Assalam o alaikum
As you can see we haven't blogged for quite a while. One of us is busy with admissions and stuff. I ,on the on the other hand, am free till January (free does not always mean fun). Like a typical teenager I waste my time watching television, sleeping late and waking up even later. The me that I am now is not the me I was back in Ramadan. (Confusing?) . You see my level of Iman in Ramadan was way up on the scale. Alhumdulillah. I was regularly attending a Qur'an class, going for taraveeh and listening to Islamic lectures when I couldn't sleep. The point is that our Iman grows and contracts according to our actions. And this is actually very normal. You cant expect yourself to be at the very top all the time. We are humans. We make mistakes. We are tempted to do things that are forbidden. Sometimes we give in. Sometimes we don't find the strength to fight sheytan. That is when we are at our weakest. Sheytan attacks and we give in. Our Iman immediately contracts. I refer to them as "episodes". I know for sure that everyone goes through them. Everyone gives up at one point and starts questioning their faith, their existence. Sheytan makes us think all these horrible things that we'd never dare say out loud. Somewhere at the back of our minds (deep down) we think to ourselves: "Do I even deserve Jannah?" or "Maybe I can never be a good Muslim". And then we spiral out of control in to the web of Sheytan.
What makes me and you a good Muslim is not the frequency or intensity of these episodes. Its how fast we get back on the line. How fast we realize that we have sinned and must repent immediately. I am not saying it is okay to do anything you want and repent afterwards. Our intention matters. Allah will only look at our intentions. Actions, no matter how good, wouldn't matter if the intention is polluted. Sincere repentance comes from the very depth of our hearts. And we really do feel it. You might find yourself reciting "Astaghfar" whenever you get the chance or crying during namaz or dua or constantly thinking of ways to do good deeds to somehow nullify your past sins.
What I am trying to convey is that it is okay to have these episodes. You do not have to completely fall off the line and convince yourselves that you may never be a good Muslim. My target is this thought specifically. Repent while you still have time. Get back up again. Kick the hell out of sheytan and pray and remember Allah and do not look back. Whats done is done. You cant control that. But what you can control is right now. The present is in your hands. Gather up your strength start again. Just don't give up.
You may not be at your very best of Iman all the time. You may be at the very bottom some days. But please don't give up completely. Your Iman will rise again with your actions. Try harder. A roller coaster isn't flat , is it? If it were where would all the fun be?. These highs and lows are what make us human. Allah doesn't expect you to be perfect. He expects you to be trying and striving to gain His pleasure.
We aren't saints either. This blog is our effort to share some of our knowledge with others. Whatever we can to help you and ourselves uplift our Imans. Our posts are also a reminder for us. More like "Notes to self".
I repeat in the end: Do not give up. All Allah asks for is our efforts. Leave the rest to Him. A sincere effort will no doubt lead to something good. Just hold on to the rope of Allah. Sometimes you may feel like you are loosing your grip but don't completely let go. Hold on to it. Even if you are barely touching it.
May Allah helps us stay in our best of Imans. Today, tomorrow and to the second He takes away our souls.
Jazak Allah! :)
As you can see we haven't blogged for quite a while. One of us is busy with admissions and stuff. I ,on the on the other hand, am free till January (free does not always mean fun). Like a typical teenager I waste my time watching television, sleeping late and waking up even later. The me that I am now is not the me I was back in Ramadan. (Confusing?) . You see my level of Iman in Ramadan was way up on the scale. Alhumdulillah. I was regularly attending a Qur'an class, going for taraveeh and listening to Islamic lectures when I couldn't sleep. The point is that our Iman grows and contracts according to our actions. And this is actually very normal. You cant expect yourself to be at the very top all the time. We are humans. We make mistakes. We are tempted to do things that are forbidden. Sometimes we give in. Sometimes we don't find the strength to fight sheytan. That is when we are at our weakest. Sheytan attacks and we give in. Our Iman immediately contracts. I refer to them as "episodes". I know for sure that everyone goes through them. Everyone gives up at one point and starts questioning their faith, their existence. Sheytan makes us think all these horrible things that we'd never dare say out loud. Somewhere at the back of our minds (deep down) we think to ourselves: "Do I even deserve Jannah?" or "Maybe I can never be a good Muslim". And then we spiral out of control in to the web of Sheytan.
What makes me and you a good Muslim is not the frequency or intensity of these episodes. Its how fast we get back on the line. How fast we realize that we have sinned and must repent immediately. I am not saying it is okay to do anything you want and repent afterwards. Our intention matters. Allah will only look at our intentions. Actions, no matter how good, wouldn't matter if the intention is polluted. Sincere repentance comes from the very depth of our hearts. And we really do feel it. You might find yourself reciting "Astaghfar" whenever you get the chance or crying during namaz or dua or constantly thinking of ways to do good deeds to somehow nullify your past sins.
What I am trying to convey is that it is okay to have these episodes. You do not have to completely fall off the line and convince yourselves that you may never be a good Muslim. My target is this thought specifically. Repent while you still have time. Get back up again. Kick the hell out of sheytan and pray and remember Allah and do not look back. Whats done is done. You cant control that. But what you can control is right now. The present is in your hands. Gather up your strength start again. Just don't give up.
You may not be at your very best of Iman all the time. You may be at the very bottom some days. But please don't give up completely. Your Iman will rise again with your actions. Try harder. A roller coaster isn't flat , is it? If it were where would all the fun be?. These highs and lows are what make us human. Allah doesn't expect you to be perfect. He expects you to be trying and striving to gain His pleasure.
We aren't saints either. This blog is our effort to share some of our knowledge with others. Whatever we can to help you and ourselves uplift our Imans. Our posts are also a reminder for us. More like "Notes to self".
I repeat in the end: Do not give up. All Allah asks for is our efforts. Leave the rest to Him. A sincere effort will no doubt lead to something good. Just hold on to the rope of Allah. Sometimes you may feel like you are loosing your grip but don't completely let go. Hold on to it. Even if you are barely touching it.
May Allah helps us stay in our best of Imans. Today, tomorrow and to the second He takes away our souls.
Jazak Allah! :)
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