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Faith
increases and decreases according to one's
deeds. It increases with obedience and
decreases with disobedience. It increases with
Prayers and uprightness and decreases with
corruption and deviance. In the Qur'an,
Almighty Allah says,
(And
(as for) those who follow the right
direction, He increases them in guidance
and gives them their guarding (against
evil).)
(Muhammad 47:17)
He
also says,
(He
it is Who sent down tranquillity into the
hearts of the believers that they might
have more of faith added to their faith,
and Allah's are the hosts of the heavens
and the earth, and Allah is Knowing, Wise.)
(Al-Fath 48:4)
In
Ramadan, faith increases, conviction grows and
monotheism becomes resplendent because of the
closeness of the servant to his or her Lord.
Fasting is one of the most righteous deeds and
it brings about closeness to Almighty Allah
and nurtures a special relationship with Him
that distances the Muslim from disobedience
and from Hellfire.
For
a Muslim, performing Qiyam Al-Layl (Night
Vigil Prayer) in Ramadan entails closeness,
love, obedience, and yearn to expel hypocrisy
from within his or her soul. Indeed, Qiyam Al-Layl
nourishes the tree of faith within the Muslim
until it becomes firm and entrenched,
producing its fruits all the time with the
permission of its Lord.
Tips for Increasing Faith
In
what follows, some of the things that can
increase the faith are discussed.
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Performing
Prayer in congregation with reverence,
humility, reflection, and
attentiveness is among the most
effective means that increase the
faith and attain nearness to Almighty
Allah, Who says, (Surely
Prayer is a timed ordinance for the
believers)
(An-Nisaa' 4:103). Congregational
Prayer dispels hypocrisy and
cultivates piety. Moreover, it
prevents indecency and wrongdoing.
Almighty Allah says in the Qur'an,
(Surely Prayer keeps (one)
away from indecency and evil, and
certainly the remembrance of Allah is
the greatest, and Allah knows what you
do.)
(Al-`Ankabut 29:45)
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Reciting
the Qura'n, reflecting on its verses,
living in its shade, breathing its
fresh air, and following its guidance
all serve to increase faith.
Addressing His Prophet, Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him),
Almighty Allah says,
([It is] a Book We have
revealed to you abounding in good that
they may ponder over its verses, and
that those endowed with understanding
may be mindful.)
(Saad 38:29)
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Remembering
Allah fervently and constantly with
the heart, tongue, and limbs with
praise and exaltation all help to
increase faith. Remember Him and He
will remember you. Call upon Him in
the early hours of the morning and
earnestly seek His forgiveness.
-
Seeking
useful knowledge and understanding of
religion is yet another means that
guarantees a rise in faith. In a
Qur'anic verse, Almighty Allah
commands His Prophet saying, (Say,
"O my Lord, increase me in
knowledge)
(Ta-Ha 20:114). Ask the people of
knowledge about what you do not know.
This is revealed in the Qur'an as
follows:
(So ask the followers of the
Reminder if you do not know.)
(An-Nahl 16:43)
To this end, it is advisable to attend
the gatherings in which Almighty Allah
is remembered much. No one is to feel
bored of sitting with such people.
Surely, seeking knowledge and
remembering Almighty Allah increase
faith and reinforce the roots of
monotheism. About this, Almighty Allah
says, (So, know [O Muhammad]
that there is no god but Allah, and
ask protection for your fault)
(Muhammad 47:19).
It is noteworthy in the above verse
that the divine command to obtain
knowledge precedes the command to seek
forgiveness, which clearly indicates
the significance of knowledge.
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Giving
in charity is yet another factor that
increases faith. Giving and
sacrificing raise the station of the
servants in the sight of their Lord
and purify them. Charity disciplines
their characters and straightens their
crooked ways.
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Contemplating
the signs of Allah, the Creator, also
increases faith. Every Muslim should
examine Allah's wonderful creation of
the universe. The Noble Qur'an affirms
that in the creation of the heavens
and the earth and the succession of
night and day there are signs for
people of insight:
(Those who remember Allah
standing and sitting and lying on
their sides and reflect on the
creation of the heavens and the earth:
"Our Lord, you have not created
this in vain! Glory be to You; save us
then from the chastisement of the
Fire.)
(Aal `Imran 3:191)
Ramadan
is a time of purification for the reflective
mind and illumination of its thoughts. It is a
blessed period of time when discerning hearts
are lighted and softened. Hence, it is
befitting that people of faith should use this
occasion to meditate upon the excellent work
of the Creator, blessed be His Names, and draw
closer to Him.
Decrease of Faith
Faith
decreases, suffers ill health, and can also
die. It decreases when people abandon the
Qur'an and the Sunnah and turn to the junk
that comes from human minds in pursuit of
false satisfaction.
Faith
vanishes when people become obsessed with the
worthless mental produce of weak and helpless
creatures. Thus, if a servant adopts this
course, he or she does in effect exchange what
is good for that which is nearer and easier.
By doing so he or she would have been met with
his total loss and confirmed his destruction.
A servant like this would most certainly be
overwhelmed by Satan. About such people,
Almighty Allah says,
(Satan
has gained the mastery over them, so he
has made them forget the remembrance of
Allah; they are Satan's party; now surely
Satan's party are the losers.)
(Al-Mujadilah 58:19)
Amusement,
play, and association with the people of
falsehood similarly cause a decrease of faith.
This is usually the fate of those who reject
the laws set by Almighty Allah and instead
choose to wallow in the mire of vice and
sensual delights.
In
a Qur'anic verse, Almighty Allah warns,
(And
do not follow him whose heart We have made
unmindful to Our remembrance, and he
follows his low desires and his case is
one in which due bounds are exceeded.)
(Al-Kahf 18:28)
Other
common acts that, likewise, diminish faith
include setting free the limbs in acts of
disobedience and defiling parts of the body
with misdeeds and blackening the heart with
sin. Here, the eye gazes at the unlawful, the
ear listens to obscenity, the heart grazes in
the fields of carnal desires, the hand
oppresses, the sexual organs engage in
perversion, and the stomach digests sin.
O
Allah! We seek Your compassion and mercy. O
you who fast and keep their limbs away from
indecency, rejoice at the pleasure of your
Lord, His mercy and forgiveness, and the abode
in Paradise that you will, in sha' Allah,
inhabit, entering it through the gate of Al-Rayyan.
Having
observed the fast in Ramadan, every Muslim
should ask themselves whether their faith went
up or down during this blessed month, and
whether their conviction became stronger or
weaker. Only through this can they distinguish
between progress and regression and separate
gain from loss.
O
Allah! Increase us in faith, conviction,
understanding, and success.
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