Remember when we were younger and they used to tell us about the Prophets of the past? Let’s step back and remind ourselves about one of them again; Prophet Ibrahim. When he started making Da’wah to his father, Azar, and the people of his town, he was just a young teenager. Allah mentions in Surah Anbiya,
They said, “We heard a youth threaten them; he is called Ibrahim.”
Sure, we all know the story and can recite it by heart. But do we really understand what this young man really went through? If we placed ourselves in his position and we saw the angel Jibreel offering to help us out, would we say ‘Allah is sufficient for me? Or would we reach out our hands and beg him to save us? What gave Ibrahim this strength, this patience to rely only on Allah?
Now lets go forward into history and take a quick glimpse at those fortunate individuals who surrounded the Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him. Look at Sumayyah, may Allah be pleased with her. What stopped her from giving in when she was threatened by Abu Jahl? What gave her the strength to not leave her religion whilst seeing the spear pointed at her?
What about that man with the beautiful voice, Bilal ibn Rabah? What stopped him from uttering those few words that would have freed him from all his pain and suffering? What is it that these people had? And more importantly, how can we attain it?
Allah says in Surah Hajj,
“Verily Allah will defend (from ill) those who believe, verily, Allah loves not any that is a traitor to faith or shows ingratitude.”
If Allah is with you, no one on this earth can harm you. So what does it take to be among those who Allah protects?
What do we have to do to be amongst the true believers? Iman is something which fluctuates in us. We may feel a rush of Iman after a prayer, or after reading a chapter from the Quran, but a few minutes later that rush may disappear after we commit a sin of some sort. Here are a few ways we can strengthen our Iman.
- Make Dua
- Pray two Rak’at
- Read the Quran and the Tafsir of whatever Surah you read.
- Leave one bad habit for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), when you leave something for his sake he will reward you with something better.
- Download any motivational lecture on to your MP3/iPod, and listen to it on the bus/ car or during any activity.
- Remembering that as the moments pass, death is coming closer.
- Smiling at any random brother or sister you see passing by and saying Salaam. It will make their day and yours as well.
- Give money in charity often… the best time to give is when you feel it is hard to give/ leave your money.
- Ponder upon the verses of Allah.
- Volunteer at the Masjid for the sake of Allah.
- Forgive everyone and anyone that hurt or offended you before bed every night.
- Ponder and reflect on the creation of Allah.
- Look at all the blessings you have, and say Alhamdulilah.
May Allah increase our Imans and make us from the believers.
8 Comments
Mashallah, wonderful advice and nice tips :)
I like your post. The things listed in it are very easy ways to strengthen your Iman and I have been in need to do that for a while now. Thank you. Do you know anything that specifically brings you closer to Allah (SWT)? I heard of some ayahs and hadiths before on the subject but I don’t know where to find them. If you can tell me, that would be very helpful. Thanks=)
Jazakallah khair, :)
I know I was listening to some lectures by Muhammed Alshareef’s Discoveulife and he mentioned that the one best way to get closer to Allah is Salah. And not just the Fardh prayers but also the sunnah prayers, and qiyam al-layl, and so on. Wallahu A3lam.
I like your post. The things listed in it are very easy ways to strengthen your Iman and I have been in need to do that for a while now. Thank you. Do you know anything that specifically brings you closer to Allah (SWT)? I heard of some ayahs and hadiths before on the subject but I don't know where to find them. If you can tell me, that would be very helpful. Thanks=)
Your article reminded me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-EI8rOH0WY
Your article reminded me of this:
Good practical tips…but i think some are kind of vague. Well, and i’m just thinkin’ here, a lot of them that seem obvious DO work (i.e. pray two raka’at, read the tafseer of a surah, etc.), but I’ve put these into practice when i was younger, and it didn’t have much effect on me. I can’t decipher what the missing step is, but those things really work well when you finally understand the reasonings behind them and you do it for yourself. I know a lot of youth that today neglect and some may even resent reciting Qur’an because they used to be forced to by parents or teachers…and now, when they have freedom, they choose not to turn to Allah.
Just me rambling…Take no offense as it really is a well-written article.
May Allah put us under his Protection always…and may we be able to initiate the strengthening of our relationships with Him.