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On Spirituality and Nearness to Allah (Q&A Session)

Dina Mohamed Basiony
08 April, 2017

Asalamu Alaikum brothers and sisters, 

Struggling with spirituality? Don’t feel the connection with Allah? Or are you feeling far from Allah because you are stressed by life?

Have all your questions on spirituality and drawing nearer to Allah answered in our next Live Session with Ask Islam counselor and Spirituality Editor at Productivemuslim.com, Dina Mohamed Basiony. 

Join us Friday, April 14 from 9 PM – 11 PM in Makkah (6 -8 PM GMT) (8 -10 PM in Cairo) (2-4 PM in New York).

Can’t make it to the Live Session? Don’t worry. You can email your questions in ahead of time to [email protected]

Friday, Apr. 14, 2017 | 21:00 - 23:00 GMT

Session is over.

How can I stop doubting Allah? I fear losing faith all together.



Peace be upon you,

Thank you for approaching us with your question.

Here is the most honest answer: you stop doubting when you immerse yourself in knowledge of the deen and deep understanding of the meanings of the Qur’an and the Names and Attributes of Allah Almighty.

There is absolutely no way that you know the Qur’an in-depth, and then you remain doubtful. Absolutely no way, and I say that from experience. This Book is literally the miracle of all miracles; there is nothing that penetrates the heart of the human being as deeply as the Words of the One who created it … literally.

Think of this scenario: if someone gave you an iPhone for example, and then you took it and put it in your drawer … abandoned, and never actually opened the box or explored the features in the phone. Then someone came and told you let me tell you about this new phone I have (a knock off brand). They start telling you about all the features in this knock off brand, so you become impressed. You start doubting your own phone. You get confused and sad about what you have. And you think maybe it’s not for you, you want this other phone you were told about …

What’s the problem here? The problem is that you do not even know thoroughly what you already have. Accordingly, you don’t know its worth, and this makes you vulnerable to believing or wanting other things that might be of much lesser value than what you have.

So, step number one, to overcome these doubts, is to immerse yourself in the deep and thorough study of the Qur’an. This is only fair because if you don’t know adequately what Allah says, then how do you doubt Him? You haven’t even explored in depth what He says.

So, I’m positive that a deep and interesting study of the Qur’an will not only put your heart to rest, but will also fill your heart and mind with peace and light and serenity and happiness. I’m saying this from experience!

Please check this video here, it provides an easy and interesting plan for delving into the Qur’an with Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan. His lectures are usually immensely thrilling and thought provoking. Give yourself a chance to listen to his Qur’an tafseer lectures and you will not regret it.

I have one more piece of advice. Please sincerely make dua and call upon Allah for help. Yes, I know you might think I already doubt Him, why would I speak to Him. Well, you know what, if you have an issue with someone, the most honorable thing to do is to go and speak with him. It is not to go speak about him with others, or go speak with those who already dislike him, the most objective and most dignified and most sincere thing to do is to actually go and speak with Him.

So, I ask you to sincerely and transparently, speak with Allah. He will listen to every word you utter and the many more you will not utter. He will listen to them all. He already listens to those thoughts inside your heart and mind right now. He is nearer to you than the screen you’re looking at to read these words right now. So, just speak to Him, ask Him: what is burdening my heart and mind, where can I find answers to my questions, how can I have complete peace and light in my heart. Ask sincerely, and if you are true about wanting guidance, He will guide you. There is no doubt about it!

I do not need to give you any specific answer to please anyone, I tell you the absolute Truth and the Truth is: there nothing on the surface of the earth that will give you pure, durable sense of peace and light other than the Creator of Peace and Light Himself! Anything else and anyone else are just limited means, but He is The Source, The Origin. If only you can re-fall in love with Him, you will truly be immersed in peace.

I pray that Allah puts your heart and mind to rest. Ameen Ameen.

Now, I wholeheartedly recommended that you check each and every single one of the resources below. Give them a go, please, as soon as you can. And let us know if you have any questions. We would love to help.

P.S.: Please do not abandon your prayers. You will not increase your faith in Allah or remove your doubts by disconnecting entirely from Him. Prayer is the connection between you and Allah. So just keep praying, but speak sincerely in it to ask Him for what you need. 

Videos:

4 Guided Steps in the Quran for Self Transformation – Nouman Ali Khan

Amazed by the Quran w/ Nouman Ali Khan: Doubts in the Heart & Mind

Dealing With Spiritual Doubts – Hamza Tzortzis

Why Muslims Fall into Doubt? | Nouman Ali Khan | Jummah Khutbah

The Purpose of Life – By Jeffrey Lang

The Big Questions: Who Made Me and Why am I Here? – Dr. Laurence Brown

The Deen Show

Practical Tips for Genuine Spirituality – Nouman Ali Khan

Explanation of Surah al-Fatihah (Part 1/4) – “The Meaning of Al Hamdu Lillah” – Nouman Ali Khan

Faith and It’s Proof – Beauties of Islam – (Sheikh Yusuf Estes)


Articles:

Light of the Heavens and The Earth

Why can’t we see God?

Do I have firm faith?

6 Tips to Remain Steadfast in Faith

How can I feel motivated to worship, like pray or fast, when I know that Allah doesn’t need my worship? I mean how could my worship even affect Him if Allah is the most high and the creator and all that, so what does my worship even matter to him?



Peace be upon you dear reader,

Can I ask you a question? If you want to lose weight and remain fit and healthy, then you go to a specialist, a nutritionist, and he asks you to do certain things (eat healthy and work out) and leave certain things (junk and sweets), do you then ask: how can this even affect him … why is he asking for that? … how would that benefit him?

Well, the thing is: it doesn’t really benefit him or affect his own health, it benefits YOU, and he wants to help YOU. We always go to those most knowledgeable to seek help with what WE want to achieve.  You ask your professor how you can get an A and graduate with the best scores and he gives you instructions to benefit you. Also, as we grow up, our parents keep requesting us to do things and give us instructions: eat your veggies, do your homework, get your head out of the oven, leave the knife! Well, out of their mercy, they want to see us in the best of state and they want us to benefit.

Now, no one has Mercy more than Allah towards those whom HE has created, and He asked us to pray and fast and do all of that because He knows that this is the Best way for us to benefit spiritually, morally, physically, intellectually, and get the best rewards in this life and the next. He is The Most Knowing and He wants us to obey what He says because He will teach us through everything He asked us to do, and He will benefit us. When we abandon what He says, we never really benefit … even if there are some outward benefits. But spiritually, when we abandon Allah and disconnect from Him and disobey Him … we die spiritually and our souls suffer.

Allah speaks directly about this in the Quran: {And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.} (Qur’an 20: 124)

{Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.} (Qur’an 13: 28)

So, know that Allah wants us to do these things because He wants to benefit us and it’s only best to follow instructions from The Best, The Most Knowing because He knows what would truly bring us satisfaction, purity, goodness, and ultimate success in this life and the next.

Please read my previous answers below for more context as well insha’Allah, and please let us know if you have any more questions, we would love to answer you always.   

Belief in Allah

Jannah and The Immense Rewards

Your Jannah To-Do List

I hope this helps answer your question. 

Salam. 

I am afraid of fasting for Ramadan. It is very painful and that is all I can remember from one Ramadan to the next. How can I overcome this fear?



Peace be upon you,

Thank you for trusting us with your question.

Do you have any health conditions? Have your checked with a doctor? Please make sure you don’t have any health problems or any medical condition. Fasting in and of itself doesn’t harm the body at all. Allah is The Most Knowing and if He knows this would harm us in any way, He wouldn’t have ordered us to do it. Rather, fasting purifies us and cleanses us and it has many spiritual and physical benefits. But some people might have medical conditions that could exempt them from fasting. So, check with a doctor and then with your Imam to see whether your medical condition exempts you from fasting.

If you don’t have any medical conditions preventing you from fasting and it is just a matter of fear, then you can overcome this by making dua to Allah sincerely and consistently to make it easy for you. It could just be waswasa (whispers from the shaytan), so make dua and make your adhkar (remembrance of Allah) regularly. Watch Islamic lectures on the benefits of fasting, and try to be among groups of people who are fasting so you can encourage one another. Don’t be shy to reach out to the Muslim community in the masjid near you to find people to help and encourage you.

Also Check out these resources:

4 People Who Can Skip Fasting in Ramadan

5 Health & Spiritual Benefits of Fasting in Ramadan

[Ramadan] Why Fast? – Nouman Ali Khan

What is scientific and health benefits of Fasting? (Dr. Zakir Naik)

Ramadan Seminar

I hope this helps. Salam.