our lives, the richness, the beauty around us, good health, intellect — everything is from Allah’s generosity to us.
