Lulua
25-05-2002, 18:37
Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me. [2:152]
Causes of Increase in Iman
1. Praying to your Lord, Glorified and Exalted, in secret, supplicating to Him as much as possible, hoping (being full of hope) for His reward, and engaging in much remembrance of Him.
2. Contemplating over His Book the Quran, for nothing helps the recovery of the heart except the Book of Allah the All-Mighty and All-Sublime. There are many youth who busy themselves even with sciences of the Shari`ah (Islamic Jurispudence) at the expense of reciting the Qur'an until their hearts eventually harden. So if this happens with acts of obedience, what about one who occupies his heart with sins?
3. Regularly performing your obligatory prayers in congregation, for Allah has guaranteed the one who guards his obligatory prayers in congregation that he will neither abandon him, nor humiliate him, and that He will guard him in this world and the next.
4. Regularly performing As-Sunan Ar-Rawatib (acts of Sunnah that were stressed and regularly performed by the Prophet, Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) frequently. Whenever you prostrate to Allah , He will raise your level in this life and the next.
5. Accompanying and loving the righteous. "The person is with one he loves." [Al-Bukhari] "Do not befriend except a believer, and let no one eat your food except a taqiyy (a pious, God-fearing person)." [Hasan, related by Ahmad, At-Tayalisi, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and others]
6. Knowing that Allah al-Wahid al-Ahad is watching over us, and knowing that He is with you:
Should not He Who has created know? And He is the Most Kind and Courteous (to His slaves) All-Aware (of everything). [Al-Mulk (67):14]
Knowing also that He knows what you hide and what you make apparent:
Have you not seen that Allâh knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of three, but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven), nor of five but He is their sixth (with His Knowledge), not of less than that or more, but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allâh is the All-Knower of everything. [Al-Mujadilah (58):7]
Our Shortcomings in the World of Iman
1. Taking oneself to account as the Salaf used to do; they used to take themselves to account in detail prior to sleep: What did we put forth from good so that we thank Allah? What did we do from evil so that we repent to Allah?
2. Seeking guidance and advice from the people of knowledge and callers to Allah.
3. Visiting graves, for it is a means of remembrance of the hereafter, and it guides a slave to the Straight Path.
4. Reading biographies of the Salaf. Exemplary biographies are those lived by the Sahaba, at-Tabi`een and imams, such as Ahmad, Abu Hanifa, Ash-Shafi, Malik, ath-Thawri, al-Awza`i and many others.
5. Praying to Allah in secret and supplicating to Him in the last third of the night.
Causes of Increase in Iman
1. Praying to your Lord, Glorified and Exalted, in secret, supplicating to Him as much as possible, hoping (being full of hope) for His reward, and engaging in much remembrance of Him.
2. Contemplating over His Book the Quran, for nothing helps the recovery of the heart except the Book of Allah the All-Mighty and All-Sublime. There are many youth who busy themselves even with sciences of the Shari`ah (Islamic Jurispudence) at the expense of reciting the Qur'an until their hearts eventually harden. So if this happens with acts of obedience, what about one who occupies his heart with sins?
3. Regularly performing your obligatory prayers in congregation, for Allah has guaranteed the one who guards his obligatory prayers in congregation that he will neither abandon him, nor humiliate him, and that He will guard him in this world and the next.
4. Regularly performing As-Sunan Ar-Rawatib (acts of Sunnah that were stressed and regularly performed by the Prophet, Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) frequently. Whenever you prostrate to Allah , He will raise your level in this life and the next.
5. Accompanying and loving the righteous. "The person is with one he loves." [Al-Bukhari] "Do not befriend except a believer, and let no one eat your food except a taqiyy (a pious, God-fearing person)." [Hasan, related by Ahmad, At-Tayalisi, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and others]
6. Knowing that Allah al-Wahid al-Ahad is watching over us, and knowing that He is with you:
Should not He Who has created know? And He is the Most Kind and Courteous (to His slaves) All-Aware (of everything). [Al-Mulk (67):14]
Knowing also that He knows what you hide and what you make apparent:
Have you not seen that Allâh knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of three, but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven), nor of five but He is their sixth (with His Knowledge), not of less than that or more, but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be; and afterwards on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Verily, Allâh is the All-Knower of everything. [Al-Mujadilah (58):7]
Our Shortcomings in the World of Iman
1. Taking oneself to account as the Salaf used to do; they used to take themselves to account in detail prior to sleep: What did we put forth from good so that we thank Allah? What did we do from evil so that we repent to Allah?
2. Seeking guidance and advice from the people of knowledge and callers to Allah.
3. Visiting graves, for it is a means of remembrance of the hereafter, and it guides a slave to the Straight Path.
4. Reading biographies of the Salaf. Exemplary biographies are those lived by the Sahaba, at-Tabi`een and imams, such as Ahmad, Abu Hanifa, Ash-Shafi, Malik, ath-Thawri, al-Awza`i and many others.
5. Praying to Allah in secret and supplicating to Him in the last third of the night.