Allah gave us the Quran as divine instruction and wisdom that will never lead us astray. Allah gave it to us as a guide to never stray from Him. If we feel a disconnection between us and God, it is not because of Him, but usually due to a lack of diligence in ourselves. We got lost somewhere because we stopped following the guidebook God gave us. Allah says:
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
“Those who believed and find satisfaction their hearts in the remembrance (of) Allah. No doubt, in the remembrance of Allah find satisfaction the hearts.” (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:28)
It is only by His word, the Quran. In many verses of the Quran, Allah revealed many of His attributes, in terms of where He is, how He sees, how He Plans, how He creates, whom He Loves, who He does not love, who pleases Him, who angers Him, what He wants from us and likewise. A complete surah (al ikhlas) is dedicated to His attributes.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
“O you who believe! Be steadfast for Allah (as) witnesses in justice, and let not prevent you hatred (of) a people [upon] that not you do justice. Be just it (is) nearer to [the] piety. And consciously revere Allah; indeed, Allah (is) All-Aware of what you do.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:8)
One advantage of knowing the meaning of Allah’s names in depth is to strengthen our aqeedah. The more we know about Allah, the better we understand His Might and Power, and easier it will be for us to submit and become a better slave, in sha Allah. He also encourages us to do good by giving us glimpses of paradise. This eventually creates a balance of hope and fear which we can utilize whenever necessary. Allah says:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Say, “O Those who have transgressed against themselves, (do), not despair of (the) Mercy (of) Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives sins all. Indeed He, He (is) the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” (Quran 39:53)
It should be something that you are personally, genuinely grateful to Allah for. How has Allah personally favoured you, do you feel? Is there a dua something you asked Allah for that you KNOW that He responded to? Trusting in Allah means that you trust and believe in His Mercy, His Help, His Wisdom, His Love, and His Goodness. Allah says:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
“And said your Lord, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who (are) proud to worship Me will enter Hell (in) humiliation.” (Surah Ghafir 40:60)
Allah has also given us the free will to strive in establishing a connection with Him. With all our shortcomings, let us focus on overcoming the guilt and fear of our lives in the light of the Quran and Sunnah.
Here are some practical tips to help you connect to our Creator :
- Regardless of Your Perception, Allah is Always Near
- Finding Faith Throughout the Day
- Strive to earn Allah’s love
- Make duaa to Allah (SWT)
- Think grateful to Allah
- Sincere Repentance
- Prayers and Dhikrullah
- Trust in Allah (SWT)
- Five Daily Prayers
- Remember Death
- Deal justly with others
- Learn about Allah (SWT)
- Firmly hope for His Mercy
- Pause and assess yourself
- Remember that angels are listening
- Reading and pondering over the Qur’an
- Add good things to the book of your deeds
- Study the names of Allah and learn to live by them
- Let the earth testify good of you; move around to make sujood
- Surround yourself with people that remind you of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)
- Your heart does not distance itself from Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) overnight
Allah is on your side! If you take 1 step towards Him, He takes many “steps” towards you! Yes, life is hard and unfortunate things happen to us, and we often don’t know why they happen. But if you trust in the mercy and grace of Allah, you know that He wants good for you! Why else would He “rush” to you at great speed if He didn’t want you to succeed? Allah says:
وَاتَّبِعُوا أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ بَغْتَةً وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ
“And follow (the) best (of) what is revealed to you from your Lord before [that] comes to you the punishment suddenly, while you (do) not perceive.” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:55)
One of the foundations of our religion, and only through it, we can purify ourselves. Even the most sinful and shameless is expected to pray. And opening up in our dua is crucial because Shaytaan wants to keep us away from Allah. Wandering around with guilt will not make us hide from Allah. We might not be very open with our closest friend or sibling, but we have to be open with Allah, the All-Hearer because our beloved Prophet encouraged us to depend upon Him for even the smallest of things Allah says:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“And when ask you My servants about Me, then indeed I am near. I respond (to the) invocation (of) the supplicant when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me and let them believe in Me, so that they may (be) led aright.” (Surah Al Baqarah 2: 186)
Our purpose for living is to worship Allah, Who gave us everything we have, including our very existence. If we take every opportunity we have to turn it into an act of worship, then we are actualizing our purpose for existence. How do we turn every moment into an act of worship of our Creator? Through our intentions. May Allah bestow upon you and my contentment and peace in our hearts and a strong bond between us and Him. Ameen.