How Do I Know If Allah Most High Loves Me As I Am Struggling to Practice My Religion?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
I’ve been pretty down on my deen, and I’ve got caught up in Dunya, and I’m worried about the mercy of Allah. How can I still know that Allah still loves me even though I’m struggling in my faith, and when I pray, I have trouble gaining light or should in my heart due to so much sin? Maybe Allah knows best? How can I gain light in my heart to experience the witnessing of God again and to know how close Allah is to me?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Your asking about Allah Most High, yearning for nearness to Him, and disappointment and remorse for your current state are all signs that Allah Most High loves you and wants good for you.
Allah Most High says, “When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way.” [Quran, 02:186]
Caught Up in Worldliness (Dunya)
Commonly, one feels distanced from their religion due to the day-to-day distractions of worldly life. Apply the following steps:
Righteous Intentions
Keep your heart focused on Allah Most High through righteous intentions, even mundane actions.
For example, when going to work. Don’t just go to work purposelessly. Instead, go to work for the sake of Allah. Intend that you are going to work to seek provision by which you can (a) fulfill the financial obligations of Islam, (b) be free of need of others, and (c) use some portion of your earnings in acts of obedience to Allah Most High.
By this, your work becomes a worship of Allah Most High. Apply this example to all of your actions, as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “All actions are based on intentions and for each person is what they intended (i.e., of reward or punishment)…” [Bukhari, Muslim]
Times of Stillness and Supplication
Take some time out of your day to sit in a state of purity, facing the Qibla, preferably in a quiet place, and raise your hands in supplication to Allah Most High.
Express your difficulties and concerns to Allah Most High as you would to a dear friend or loved one. Be honest with Allah Most High in your supplication. Do not force yourself to use Arabic if that is not your language.
Constant Remembrance
Keep your tongue moist in the remembrance of Allah Most High throughout your day. Prescribe a minimum amount for the following remembrances and strive to say them with your tongue and heart.
Subhan Allah – Glory be to Allah
Al-Hamdulillah – All praise is due to Allah
La ilaha illa Allah – There is no god except Allah
Allahu Akbar – Allah is great
This advice, coupled with daily prayers and abstaining from sins, will prove beneficial in regaining nearness to Allah Most High.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
