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I thought it may be a good idea to post a thread about how to renew and strengthen your iman - specifically I had in mind how you can help yourself insha'allah, and help others around you should you need it - and give dawah insha'allah.
When someone is suffering from low iman - be it a new revert being tempted back to their old life or a born muslim who is struggling or any person who is experiencing a point in their life when they need to up their Islamic knowledge and behaviour - I believe we should always go 'back to basics' insha'allah and start with assessing what iman is.
Iman is faith in Allah swt as the One and Only God, belief in the Day of Judgement, His Prophets, His Books, Qadar ( divine destiny), Angels and Jinn insha'alllah
There is no point trying to focus on how to stop yourself or another from committing haram unless the belief in Allah swt is solid in the first place insha'allah. When this iman is strong then of course it dictates the person behaviour - fearing Allah swt, praising and remembering Allah swt and staying away from haram and embracing halal insha'allah
With the sound mind, we know irrefutably that every writing has to have a writer, the act of hitting has to have a hitter, and that a building has to have a builder. Therefore, it follows that this universe with all the creations in it has to have a creator Who is Alive, attributed with Will, Knowledge, and Power, and this is Allah. He is clear of all imperfections. He is the One Who does not resemble any of His creations, and nothing resembles Him. The sound mind does not accept the existence of an action without someone who carried it out.
It is not conceivable for nature to be the Creator, because nature has no will. So, how would nature create? It is also not permissible for something to create itself. Finally, something cannot create something that resembles it.
For example, the child is born small; he does not talk or walk. Then he develops. He starts gradually and slowly to talk and walk. Then he matures and becomes a young man, then middle-aged, then old, after which he dies. Who changed him and transformed him from one state to another? Allah is the One Who created and changed him, and willed for him to die.
A story of a man who denied the existence of Allah:
It is related that a man who denied the existence of the Creator came once to one of the caliphs and told him: "The scholars of your time say that there is a creator for this universe, and I am prepared to prove to them that this universe has no creator."
The caliph sent for one of the top scholars telling him of the man's claim and ordering him to come. The scholar was purposely late; then he came. The caliph welcomed him and seated him in the center of the session. Present at this meeting were many scholars and important people. So the man said: "Why were you late in your arrival?" The scholar said: "What if I tell you that a very strange matter occurred to me, and because of it I was late? My house is behind the river of Dijlah (Tigris). I came to cross the river, but I did not find anything other than an old boat with broken planks. When my gaze fell onto it, the planks moved, came together, and reassembled so that the boat became seaworthy. All this happened without the work of a carpenter or a worker. I sat in it, crossed the river, and came to this place.”
The man said: "O people, listen to what your scholar says. Have you heard anything more absurd than this? How can a boat exist without a carpenter to build it? This is an explicit lie."
The scholar said: "O blasphemer, if the mind does not accept the existence of a boat without a builder or carpenter, then how do you say that this entire universe exists without a creator?" The man became silent. He was refuted. The caliph punished him because of his bad beliefs.
Tips for improving iman and deen
1. Surround yourself in good company. If you are helping another with improving their iman - make sure you are available to help and support them at all times - be close to them - soon they will see the difference between spending time with a practicing muslim and bad company ( non believers or hypocrites)
2. Read all the 5 times prayers on time. Set yourself a challenege to remember the times with no reminder. If you are helping another - encourage them to pray - TEACH them to pray - relate to their struggles. Explain to them why it is so important.
3. Talk - and question. If there is something that has always bothered you or you have wondered about in Islam - go research it, question it, debate it. If you are helping another do the same with them - engage them in talks
4. Appreciate the beauty of this world. Look around you for the signs of Allah swt's creation
5.Make du'a to Allah swt to guide you with an open heart. Make du'a for others.
6. Ponder on the shortness of this life and its meaning,
7. Ponder on the ability of Allah swt to do whatever He wills. Consider that there are so many things we as humans and science do not have the answer for. Think about 'luck' and 'coincidences' and fate in the Islamic sense.
8. Read, read, read and unite, unite, unite.
A muslim who does not seek knowledge is a poor muslim and a muslim who has no support from others is a lonely muslim
