How Does the Iman Increase and Decrease?

How Does the Iman Increase and Decrease?
Every child is born knowing that his or her Lord is Only One, Allah,
regardless of what faith his or her parents may practice. But just
because a child is born with this fitra, or natural belief, does not
necessarily mean that the child will grow up to be what truly makes a
person Muslim, which is ones iman. A Muslim must have belief and iman
in the following:
1) One must belief in Allah as One God without any partners and
without denying His Names and Attributes and withoutdirecting any form
of worship to any other than Allah.
2) One must believe in all of Allahs noble angels without doubt and
without associating any non-Islamic belief regarding them, such as
them being females or human-like.
3) To be considered a believer, one must have faith in all of Allahs
chosen messengers and prophets, named and unnamed without attributing
to them any falsehoods or flaws.
4) One must have faith in the Divine Scriptures, but taking only the
Quran as the one true guidance, preserved by Allah for all of eternity
and for all of mankind.
5) One of the most important beliefs, which illustrates the purpose of
life, is the belief in the Hereafter without denying any ofthe events
told in the Quran or by the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam).
6) Finally, one must believe in Divine Preordainment, more commonly
known as fate or destiny. One must believe that Allahhas knowledge of
the future and that everything has been preordained with its due
measure.
When a person acceptsthe above beliefs with his heart and affirms it
with his tongue, he is considered as one whohas iman. Iman requires
acknowledgement of these beliefs through action. The Quran constantly
connects ones iman with ones deeds in the phrase, Innalladhina amanu
wa amilussaalihaat, which translates to those who believe and do good
deeds. It is theactions a person chooses to do that both increase the
imanand act as evidence of ones iman or decreases it and proves the
weakness of the iman.
The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, Iman wears out
in ones heart just as the clothes (one wears) wears out. Therefore,
ask Allah to renew iman in your hearts. Unfortunately, iman will not
increase by only making dua and asking Allah to increase it, but it
also takes effort from the believer. Allah states:
Lo! Allah does not change the condition of a people until they (first)
change that which is in their hearts. (Surat ar-Rad 13:11)
There are three main causes for the decreasein ones iman. A persons
iman is sure totake a fall when he loses certainty in the above six
beliefs. These beliefs when properly settled into the heart play an
important role in a believers life. When a person says, performs, or
believes something, which is Islamically known as kufr (disbelief),
their iman will be effected in a very negative way. Andthe final
reason for the downfall of iman is performing any type ofshirk. These
three things all lead to sin, which is what preventsthe iman from
increasing.
It is a duty of every Muslim to keep his or her iman in check.
Thismeans one must constantly guard his orher iman and observe whether
it has increased or decreasedand for what causes. If it has decreased,
one must work to increase it before it falls low enough to destroy the
heart. There are many ways to increases onesiman and it involves
increasing in righteousdeeds and refraining from sins, as well as
staying away from sinful activities and people who encouragesuch
activities.
The first thing one should do is renew his or her faith by reciting La
ilaha illallah, the meaning of which is: There is no deity except
Allah, as the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) advised. A person
mustalso believe in all the aspects of La ilaha illallah and this is
donethrough gaining knowledge. Knowledge is one of the most essential
key factors in increasing ones iman. It leads to certainty in the
heart, assurance in the mind, and peace felt by the soul. Allah has
said in His Holy Revelation:
It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.
(Surat al-Malaaikah 35:28)
An increase in knowledge leads to acknowledging Allah in every moment
of ones life through taqwa, which leads to a firm iman. The type of
knowledge we are discussing is knowing that Allah is One and has no
partners, wives,children, or equals. It isknowing Allah throughHis
beautiful Names and Attributes; that Allah is the Creator of the
heavens and the earth and all that it contains. He is the Preserver,
as well as the One Who destroys. He gives life and takes it whenever
He wills. His knowledge encompasses all thingsand nothing can ever be
hidden from Him.
And with Him are the keys of the invisible. None but He knows them.
And He knows what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls but He
knows it, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, nor anything wet
or dry but (it is noted) in a Clear Record. (Surat al-Anaam 6:59)
He hears the cries of His servants all at once and is not confused by
the countless different number of voices and languages and He is Ever
Responding. He is the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Giver of
Bounties. He forgives whomever He wills and punishes whomever He
wills. He is the Just, the Merciful,and does no wrong to His creation.
He sees allthings. Not a black ant on a black stone on a black
moonless night is hidden from His sight. To Him belongs all praise and
glory! Heis the Most Great, the Incomparable!
A person who has knowledge of Allah is no way like a person who simply
states La ilaha illallah and knows nothing else about its meaning and
its impact in the life of a true believer.
Likewise, a person who has knowledge about Prophet Muhammad
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) and his life, noble characteristics,
truthfulteachings, and exemplary actions and has faith in what he
informed his Ummah concerning the torment and bliss in the grave, the
Last Day,the Reckoning, the questioning of ones deeds, the scale, the
bridge, the rewards of Paradise, and the torments of Hellfire is
unlike the person who has no such knowledge or belief. A person with
this knowledge will have a purpose and goal in life, which is to obey
Allah to the best of his ability and remind himself of the rewards and
punishments he may earn depending upon his iman and his deeds.
There is no doubt that knowledge plays a big role in increasing the
iman of a weak heart and Allah says it beautifully:
Are those who know, equal to those who know not? (Surat az-Zumar 39:9)
The second key factor, which affects the iman are ones deeds. They can
either decrease theiman and weaken the heart and soul or increase it,
as well as strengthening the heart and soul. Once a person gains
knowledge about something, he should accept it and put it
intopractice. If a person accepts the forbidden as forbidden and the
permissible as permissible, but refuses to act upon it, thereby
disobeying Allah and committing sin, not to mention hurting his own
soul, he has suppressed his iman. The basis of iman is to accept and
practice.
By increasing good deeds and obedience, one nears himself to Allah,
increases his iman, and purifies himself. He is less likely to fall
into his base desires and worldly pleasures, keeping himself safe from
the evils of society by strengthening his soul and weakening his nafs.
A person with low iman should begin by performing the obligatory
duties imposed on him, such as performing the five daily prayers at
their fixed times and fasting. He should stop committing major sinsand
eventually begin performing more voluntary and permissible acts of
worship and obedience and refrain from minor sins and disliked acts to
the best of his ability. When a person refrains from as many sins as
possible and does as many good deeds as he can, most importantly his
obligatory duties, he weakens Satan againsthim, which gives him
abigger chance of success. Allah says:
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not make
your deeds vain. (Surah Muhammad 47:33)
One should make sure that everything he does will only benefit him
both in this world and in the hereafter. There is no point in doing
something that will cause hurt to ones soul and add more weight to
ones evil deeds. It is very important and beneficial to follow
theSunnah. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) was the best
ofmankind and Allah chose him to show us our ways. If we follow him,
we are sure to succeed in both worlds, Insha Allah. But if we reject
his wayand follow our own lusts or the way of the kuffar, we will only
destroy ourselves. To be sure that ones deeds will increase theiman,
one should do only that which Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) have taught and in that way, one can be safe from
bidah and misguidance.
The third key factor to increasing ones iman is remembrance and
contemplation. Remembrance refers to the remembrance ofAllah, His
Names and Attributes, His Greatness, Power, and Majesty, and the fact
that He is the Most High. He is the Only One Who deserves to be
worshipped, thanked, and depended upon. Allah is the Lord of Kindness
and the Most Generous.He should be praised and glorified constantly as
a part of remembrance. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam)
saidthat the most beloved and weighty phrases of dhikr (remembrance)
are La ilaha illallah Subhannallah, Alhumdulillah, and Allahu Akbar.
There are many others like these, which should also be recited. The
Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, The difference between a
person whoglorifies his Lord and the one who does not remember his
Lord is like that between the living and the dead. The remembrance of
Allah increases iman and brings peace into the heart. There is none
more truthful than Allah in speech and so Allah confirms:
Who have believed andwhose hearts have restin the remembrance ofAllah.
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest! (Surat ar-Rad
13:28)
Along with praising and glorifying Allah, one should be regular in reciting His
Holy Speech, the Quran,and ponder upon their meanings and use them as
a guide and a healing in ones life.
And we reveal of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to
those who believe(Surat al-Isra 17:82)
The Quran contains theTruth about monotheism, Allahs promises of
success to the true believers and warnings of punishment to the
hypocrites and disbelievers. It contains commandments and
prohibitions, inspiring stories of the previous prophets and their
nations, and codes of the best conduct and behavior. The words ofthe
Quran bring hope into a persons life. They enlighten the heart and
open up a path of righteousness for those searching for the truth.
Will they not then ponder on the Qur'an? If it had been from other
than Allah they would have found therein much incongruity. (Surat
an-Nisaa 4:82)
The iman will increase when one connects with Allah through His Holy
Revelation and this should lead one to acting upon his Lords Word.
They only are the (true) believers whose hearts feel fear when Allah
is mentioned, and when the revelations of Allah arerecited unto them
theyincrease their faith, and who trust in their Lord. (Surat
Al-Anfaal 8:2)
Remembering the Hereafter is also a cure for weak iman. When one is
one hundred percent certain of the Last Day, Paradise, and Hellfire
and feels fear of the mere thought of standing before the All-Powerful
Creator and be questioned andjudged for each of his thoughts, sayings
and deeds, he is bound to think twice before committing an act of
disobedience. One should remember the Day of Judgement often, which is
repeatedly mentioned in the Quran to remind mankind that he will
surely be returned to his Lord.
When we look at the night, full of bright glittery stars, the shining
moon and the sunset, as well as the mountains standing firm and the
flowers blooming, we should feel Allahs Power and Majesty and
contemplate over His creation. It is absolutely amazing and
unimaginable as to how Allah created every single thing in existence
and how the universe runs so smoothly by the will and control of its
Creator. Contemplatingover the creation is another way a person can
increase his iman and grow closer to Allah.
Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting,and reclining, and consider
the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! You
created not this in vain. Glory be to You! Preserve us from the doom
of Fire. (Surah Ali Imran 3:191)
Abu Hurairah (radiyallahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) said, Allah, the All-Mighty says, I treat my slave
according to his expectations from Me and I am with him when he
remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him in My
heart. If he remembersMe in a gathering, I remember him in a better
and more noble gathering (i.e. of the angels). If he comes close to Me
by one span, I go towards hima cubits length. If he comes toward Me a
cubits length, I go towards him an arms length. And if he walks toward
Me, I run toward him.
One of the most important things a person should be aware of when
trying to increase his iman and at all times, is the vastness of
Allahs mercy, compassion, and love. One should put hope and trust in
Him. Remembrance of Allah is a key factor in increasing the iman,
asare increasing ones Islamic knowledge andgood deeds. Allah says:
Then, as for those who have faith and do gooddeeds, He will pay them
fully their rewards and give themmore out of His grace and as for
those who disdain and are proud, He will punish them with a painful
doom. And they shall not find for themselves besidesAllah any guardian
or helper. (Surat an-Nisaa4:173)
In the following verse, Allah emphasizes the importance of iman and
doing good deeds along with ones belief:
There shall be no sin unto those who believe and do good deeds for
what they may have eaten (in the past); so be mindful of your duty (to
Allah) and do good deeds andagain be mindful of your duty and believe
and once again, be mindful of your duty and do good deeds. Allah loves
the good! (Surat al-Maidah 5:93)
The life of the dunya is only a test for the creation and one day this
test will end. It is the responsibility of each human and jinn to
prepare oneself for the final scoring of the test by being mindful of
ones duty towards Allah by following the guidance of the Quran and the
Sunnah and keeping ones iman high. A weak iman willlead one to the
Hellfire,while a strong one willlead one to the Gardens of Delight.
Thereason is because it is the iman that determines the actionsof a
person. A person with weak or even no iman will commit sin and cause
Allah to be displeased, causing him to be thrown into the Hellfire to
be punished. But a personwith a strong faith willrefrain from sins and
perform good deeds, which will be the cause of Allahs pleasure and his
entrance into Paradise.
In conclusion, Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid wrote in his book,
Some of our righteous Salaf said, It is a sign of the slaves fiqh
(knowledge of the religion) that he concerns himself with enhancing
the status of his iman when it experiences a decrease. Also, it is a
sign of the slaves fiqh to know if his iman is on the increase or the
decrease. Furthermore,it is a sign of ones fiqh that he knows why
andwhere the evil whispers of Satan are coming from.

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