What to Do When Your Iman Decreases

Have you ever experienced the sweetness of an iman boost and then felt the loss when your iman fluctuates? Sometimes it's because your schedule became busier and you have less time for additional acts of worship. Sometimes you get complacent and lazy. Sometimes you just don't feel it and you wonder what you're not doing right. 

But everything happens by Allah's will, so why would He make us go through these phases? In this video, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf explains this phenomenon and advised us to continue doing good deeds and not give up hope on God's generosity and mercy.

 "Allah does not weary of giving you reward until you weary of doing the right action. States change in the world... if you are happy all the time you wouldn't appreciate the state [of happiness]... if you are always satiated you wouldn't appreciate it... that's why Allah will distance you from Him. There are times when you will be distant from Allah, you won't be in that state when you're praying the way you should be praying, where you feel that present. There are reasons for that. Allah does that for a reason because if you were always in that state you would forget. And that's part of the nature of this world - forgetting and remembering." — Shaykh Hamza Yusuf  

The next time we feel discouraged or feel disappointed in ourselves, remember the words of Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasalaam): "The best actions are continuous ones even if they are little..." (Sahih Muslim). Here are some tips for increasing our iman, inshaAllah:

Faith Friday: Sufi Comics

If you knew me prior to my life as a better practicing Muslim and a hijabi, you might have been one of those people who were surprised to see me all covered up and wearing a headscarf. It was a big step for me but a combination of many things had led me to that decision. It all began when my father passed away, I took a year off university and stumbled upon Moez Masoud's television shows called Parables in the Quran  and Stairway to Paradise. But what sealed the deal for me was when I went on the Umrah pilgrimage and received a gift from a very close family friend, a book called The Secrets of Secrets by the late Sufi scholar, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani.  She has since passed away from lung cancer (may Allah grant her the highest level of Paradise) and sadly, I never told her how that book changed my life, because it was when I discovered tasawwuf through Sufi scholarly books that I fell passionately in love with Islam. 

Scholarly books can be quite intense and intimidating so when I came across SufiComics.com I was elated. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I won their giveaway and received 40 Sufi Comics and The Wise Fool of Baghdad in my mailbox. I was impressed by the Sufi Comics team's dedication because not only did every story and lesson touch my heart but the books themselves were creatively presented. They were  full of thought-provoking reminders of Allah's greatness and mercy. 

OOTD: The Vintage Silk Road-Inspired Dress

My Mum and I have many things in common and one of them is our interest in fashion. Although I didn't study Fashion Design like my mother did, I've always had a penchant for beautiful things, which included clothes and accessories, of course. Although I don't claim to be a stylish person I do enjoy putting together ensembles and experimenting with colours, prints and designs. It's like second nature to me.

While clearing out our wardrobes, Mum and I found a dress she bought when she was a fashion student in London. I tried it on and she couldn't stop grinning. I suppose she finds it amusing that her daughter is wearing something she used to wear in her twenties.