Increasing Faith in Difficult Times

Increasing Faith in Difficult Times

Speaker: Dr. Abu Aminah Bilal Philips

Opening

All praise is due to Allah and may Allah's peace and blessings be on the last messenger of Allah.

All praise is due to Allah and may Allah's peace and blessings be on the last messenger of Allah.

Introduction: Understanding Faith (Iman)

Increasing faith in difficult times is a topic which begins by assuming that we understand what faith is. Iman, we use the term. Faith, we translate the term. But what actually does iman or faith mean in the Islamic context?

The definition is belief in the heart, a statement by the tongue and action upon the pillars of Islam. Faith or iman is belief in the heart, which is stated by the tongue and acted upon by the limbs through the pillars of Islam.

Now this definition distinguishes between knowledge and faith. Knowledge and faith or knowledge and belief. There is a distinction here, which is an important distinction. Because a person might have very strong faith, which lacks a knowledge base, leading to commitment to falsehood. One may strongly believe in what is incorrect.

You have people who believe that God is a tree or the moon. Or people believe that they are themselves gods. And they believe it very strongly. They can have very firm faith in it. But without true knowledge, it's firm faith in the wrong thing. So when we talk about increasing faith, we're talking about increasing true faith.

The Foundation of True Faith: Knowledge

True faith, which must be preceded by knowledge. Knowledge provides the foundation for true faith. It's not blind. Yes, atheists and others like to say, you have blind faith. Your faith is blind. It's not based on reason and knowledge. It's just something you believe in. But no, that's not correct. True faith is based on knowledge.

Real knowledge. Knowledge which is authentic knowledge. Knowledge which originates with God, with Allah. This is where true knowledge originates. We have a lot of knowledge in this world. But not all of it is true.

We have false knowledge propagated for a variety of purposes. Whether it is to remove from people's mind the need to think about God, so we propagate evolution, we evolved. We were not created, we evolved. That's false knowledge. But it is popular. It is widespread.

So, true knowledge originates with the Creator. With that true knowledge revealed in the form of revelation, scriptures to the prophets of God. That true knowledge is the foundation of true faith.

Quranic Evidence: Knowledge Before Faith

Now, we find this stated very clearly in the Quran, in Surah Muhammad, verse 19, the 47th chapter:

"Know that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah."

Know it. Have knowledge of it. Not repeating it because your parents said it, because somebody told you to say it. This is not faith, not the basis of faith. That is the basis of custom, habit. But real faith, it comes from knowledge.

That's why Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

(Source Name)

"Whoever dies knowing that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah will enter paradise."

Whoever dies knowing that none has the right to be worshipped, but Allah will enter paradise. Whoever dies knowing, not whoever dies saying, or people saying for him, or saying around him, but whoever dies knowing that none has the right to be worshipped, except Allah will enter paradise. That is the criterion based on knowledge.

The Fluctuating Nature of Faith

So, having understood that, we need to look at the state of our faith. How is our faith today? Does faith remain at a constant, or is faith fluctuating, going up sometimes, going down at other times? I think most of us will say that's true. We're not always at the same level of faith. It's going up and it's going down.

The Prophet (may God's peace and blessings be upon him) had said: Every heart is covered by a cloud, like a cloud covering the full moon, which causes it to suddenly go dark. But when it passes, the moon shines again. Every heart is covered by a cloud, like the cloud which covers the moon, the full moon, causing it to suddenly

go dark. But then the cloud passes, and the moon shines again. That's the faith. Sometimes falls to a low, and sometimes it comes back again, when the cloud passes.

And he said in another simile: Faith wears out in your hearts, just as clothes wear out. So ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts. Faith wears out in your hearts, just as clothes wear out. So ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts. So faith fluctuates. It goes up and it goes down. It wears out. It's blocked.

General Principle: What Increases and Decreases Faith

So what do we need to increase it? In general, what's the general principle, before looking at difficult times? Let's look at the general principle. What is the general principle, which causes faith to increase and decrease?

Faith increases by good deeds, by doing righteous deeds. When we do righteousness, faith increases. By committing sins, faith decreases. That's the general formula.

Now Satan fits in this picture in the sin category. Suggesting sins, encouraging sins, promoting sins, but it's still you who has to do the sin for your faith to decrease. And that's why, Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said: follow up your sins with good deeds. If you commit a sin, follow it up with a good deed. And it will wipe it out.

Allah said in the Quran: "Indeed, righteous deeds erase evil deeds."

And this is the grace of God. This is the mercy of Allah. The good deed is multiplied in its value. So it can wipe out evil deeds.

Of course, this is not when you plot and plan, I'm going to do this evil deed, so let me plan a good deed afterwards. No. That's not the one which wipes out evil deeds. Where we commit a sin, we do an evil deed, and then we catch ourselves, we realize we shouldn't have done this. This was evil, it was wrong. Then we decide, let me do some good to try to erase it. That's the one that erases it. Not the ones we plan ahead.

As I spoke before, when people delay their Hajj, delay the pilgrimage to the later years, that's a good deed, which they're hoping to wipe out the evil deeds they're doing now. So they say, we do it later, when we can't do any more evil deeds, we've run out of evil deeds, then we go and make Hajj and wipe it out. That kind of thinking will not purify us from sin. Those good deeds will not erase sin, because we have planned it ahead. It has to be sincere.

Increasing Faith Through Practice of Islam

So, knowing that good deeds erase evil deeds, then considering our circumstance, in our times of trial, whether it's due to the tsunami, or other trials which exist within the society, in the country, around the world, whether it is what is happening to people in Iraq, or Kashmir, or Chechnya, or whatever. Wherever Muslims are suffering, these are the trials that Muslims are facing.

How do we increase our faith? Fundamentally, it is by practicing Islam. Quite simply. Not very complicated. Just practice Islam. If we do what Allah tells us to do, then our faith will increase, our communities will come together, and we will be able to change our situations, and change the world. Bring good to the world.

Be known for good in the world, as we were in the past. In the distant past, we were known as the centers of civilization, where knowledge and learning thrived and flourished. We had no contradiction between science and religion. No, it was all from God. So people flocked to our universities, and to our centers, from all around the world. The knowledge that is available today, of technology, modern science, etc., is built on the knowledge that we taught the world.

But today, we have lost our way. So how to get back? Well, the starting point has to be revelation. Revelation has to be the starting point. Meaning, the Quran. This is our starting point. There is no other starting point.

First Principle: Returning to the Quran

But the Quran itself, the last revelation of God to humankind. Allah revealed His word, His will. He showed us the way in the Quran. The way to raise faith, to purify it, to remove sin, to cure the hearts of their diseases. As He said in Surah Al-Isra, verse 82:

"I sent down from the Quran, what is a cure and mercy for the believers."

And in Surah Yunus, verse 57, He said:

"O humankind, good advice has come to you from your Lord. And a cure for what is in the hearts. And guidance and mercy for the believers."

So the primary medicine for our current state of illness, our diseased hearts, the primary medicine is the Quran itself, which Allah describes as a cure for what is in the hearts.

But how do we use this cure? Allah tells us:

"Will they not reflect on the meanings of the Quran? Or are their hearts locked up?"

"A blessed book which I have sent down to you that they may ponder over its verses. And that men and women of understanding would remember."

The Quran is for reflection, pondering over its verses. Allah has revealed in it guidance and a cure for what is in the hearts. So, our first step towards increasing our faith in these difficult times is to go back to the Quran. To read it in Arabic and in our local languages. The translation of its meanings we should read at the same time. Because how can we ponder over it if we read it in the Arabic text and we don't know what it says. Then we cannot ponder over it. So we must know what is it Allah is saying to us. So it can have an impact on us.

Second Principle: Seeking Knowledge

Secondly, we need to seek greater knowledge about Islam as a whole. About Allah. To know who He is correctly. To remove from our hearts any misunderstandings, any misgivings, any false knowledge, any false information. We need to seek knowledge.

As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

(Source Name)

"Seeking knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim."

Primarily knowledge of Allah, of the creator of this universe. Know who He is. Accept Him in your hearts. Because if you don't accept Him in your hearts and you only speak about Him with your lips and your tongues, then we will not benefit from anything that we have gained. Whether it be knowledge or in any form of information that we manage to acquire. It will only be for show or to fulfill some rituals, etc.

But it will not be beneficial to us according to Iman, according to our hearts. It will not raise the level of our Iman. And this is why, this is why Allah said in the Quran, in Surah Fatir verse 28:

"Indeed, of Allah's servants, it is the scholars who truly fear Him."

Reference: Quran 35:28

Indeed, of Allah's servants, it is the scholars, the knowledgeable ones, people of knowledge who fear Him. Even those who belong to other systems, who are scientists, etc. You find that science leads them ultimately to recognize Allah. Because their knowledge of the stars, their knowledge of the earth, of biology, etc. It leads them in their heart of hearts to recognize and to accept Allah.

Third Principle: Remembrance of Allah (Dhikrullah)

The third principle that we need to develop is to remember Allah regularly. What we refer to as Dhikrullah. To remember Allah often. As He said in Surah Al-Ahzab verse 41:

"O you who believe, remember Allah often."

Reference: Quran 33:41

Remember Allah often. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), on one occasion when a man complained to him that the duties of Islam were too much for him, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told him: keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah.

And as we mentioned earlier in the previous lecture about the quest for inner peace:

"It is only with the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find rest."

Reference: Quran 13:28

So if our faith is to increase, it has to increase with a sense within ourselves of peace. We have to have inner peace, peace within ourselves for that faith, that iman to grow. So remembrance of Allah, we have to come to, we have to commit ourselves to.

It is the purpose of prayer, it's the purpose of fasting, it's the purpose of giving zakah or charity. It's the purpose of hajj. Islam is about remembrance of Allah. So we have to keep that focus there, remembrance of Allah.

Remember there is a goal behind salah. It's not the salah, the prayer itself is a means, it's not an end.

What happens to us is that we may turn it into an end, so we do it, it's over, okay fine, let me get on to my business. We're not thinking that it is a means to an end. The end being remembrance of Allah.

Allah said in the Quran:

"Establish the prayer for my remembrance."

Reference: Quran 20:14

So that is the goal. The goal of worship is remembrance of Allah. So our faith can only increase in these times if we are conscious of Allah. If we remember Allah in all aspects of our lives.

Not just sitting after salah and saying, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar. Yes, that is a form of remembrance of Allah, and making dua. But, remembrance of Allah should not be restricted to this. That is only one aspect. Remembrance of Allah should be in whatever we say.

Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fears Allah on the last day, will either speak good or remain silent. So even in our conversations, when we choose to be silent, when we have nothing good to say, we are remembering Allah. It is a part of remembrance of Allah.

And when we raise our children, when we consider the education of our children, where should they be educated? We need to find the best place for them to be educated. Where they will receive proper Islamic teaching and training. That this is our duty, we owe it to them. When we think like that, that is remembrance of Allah.

Remembering our duty to our children, that we give them proper Islamic upbringing. So we are concerned about our children. We are concerned about our business. When we have the choice between doing honest business, and making a moderate profit, and doing dishonest business, and making a great big profit, we remember Allah, and we are honest. We do honest business, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said, that the best of us are those who are best in character.

(خَيْرُكُمْ أَحْسَنُكُمْ خُلُقًا - Khayrukum ahsanukum khuluqan)

"The best of you are the best in manners, in moral character."

This is what is pleasing to Allah. So we remembered Allah, and so on and so forth in every aspect of our lives. We remember Allah, and in remembering Allah, our faith increases.

Fourth Principle: Reflecting on Death

The other point that we need to reflect on, for increasing faith, is death. We need to reflect on death. Usually people don't like to hear death. It's a bad omen. Get away from it. In this society, if somebody, you step out of your house, and somebody goes walking by with a dead body, uh-oh, death. You don't want to think about it.

But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: remember the destroyer of pleasures often. The destroyer of pleasures is death, because pleasures end at that point. So remember it often.

He said: I used to forbid you from visiting graves, but now you should visit them, for it softens the heart. It fills the eyes with tears, and it reminds one of the hereafter. But don't do anything false. Visit them often, for it softens the heart. It fills the eyes with tears, and reminds one of the hereafter.

Visit the graveyards. Be involved in the janazah. Don't just pray in the masjid, when they bring someone for the prayer, the funeral prayer. Follow the janazah. There's more reward. To the graveyard, until people are buried.

And reflect on death, which is around the corner. And it is our forgetting it, which oftentimes leads us to many sins. We forget that death is around the corner. We keep thinking, I'm still young at 30. I'm still young at 40. I'm still young at 50. And as we get older, we still think we're young. There's still plenty of time, that we can repent later. No.

Death is upon us. It's upon each and every one of us. Every time that we lie down in our beds, and we go to sleep, we have entered into the state, which the Prophet called, the sister of death. And it is up to Allah, whether He will allow our souls to come back to our bodies from our sleep, or whether He will keep them. Every night, we have a brush with death. Every night, we have a brush with death.

If we wake up in the morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us to say:

"All praise is due to Allah, who gave us life, after causing us to die. And to Him is the return, the gathering. We'll be gathered all back to Him."

That dua is something we should be reflecting on, but we don't. We just say it, if we manage to say it. We need to reflect on it. Death is tonight. We're going to meet death tonight. And if we make it to the morning, let's make that supplication which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us sincerely.

"All praise is due to Allah, who gave us life, brought us back to life, after causing us to die. And to Him, we will be gathered."

So brothers and sisters, remember death. Let us do what it causes or what is necessary to help us to remember death. And in remembering death, we should remember the hereafter in general. What we will meet when we are raised up, when we come before Allah, what will be our fate.

Fifth Principle: Focus on the Hereafter

We should think about it and make it the basis for our program in life. Think about the hereafter. And that's the point I would like us to focus on now. As Muslims, we all know that this life is a transition. The greater life, the eternal life is the life to come. This life is only a test.

So therefore, if that is the case, then the life to come should be where our focus lies. That is common sense.

That is reason. That is logic. But we have to look into our lives and see where the focus is. Is it really on the hereafter? Is it really on the life to come? Or are we lost in the dunya? Lost in this material world where our greatest concern is about this material world?

Well, the Prophet (may God's peace and blessings be upon him) taught us in a hadith found in Sunan Ibn Majah.

The principle enunciated by that well-known motivational speaker Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he mentioned among them habit or principle of first things first. That's what I'd like us to reflect on right now. First things first.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Whoever makes this material world his goal, Allah will scatter his affairs, place poverty between his eyes. And he will not get from this world except what Allah has written for him."

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

Whoever makes this world his goal. How do we know when somebody has made this world his goal? When the only thing he talks about is this world. When you sit down and talk with him, he only talks about his car, his house, his children, his money, his vacation. That's all he talks about. That means this world is his goal.

He might say, yes, there's an Akhira, and yes, we are supposed to, you know, come before God, and we will be judged, and there's heaven and hell, but that's not what he talks about. So if the only thing he talks about is the things of this life, that is the extent of his conversation, then we say, this life has become his goal.

So Allah said, that he will scatter his affairs. Meaning, he has made this life his goal, so he's only focused on money. How I can get money, how I can make money, how I can save money, how I can spend money, that is his focus. But what happens is that, though that is his focus, he's not able to deal with it systematically and consistently. What you find, he's running here, he's running there, he's running over here, he's running over there. No rest. His affairs are scattered.

And Allah will put poverty between his eyes. So even though he's gathering money, he's increasing bank account, he's increasing etc. But, there will be poverty between his eyes. Meaning, he fears loss of his wealth. Anybody who he sees, who smiles at him, he thinks, oh, he must want something from me. What is he after? He cannot treat a smile as a friendly gesture. No. The person's got something in the back of his mind. He's planning, he's plotting to get some of my money. See, that's how he's thinking. So he's suspicious of everybody around him. Poverty is between his eyes.

It may be so much so, that when the stock market crashes, we read about it in America, a stock broker, he has a fortune of 8 million dollars. Stock market crashes, he loses 5 million dollars. That hits him so hard. The loss is

so great, he jumps out of the window. He still has 3 million left. Hey, what you could do with 3 million? No.

But for him, that loss is so devastating, he takes his life. And we see it, among the rich and famous. How many of them take their lives? They seem to have everything, that we're supposed to have, or that people want and desire. But yet they're killing themselves, committing suicide. Their lives are in shambles. Because we cannot achieve happiness, peace of heart, through the dunya.

We can't. It is a false story and image, which is promoted through the media, through the newspapers, the magazines, the television, promotes this beautiful picture, which is only a facade, it's fake. What is behind it, is corruption, unhappiness, wretchedness, because people have made this world their goal.

And even after all of that, after running around here, there and everywhere, trying to gather whatever we can of this world, we will only get, what God, Allah, has already written for us. No more. What God already wrote, before He created us, is going to be our lot. We will not get any more than that.

The Alternative: Making the Akhirah Our Goal

So then, what is the alternative? Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

"And whoever makes the hereafter his intention, Allah will bring his affair together."

How do we know when somebody's niyah, or his intention is the akhirah? You will see how he conducts his life, he or she conducts his life. They are not tied up with all of the trappings of this life. They are not focused on gaining and getting and going and taking and living a high life, an enjoyable life, no. They take from this world what is necessary, they live simple lives.

And when you talk to them about the things of this world, they talk about it as if it is something temporary. Yes, we have this but Allah could take it away anytime. We have it for a time. And so I'm going to try to use this in a way that's pleasing to Allah. Allah has blessed me with a car, then I will use that car part of the time to spread his word, to distribute information about Allah and about Islam to the society. I will use it to help the needy. I use it sometime for things other than just myself.

And so I will deal with all of the various properties that I have. I will look for ways and means that I can use it to earn blessings for myself, not just to consume it. We shouldn't be consumers. Yes, we consume but we shouldn't be consumers, meaning that's the sum total of our lives. No.

We should utilize, we should exploit this world and the things of this world in order to benefit us in the next world. That should be our focus. How can I use this which Allah has given me to benefit me in the world to

come? That should be our focus.

Such a person, then the Akhirah is his or her intention:

"In such a case, then Allah brings their affair together."

All of their affairs come together. They are relaxed. They can deal with the issues of life. They're not confused.

You ask them where you're going, what are you doing, what are you planning to do, etc. They're able to give you answers just like that. Very easy. Because the way is clear. The way ahead is clear. Where they're headed, what they want to do is clear.

And Allah said through his messenger that Allah will put richness in his heart:

"He will put his richness, his wealth. His wealth and richness will be in his heart."

There will be something around him also, but the real wealth and richness will be in his heart. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It cannot be achieved through drugs. It cannot be achieved through music. It cannot be achieved through yoga. It cannot be achieved through anything of this world. It can only be achieved through the heart linking itself with Allah.

Remembering Allah. Focusing on the hereafter.

Conclusion: Renewing Our Faith and Commitment

So, to increase our faith back to the beginning, we need to know what faith is. There's a difference between knowledge and faith. Satan had knowledge. Satan knew Allah better than you or I. But he didn't have faith. So, there's a difference between the two. We need to have faith. But that faith should be based on knowledge.

Let's increase it by righteous deeds. This gathering is a righteous deed. If we have come here to gain some knowledge about Allah, about God, about Islam, about the way of life which Allah has prescribed for man.

So, I ask Allah not to let any of us leave this gathering without renewing our faith. Without renewing our faith and our commitment to first things first, to the hereafter. To making the hereafter our goal and our intention. And to changing our lives so that it reflects that goal and intention.

As it said, actions speak louder than words. You've heard me. You agree and you can repeat what I said. But will you do according to what I said and you heard and you said? That is the question.

I ask Allah to help each and every one of us leave this gathering with a renewed intention to make the hereafter our goal. To step out of here and to try to turn our lives around into lives that are pleasing to Allah. To lives which reflect, focus on the hereafter.

Closing

"Allah is enough for me."