FaFirru ILLA-ALLAAH! "Flee onto Allah"

BismiAllah!
Assalaamu Alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

I hope and pray that this reaches you in the best of health/imaan.

This dunya is filled with a lot of temptations and a lot of misguidance. It is no surprise that we sometimes lose it all and give up. There are these moments in life in which you feel like a fly with a damaged wing---falling every time you try to get back up from some bumps in life and moments in which you feel so empty within...alone in your own world. There is no denial in the fact that as we sail through the wonders of this Dunya, we sometimes lose our sense of direction and purpose. We lose our sense of self and start indulging in the moments that fill us up with instant pleasures---and consequently, we slowly start losing our connection with Allaah ta'ala.

The question is though, how does one loose connection with Allaah? How does one slowly become a victim of misery and loneliness? Well, dear reader, the answer is in the words of our beloved prophet (Sala-Allah alahi Wasalaam). Consider the flowing Hadith:  on the authority of Hammad Ibn Salamah, on the authority of Abu Jafar, on the authority of his grandfather Umayr Ibn Habib al-Khatmi, one of the Companions of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), that he [the Prophet] said: "Iman increases and diminishes." He was then asked: "How does it increase and diminish?" He replied: "If we hold Allah in remembrance, praise Him, and glorify Him, our Iman increases. But if we hold Allah in little remembrance, our Imaan diminishes."

Like everything else in this Dunya, if one doesn't constantly work on beautifying and perfecting his/her Imaan, it will soon begin to diminish. Imaan is in need of nourishment and great care for it feeds the soul just as food feeds the body. As the prophet SalaAllahu Alahi wasalaam mentioned, the nourishment for our Imaan is remembrance of Allah.  When one becomes so focused in this Dunya, finding little or no time for Islamic activities, they start to forget Allaah ta'ala. They begin to do things that make their hearts hard as rock--indulging in the disobedience of their creator. However, deep inside it hurts to commit those sins, it hurts to go against the rules and regulation of Allaah and it hurts to face him once it's all done.

A person then goes through a period of depression--giving up hope on the one up above. They become fearful of going back to Allaah and making things straight with Him. They feel shameful of their wrong-doings that they constantly find themselves crying without a reason. However, they cant really force themselves to go ahead and make proper repentance---by praying to Ra'akts and asking for Allaah's forgiveness and guidance. This isn't because they do not want to do proper repentance, but because they're in great shame and are afraid of standing before the king of kings!

But how can one be shameful or scared to go back to Allaah ta'ala? Dear, know that Allaah does not reject anyone so flee unto Him when you lose track. For indeed your Lord is, the oft-forgiver, the most merciful, the most loving and the patient one---how then can you be scared of rushing to go back to him? The truth is that Allaah loves those who repent to Him, those who seek him after they have been lost. He loves it when a believer returns to Him seeking nothing but forgiveness and mercy and unlike humans---Allaah does not hold grudges! So dear, when you feel down, when you lose hope and when you feel like no one can help you....take few minutes and flee unto Allaah for He will never disappoint you.

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وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad concerning Me, then answer them:), I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me.

So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. (Surah al Baqarah v. 186.)