Faith Friday: Struggling with Islam

A lady once said to me, “Whenever I see you, I feel so happy.”

“That's kind of you but what do you mean?” I asked out of curiosity.

“You have a lot of positive energy and you make Islam look so easy.”

"Wow," I thought. "This lady must not know me very well." But I understand that it’s not the same when you’re looking in from the outside because I have my strengths and weaknesses, just like everybody else. I struggle with Islam too. There are days when I struggle to pray on time and moments when I struggle to have patience and humility. I also find it hard to live in this world and yet be Akhirah-centric because that is what Islam is about – living this life in preparation for an Eternal Life. The amount of attention and dedication that is placed towards the Hereafter is what distinguishes a Believer from an Unbeliever.

Life is tough. It will always be tough but what makes a good human being and Muslim is someone who never gives up on the Truth. I admit that there’s so much I don’t know about this life and I’m still learning about Islam. When my faith is shaken I tell myself that I don’t want to go backwards in my life. I’ve found something that’s very genuine and that is my relationship with my Creator, Sustainer and Protector.

What I really want to say is that if you’re struggling with your faith, don’t give up on God and don’t give in to your weakness(es). I see many Muslims slowly getting out of touch with their relationship with Him. We have to remember that this life is a journey and we are going to hit a few bumps along the way but we must fight back with all that’s left in ourselves and fight back by seeking knowledge about Islam because this is the most important battle in our lives. If we conquer this one, inshaAllah, all the other struggles and trials will become easier or even fade away.




I believe that we’re all struggling with something. Nobody leads a perfect life but our society and culture tell us that we have to put up the strongest façade and that has dehumanised us in a way because we've kind of lost our sense of compassion for other people. It’s important to realise that a big part of being human is to have weaknesses. Communicating with others about the things we struggle with is not about appearing weak because we have to be honest enough with ourselves so we can find ways to become stronger. With that, I hope to start a small series of Faith Friday posts, inshaAllah, where I discuss some of the things I’m personally struggling with in Islam and how I’m trying to overcome them. By doing so, I hope to build a bridge between you and I, and help others who are sharing the same dilemmas and difficulties. At the same time, I want to listen to your advice and ideas the same way you have been open to my thoughts by reading my blog.
At the end of the day, despite all the difficulties we face we must also acknowledge the ease that Allah swt has blessed us with in other aspects of our lives. Count your blessings and say alhamdulillah (praise and thanks to God) even when it hurts because they are truly a sign of His Mercy.

P.S. A happy 2-year blog-anniversary to 'Colours of My Life' today! Thank you so much for the support you have given through e-mails, comments and constructive criticisms. It is always a delight to hear from my blog readers who come from all over the world. JazakumAllah khairan for a wonderful 2 years of blogging! 

Comments

your post is very magnificent you know! i like that part - ...you make Islam look so easy. I agree with that women. It's quite hard to see any beautiful face who really practices Islam. And you're posts are just plain genuine:)
Misha iCan said…
ASlk, Loved your post, Its good to know you are an inspiration to others, as I feel that is the best roms of dawah. What you say is true no one sees the inner struggles, but everyone sees the outer result of those struggles. Congrats on your 2 year blogersary! Will watch out for the new Friday series, tc, ws
Hidayah Sazali said…
Alhamdulillah. May Allah blessed upon you always my dear sister :'}
PotentialHijabi said…
I just wana say "Jazakallahu Khair" for this wonderful post..!.. Looking forward to these series.. Insha'allah.. it shud provide a gud weekly iman boost!
P.S.Congratualtions on completing 2 years, masha'allah! :)
R S said…
you're so right. no muslim is perfect and it's only normal that one's iman goes up and down but what's important is to carry on doing our best. =)
Yours Truly said…
I can see what the lady meant.
This is a lovely post! :)x
Imani said…
alhumdulillah!!.. that was truely beautiful .. and i truely know what you mean.

http://fashionablemuslimahstories.blogspot.com/
Maria said…
Assalamu aleyukm,
very nice post :) That`s so true.
Congratualtions on your anniversary!! Keep up the good work!! May Allah bless you and may He give you good in this life and in the Hereafter, my sister.
Pika said…
Assalamualaikum sis,
i think this is my first time to comment on your post :)
as usual,i always love your posts including this one!
in hard times,we must strenghten our Faith towards Allah, to be honest i myself have been struggling too.afterall,Iman is the most important aspect :)
well written post sis and congratulation on your blog anniversary :)
Shahirah Elaiza said…
Thank you for your comments my lovelies. May Allah swt guide us to do good things in this life and give us the strength to face our trials. Ameen.
Anonymous said…
Dear Sha,

I love reading your Friday Faith articles.

I cannot stress how important seeking Islamic knowledge is for the Muslim. I also don’t understand why so many of us are content with a mediocre, basic, hear-say level of Islamic knowledge.

I can’t stress how important it is to gain Islamic knowledge & to prioritize this.

If you have an intimate knowledge of Islam, you can draw on Musa’s courage, Ibraheem’s conviction & strength, Yusef’s patience, Maryama’s piety, may God bless & exalt them all. Similarly, if you have no knowledge of the prophet’s (pbuh) experiences, if you are not inspired by how he lived his life then you cannot draw on them and relate them to your own life.