You Can Do It

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah Almighty says,

... لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity...

[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286]

Therefore, doing what Allah wants us to do is within our capacity. He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. If we cannot do it, He would not have commanded it. He is good and He does not wrong His slaves.

"O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress each other..." [Hadith Qudsi -- related by Muslim]

If you are sincere about wanting to obey Allah, it should be very easy to do.

If you don't pray, fast, pay zakat, give charity, perform hajj, put on your hijab/cover your nakedness, learn the Qur'an, seek knowledge, avoid prohibitions, or perform certain sunnahs, etc., it has nothing to do with the command being difficult. It means you have to work on your Imam (Faith/Belief).

First repent to Allah. We should never lose hope in the Mercy of Allah. Repent sincerely, i.e., accept that you sinned, feel sorry, and have a firm intention of never repeating the sin. Always have a firm belief that Allah will accept your repentance.

إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا ﴿٣ ...

Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance. (3)

[Qur'an An-Nasr 110:3]

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

"Allah the Almighty said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.'"

[At-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.]

Make du'a. Ask Allah to guide you, help you do what pleases Him and give you tawfiq.

Allah is All Powerful. "Nothing is difficult if you seek it through your Lord, and nothing is easy if you seek it through yourself." [Hikam of Ibn Ata'ila]

Put all your trust in Allah alone and never despair.

Now, how do you know what Allah wants you to do. It's not that difficult actually. There are so many resources on Islam out there at the touch of your fingertips. But be careful, you might get lost in the jungle. Nothing replaces a real teacher. So seek qualified teachers to teach you this Deen.

If you haven't read the Imam An-Nawawi's Forty hadith, pick up the book today and start reading cover to cover. InshaAllah it is a good start to familiarize yourself with this Deen and put some of the teachings into practice right away.

"Every person wishing to attain the Hereafter should know these hadith because of the important matters they contain and the directions they give in respect of all forms of obedience, this being obvious to anyone who has reflected upon it." [Imam An-Nawawi]

May Allah guide us on the straight path and bring us teachers who He is pleased with. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam