Many of us experience the ‘eeman dip’. Those times when you’re not really feeling righteous, and when performing acts of worship feels more like a chore than what you gladly want to do.
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You pray when you don’t really feel connected to the salah, or you don’t open your Qur’an for days or weeks. You’re also filled with a type of guilt, such that you’re not able to share your struggles with anyone for the fear of being judged as a lazy Muslim.
Even though the eeman dip is not what any Muslim wants to have, I want you to know that you’re not alone. Many of us, more than we publicly admit, have times when we struggle with worship.
Whenever you find yourself struggling, know that eeman is like a pendulum. Sometimes it swings high, and sometimes it swings low. But there are ways that we can use to keep our eeman charged as much as possible, and reduce the occurrence of our low eeman days
Ask Allah (ta’ala) for Help
All guidance belongs to Allah (ta’ala). When we are fired up about the deen, He is the one that has allowed us to be so. He is the one that opens hearts to recognize the truth, and makes it easy for us to perform acts of worship.
So whenever we feel a dip in our eeman, He should be our first point of call. Even though you don’t really feel like making extra adhkar after your salah, a whisper asking for strength to practice the deen while you’re in sujood is enough.
Ask Allah (ta’ala) to increase you in strength, make acts of ibadah easy for you, and bring you closer to Him.
Go Where The Energy Is
Sometimes, we practice our faith alone. We observe our salah in the privacy of our homes and we do acts of worship by ourselves.
This is good. But it is also good to be in the company of righteous Muslims who are more knowledgeable than you are, so that their knowledge, admonitions and reminders can be a constant source of motivation for you.
You can find such gatherings by observing your salah in the masjid, attending the Friday khutbah, weekend halqas, and other beneficial gatherings organized by scholars. You can also listen in on these gatherings online if one is not easily accessible for you offline.
Attend gatherings of the scholars where we are reminded and taught about Islam renews your eeman, increases your knowledge and gives you an eeman boost whenever you need it. Imagine going through a particular difficulty and attending a halqa where the story of a particular sahaba with a similar difficulty is shared. We will most likely feel less lonely in our struggles and more hopeful for a good end to it.
Read, Recite and Listen to the Qur’an
I know that when you have an eeman dip, you hardly are inspired to read the Qur’an. The irony is that this is even one of the times that you need to move closer to the Qur’an so that you can find motivation and inspiration.
Read the Qur’an so that Allah (ta’ala) can speak to you. Recite the Qur’an or listen to someone else reciting it so that the words and melody can give your heart succour. A very useful tip is to recite your favorite verses, or listen to your favorite reciter of the Qur’an.
Hearing the words being recited out loud is very good for bringing your eeman out of a funk. A related tip is to also watch large gatherings of salah (eg., salah at the haramain in Makkah and Madinah). Seeing other people worship Allah (ta’ala) can have a positive impact on your faith.
Stay Away from Temptation
Shaytaan is aware when your eeman is low, and he will most likely swing into action to help you sink further. The time that you’re experiencing an eeman dip is the time to keep yourself away from anything that could cause you to sin. Because you’re so vulnerable at this time and you may find it difficult to walk away from sins and make tawbah.
If you’re having an eeman dip, don’t be tempted to hang out where the haram will be made desirable to you. Don’t exchange your periods of worship for things that have no benefit. You should actively be looking for a way to get back the beautiful feeling of worshiping Allah (ta’ala).
Even if we commit any sins during this period, we should make tawbah and resolve to not repeat the mistake. Otherwise, Shaytaan will try to convince you to continue to sin since you’ve already started.
Do Not Despair
Many of us never recover from an eeman dip because we fall into despair. We tell ourselves that this low faith is a punishment for our sins, or a sign that Allah (ta’ala) does not like us as much as He likes other Muslims.
We stop trying to increase our eeman, and we gradually worship less. We give up on ever tasting the sweetness of eeman again.
This is one of the traps of Shaytaan. He swoops in at your lowest and does his best to keep you there.
Whenever you have an eeman dip, don’t see yourself as less righteous than other Muslims. See your period of low eeman as a test that you’re determined to pass. And remember that we all have our moments, so rather than place yourself beneath others, use them as inspiration to improve yourself.
Experiencing a dip in your eeman should not be the beginning of losing your faith. It should be a time that we will be extra motivated to do things that can get us back to an increased faith and a closeness to Allah (ta’ala).
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