Desires that Weaken our Iman (Faith)
Iman is the most important factor that connects us to our religion and most importantly to Allah. Therefore we should try to keep away the vain desires away from ourselves. Further, we should try to keep a check on our desires daily and do not lose focus and Iman. We should abstain from the worldly desires that we shall mention below and several others that weaken and destroy our Iman. No matter what the situation is and how strongly these desires deviate us from Allah’s path, we should follow the path of Allah and strengthen our Iman with each passing day instead of weakening it.
All religions are based on some doctrines and rules that we need to follow. That is to say, without following those doctrines and rulings there is no purpose of following a religion. For example, the followers of Islam follow the basic set patterns and standards laid by Allah. For instance, believing in Him alone, following His last Prophet (peace be upon him) and believing in His final book; Quran. In other words, without following these basics, we do not fall into the category of believers. In short, obeying these rules and doctrines directly influence the level of our Iman.
Desires that Weaken our Iman
· Affect of Love for Worldly Possessions on our Iman
It is essential for man to earn in this world. In other words, to lead a successful life it is mandatory that man should have a secure earning system. To clarify, it is not possible for us to survive in this world without money. However, having content and a peaceful life along with fulfilling religious duties is essential. That is to say, we need to create a balance between our worldly and religious life. In the same vein, another worldly possession that people extremely get attached to is their children. Further, people become so immersed and emotionally connected to them that they forget realizing the real purpose of life; that is remembering and worshipping Allah.
And know that your properties and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great reward (8:28)
Deep attachment to the world is harmful to us. For example, extreme love for our children and craving for money are distractions that weaken our Iman. Certainly, all the worldly possessions are temporary. In other words, they are just short-term attractions that make us forget Allah. As a result, they weaken our Iman. Therefore our children and other worldly possessions can become a cause of weakening our Iman. The dearest of things severely damage our Iman. Therefore we should not get so involved and immersed in our love for worldly possessions, that they get hold of the special place in our hearts that should only belong to Allah. Allah has referred to such people in the Quran in the following words,
O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that – then those are the losers. (63:9)
· Greed: A main cause of weak Iman
Certainly, manly greed and longing for things and people do not come to an end. That is to say, man is continuously struggling to get more and more in this world. In other words, we are never satisfied with what we have. When some of our desires are fulfilled, we wish for more and never have a stop to our wishes and greed.
And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life – [even] more than those who associate others with Allah . One of them wishes that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be granted life. And Allah is Seeing of what they do. (2:96)
In this verse, Allah is referring to the Jews. Their greed for this worldly life was such that they wanted to live in this world for a thousand years. This greed is present in all humans. However, if we keep a check on our greed, we are more likely to succeed in this life and result in strengthening our Iman. Therefore, we should abstain from greed and endless desires that weaken our Iman and take us away from the right path.
· How Lust Affects our Iman
One of the greatest desires that humans have is fulfilling body needs and lust. In other words, there are situations in life when we are influenced by our desires and emotions. As a result, we commit sin. Such crimes are one of the greatest crimes that man commits. They do not just weaken our Iman but in fact, destroy it severely. We not only lead ourselves away from the path of Allah but also lose our respect and character in the process. Certainly, moving away from the path of Allah and following our desires is definitely a loss of our Iman. Therefore, we should make sure that we do not desire immensely for a thing or person. It will lead us towards destruction.
· Jealousy
It is a common human trait that people instead of focusing on themselves focus on what others have. As a result, they get jealous of others. Therefore this results in hatred for the other person which is harmful to one’s heart and Iman. Jealousy, although, seems trivial and insignificant, but a heart that feels jealousy and hatred for another person is most likely to lose their Iman because Allah is displeased with the one who has ill feelings in their heart for another human.
Conclusion
Iman is the factor that boosts us and keeps our spirit alive. That is to say, without firm faith and belief in Allah, we are nowhere. Hence, it is essential for us to keep boosting our Iman because that is the major factor that connects us to Allah. In other words, one of the very significant ways that help us increase our level of Iman requires believing in the Last book of Allah; The Holy Quran.
And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. (2:4)
Through this verse, we understand that believing in Quran is essential. Therefore what we need to do is recite Quran and understand its meaning. It is certainly an Iman booster. Join QuraOnline today to get the most detailed and informative Online Quran Classes.