No matter how pious you are. When it comes to Eman (faith), all of us will recognize that overtime Eman wears out.
“Faith becomes worn out in your heart as clothes wear out. So ask Allah to renew the faiths in your hearts.” [Mustadrak al-Haakim]
FlashBack
We are all humans going through life with a similar theme. It doesn’t take you a hadith to recognize that faith wears. Because you might remember a time where you felt really close to Allah. and then now you feel like you’re distant from Him and you feel like you’ve gone back on some of the things that you were able to attain and you start wondering “What happened?”
So, flashback to a time when your Eman was very strong and satisfying. A time when you have that closeness to Allah, those days when your Du’as were answered on the spot. Those moments when you were super active. If you’re still in these moments congratulations but it’s really not going to always be like that. So cherish it!
So What happened?
Here the thing about your Eman, as days went by life become so busy. It may be that your Eman was strong because of a particular incident that happened to you in life or some sort of occurrence or something that really touched you at that particular moment.
Maybe you became weak looking back and can’t figure out how it all began and how it crashed. And maybe what’s going to renew it is something entirely different because Allah has opened many doors for us to be reminded of Him and to have our Eman renewed.
Fact!
One of the things we learn is that Eman goes up and down, and it wears out with time. That’s is why we need to renew our Eman constantly, paying attention to its highs and lows. Eman comes up with Du’a and grows with Ibadah ( worship) and increasing your knowledge. The more you know Allah the closer to him you become.
Besides if we never surfer low Eman how will we appreciate its value? Things are known better when you know their opposite. Plus there’s mercy knowing your Eman is moving. And it is vital to transition our Eman to a higher level.
Transition
In whatever you do it’s not good to stay stagnant. Things need to be moving. The stillness of the water is what get it spoilt. Oud is just another type of wood until it gets burnt. Nothing in life can remain stagnant, including our Eman. We have to constantly transition it. It may need to be tested by difficulties. And don’t forget shaytan spends his day attacking your Eman constantly.
Ask Allah, He listens!
Indeed, Allah is the cleaver of grain and date seeds. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living. That is Allah ; so how are you deluded? [ Quran 6:95]
I’m quoting this ayah to show you that breaking is a symbol of growth. what looks like complete destruction is the emergence of a new life. Tadarruh is humbling yourself in the need for the help of Allah. And that is what the last part of the first hadith is telling us.
“So ask Allah to renew the faiths in your hearts.” So, ask Allah the one who enables your heart, the one who puts Eman in you, the one who responds to you. Ask Him to renew your faith and that should be frequent in your Dua’s to Allah.
So while you’re busy praying for a new job, or while you’re praying for some sort of sustenance in this world while you’re praying for something to happen to you, for a new car, for Allah to ease the path of something for you. Don’t forget to constantly ask Allah to renew your iman because your Eman is your greatest blessing, it’s your most precious asset.
If that is gone, then everything else is not going to benefit you in any way. If it is strong, then you can bare everything else of this world.
When Faith Emerges!
When you feel like your Eman is drying up, have Eman and work towards renewing the Eman. It will emerge again, Insha Allah.
And when that Emaan emerges. You get safety from this world’s illusion, safety in the hereafter from the punishment of Allah, safety from despair. If a person has Iman, they have hope so they don’t fall into despair; they have safety from any type of despair that would take them away from Allah and caused them to forget their purpose in life. Safety from the devil, safety from the corruption of the soul, safety from the corruption of evil friends.
How do I Know My Emaan needs Renewal?
So for example, if you feel constantly afraid of people harming you, you need to renew your faith, you need to recognize that that’s where you have a lack of Iman in Allah the Protector.
If you are always afraid of poverty, then that’s where you need to renew your faith in Allah Ar-Razaq and that’s where you recognize that insecurity and you constantly try to establish your belief in the Sustainer Allah.
Or maybe you were very vigilant in waking up for tahajjud or engaging in a voluntary fast and other Ibadah. And all of a sudden you can’t, and even when you wake up to pray at night you get overpowered by sleep.
So wherever you feel that insecurity coming from, that’s where you know you have a weakness and a vulnerability in your faith and that’s where you need to settle it so that your faith can be comprehensive and encompass all your limbs, all of your thoughts, all of your beliefs.
Conclusion
I’d like to put a stop here Insha Allah. No one is a saint, think of the most pious person you know in your life, they go through this too. So, you are not alone! Do not despair, just turn to Allah and keep making Du’a.
I ask Allah to grant us a faith that is fulfilling, that protects us from our deeds, that protects us from the corruption of ourselves, that protects us from any type of harm in this world or in the next.
I ask Allah to allow us to establish our faith in Him and to realize all of the benefits of having that faith. Ameen.
Your Eman is your most precious possession. JazakAllah Khair for dropping by!
