As Muslims living in the Dunyah our Imaan will fluctuate. As we all learn, grow and face the different season of life our Imaan will also dip and rise. This is something as believers we should be aware of and fortify ourselves against, so we can guard our hearts and our precious Imaan that resides within it.
Sunnahs narrated by the companions that brought me a lot of comfort, during some of my difficult times facing rocky points in my Imaan, are when:
A companion once came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! One of us has thoughts of such nature that he would rather be reduced to charcoal than speak about them.” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Praise be to Allah who has reduced the evil of the devil to only suggestions and whisperings.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud 5112)
In another narration, some companions came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, sometimes we have these thoughts, we hate having these thoughts, we would never dare to speak of them and we just want them to go away.” Our Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “That is clear faith.”
We can draw a lot of comfort when facing rough points in our Imaan when we hear these narrations. First, that even the Sahabah, those who in their faith and practice came only second to the Prophet (ﷺ), experienced knocks to their faith. Second, that these knocks in Faith and doubts that we may experience come from an external source, the Shayṭān, which is something we can take practical steps to protect our hearts against. And thirdly, that the feeling of discomfort and worry that we experience as believers when our faith is disturbed is, in itself, a sign of true faith.
Now that we know these things, the task of fortifying our hearts and protecting our Imaan becomes simpler, as we know the enemy that we face and we also know that we hold the capability inside ourselves to face this enemy. Allah has made it very clear to us where we should be seeking comfort and protection for our hearts.
Those who have believed and whose hearts are comforted by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort and contentment.
(Ar-Ra’d v28)
Allah in his mercy has created many forms of remembering and thus finding comfort with him. One of these ways in Duah and Dhikr, one of the recommended forms of Dhikr when facing doubts and low Imaan is saying, “Āmantu billāh ” (I believe in Allah), and reminding ourselves that doubts are just evidence of Shayṭān’s persistence, rather than a sign of our own inner wickedness.
Another way we can draw comfort from our creator and directly increase our Imaan is, of course, through his holy book. A love letter from the creator to his beloved creation. This is a powerful source of fortification for our hearts, and we know from Surah Al-Anfal verse two in the Quran that:
“The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord.”
In conclusion, knocks in our Imaan are going to happen. From personal experience, it’s sometimes these difficult times and ‘knocks’ that are in fact a mercy from Allah, because they eventually allow us to increase in our Imaan and allow it to reach greater heights we couldn’t have imagined. To ensure that we continue to grow and protect our Imaan in this way, we must fortify our hearts and shield our Imaan with the remembrance of Allah in all its forms.
I pray Allah takes care of the light of Imaan that resides inside of us all. I pray that we all learn how to engage with the Qur’an and its Creator such that every time we read its verses our Imaan is increased, and our hearts become strengthened. Ameen.
