Increasing Iman

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

I pray that you are well and in high spirits of Iman.

When the angel of death come to us, nothing else matter except our faith (Iman) in the One. We should be able to say La illaha illallah (there is no god but Allah). You can't say this unless you have been practicing it--like the basketball player who is able to make his basket--he has been practicing for many years to make those perfect shots.

We must go through the physical struggle--something that cause us intense pain--like something happen in our lives, e.g. losing our loved ones, etc. Take for example, Anas ibn Nader (Allah be pleased with him), the companion of Uhud, experienced this intense pain, and that intense pain was hearing the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has been killed.

After the pain is so intense, you need to step back and let go. What did Anas let go off? He let go off this world. We know this because he said to Sa'ad ibn Mua'dah, another great companion (Allah be pleased with him), "I can smell the fragrance of Jannah." And Anas fought unlike any human being could fight.

When you come out of this struggle, your mind body patterns change and you reach a higher level of Iman. And for Anas, he was a matyr and his abode is Jannatul Firdaus inshaAllah.

We may not have the chance to be a matryr like Anas and we don't have to wait till we lose our loved ones or calamities befall us to go through intense pain and hard struggle to reach a higher level of Iman. We can do what was only obligated upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah commanded him (peace and blessings be upon him) to pray at night and this is to prepare him to carry the message of Islam that we have today.

"O you wrapped in garments (i.e. Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him! Stand (to pray) all night, except a little. Half of it, or a little less than that, Or a little more; And recite the Qur'an (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style. Verily, We shall send down to you a weighty Word (i.e. obligations, laws). Verily, the rising by night (for Tahajjud prayer) is very hard and most potent and good for governing oneself, and most suitable for (understanding) the Word (of Allâh). Qur'an Muzzammil 73:1-6

Many of us don't pray qiyamulail (the night vigil prayer) because it not an easy task to get up at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning while everyone was sleeping. A person has to go through a massive struggle to get up at that time. You go through the process of letting it go and so you rise up from your bed and when you say Allahu Akbar, you entered into a higher level of Iman. Your Iman will get stronger and stronger as long as you don't quit inshaAllah. And you will be able to fight like Anas, in spirit, inshaAllah.

If we wonder why can't we carry the message of Islam, it is because our Iman is not strong and we are not doing anything to make it strong.

May Allah increase our Iman. Ameen.