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In the very moment when your heart becomes a battlefield, when you feel empty inside and your faith no longer feels as strong as it once did, Allah may be calling you toward a new awakening if only you know the way back.

There are times when we feel that something has changed in our hearts. The hope, peace, and excitement we once had slowly begin to fade. Our hearts feel heavy, and questions start filling our minds: What am I doing with my life? What is my purpose? Why am I here? What will my future look like? Am I on the right path? What happens after this life? And will I ever truly find peace and happiness? Sometimes these feelings come because our prayers seem to go unanswered, or because we do not reach the goals, we worked so hard for or sometimes they come from being far away from the people we love, or from a deep longing in our hearts that we cannot even explain. I remember a time when I couldn't wait for salah. I loved opening the Qur'an. Making dhikr filled my heart with peace, and I truly felt close to Allah. But slowly... something changed. I still prayed, but it began to feel like a routine. I opened the Qur'an, but my heart no longer moved the way it once had. I made du'a, but sometimes it felt as though my words never rose beyond the ceiling. Then the questions began to fill my mind:

Why don't I feel anything anymore?

Has Allah become displeased with me?

Why do my prayers seem unanswered?

Why do I keep falling into the same sins?

Will I ever have the imaan I once had?

To escape these feelings, we try different things. We go to a cafe, take a walk in the park, go shopping or we scroll through social media, watch videos, play games, spend time with friends or any way to keep ourselves busy. For a while, these things distract us and bring some comfort. But when the day comes to an end and everything becomes quiet, we still find the same emptiness waiting inside us an emptiness that nothing in this world seems able to fill deep inside.

We yearn for the hearts we once had.

We yearn for the joy of salah.

We yearn for the tears we once shed in du'a.

We yearn for the closeness we once felt to Allah.

We yearn for the sweetness of every ayah of the Qur'an.

We yearn for the peace, light, and nearness of Allah that once filled our hearts in sujood.

Then our minds fill with whispers:

Allah doesn't care about you.

You are not one of His beloved servants.

Your sins are too many.

You have changed.

You will never have the imaan you once had.

Slowly, these whispers become louder. They steal our motivation to pray, read the Qur'an, make dhikr, and do good deeds. Everything that once brought peace now feels difficult. It feels as though a silent battle is taking place inside our hearts a battle between hope and despair, between faith and doubt. The emptiness grows deeper, and we begin to wonder if we will ever feel close to Allah again?

If you have ever felt this way, there is good news: you are not alone. Every believer experience moment when imaan rises and falls. I know these feelings because I have lived them myself. I searched everywhere for answers. I wanted to understand why my imaan feel these, why my heart felt so empty after all that blessing, and why these thoughts kept returning. I start reading books, hadiths, listened to lectures, searched in Quran and looked for anything that could explain the battle taking place inside my heart.

Then, by the will of Allah, I came across a hadith that I had never read before. Perhaps you have never read it either. That hadith completely changed the way I understood the struggle inside me. It showed me that not every thought comes from me, not every whisper speaks the truth.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Indeed the Shaitan has an effect on the son of Adam, and the angel also has an effect. As for the Shaitan, it is by threatening evil repercussions and rejecting the truth. As for the effect of the angel, it is by his promise of a good end and believing in the truth. Whoever finds that, let him know that it is from Allah, and let him praise Allah for it. Whoever finds the other then let him seek refuge with Allah from the Shaitan (the outcast) then recite: Shaitan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahisha (2:268)". (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2988)

When I read this hadith, I realized that not every thought in my mind was my own. Some thoughts invite us toward hope, truth, and closeness to Allah, while others try to pull us into despair, doubt, and distance from Him. Realizing this changed everything. Instead of believing every whisper that entered my heart, I learned to recognize where it came from, where it was leading me, and how to turn back to Allah whenever those whispers appeared. Here, I would like to divide this into five steps for clear instruction an easily way to follow.

Step 1: Identify the Source of Your Fleeting Thoughts

The first step in renewing our imaan is to recognize where our thoughts are coming from. Not every thought that enters our mind is a reflection of who we are. Some thoughts inspire us to draw closer to Allah, while others try to pull us away from Him. Learning to recognize the difference is one of the greatest keys to protecting our hearts and mind.

1. Shaitan Flows Through Us Like Blood

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, Shaitan flows through the son of Adam as blood flows through the body". (Sahih al-Bukhari 7171)

2. Shaitan Attacks Our Faith with Doubts

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Shaitan comes to one of you and says, 'Who created so-and-so? 'till he says, 'Who has created your Lord?' So, when he inspires such a question, one should seek refuge with Allah and give up such thoughts". (Sahih al-Bukhari 3276)

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that Shaitan constantly tries to distract and mislead us, especially during our acts of worship or any good deeds. This teaches us that Shaitan continually looks for opportunities to plant whispers of fear, doubt, laziness, hopelessness, despair, emptiness, and negative thoughts in our hearts making difficult things seem impossible and encouraging us to give up before we even try. Recognizing these whispers helps us understand that they are not necessarily the truth, so we do not have to accept them, believe them, or follow them.

Step 2: Know That Even These Whispers Can Be a Sign of Faith

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! one of us has thoughts of such nature that he would rather be reduced to charcoal than speak about them. He said: Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great. Praise be to Allah Who has reduced the guile of the devil to evil prompting. Ibn Qudamah said "reduced his matter" instead of "reduced his guile". (Sunan Abi Dawud 5112)

What this means? The fact that you hate these evil thoughts and don’t want to speak them shows your faith is strong, Shaitan can only whisper; he cannot force you. Unwanted thoughts do not mean you have weak faith or that you believe them. Shaitan can whisper, but he cannot force you to accept or follow those thoughts. If you dislike these whispers and turn back to Allah, that itself can be a sign that your heart still cares about faith. Do not panic or keep arguing with the thought, seek refuge in Allah, let it pass, and return your attention to what is good.

Step 3: Speak to Yourself with Hope in Allah, Not Despair

 The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "None of you should say, 'My soul has become evil.' Instead, let him say, 'My soul is feeling distressed." (Sahih Muslim 2251)

Narrated Samurah ibn Jundub: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not invoke Allah's curse, Allah's anger, or Hell". (Sunan Abi Dawud 4906(

Think about how often we say things like, "I'm useless," "I'm a terrible Muslim," "Allah will never forgive me," or "There's no hope for me." These words do not bring us closer to Allah. They only increase our sadness and make us give up. Yes, we all make mistakes. We all fall into sin. But that does not mean Allah has given up on us. It does not mean there is no way back. So, the next time these whispers come, do not repeat them to yourself. Instead, remember that they are not helping you they are pulling you away from peace and happiness. Replace them with hope, sat “Allah is Rahim” “Allah is all the time near to me” “Allah love his Salve to return and I am one of them” and keep walking back to Allah.

Step 4: Know That Imaan Is Like clothes - It Can Wear Out

Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, the faith of one of you will wear out within him, just as a shirt becomes worn out, so ask Allah to renew faith in your hearts.”. (Al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr lil-Ṭabarānī 14668)

Imagine that you wake up in the morning and put on your favourite shirt. Perhaps you have worn it for a long time; it has been washed many times, used many times, and now it is no longer as new and fresh as it was on the first day. But do you throw it away just because it has become a little old? No. You may wash it, iron it, repair it, or, if it has truly become worn out, replace it with another garment. Imaan is like that garment. Look at nature. Think about winter: the trees become bare, the earth becomes cold and lifeless, and many things no longer show signs of life. If you only looked at those days of winter, you might think that life had ended. But then spring comes. The earth becomes green again, trees begin to grow new leaves, flowers bloom, and what seemed dead comes back to life. Allah says: “Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death.” (Al-Hadid :17). Whenever I read this verse, I think about a great truth: if Allah can bring dry and lifeless land back to life, then why can He not bring my tired heart back to life? Maybe today your heart feels like winter, but winter is not the end of life. Sometimes it is simply preparing the way for spring.

Step 5: Renew, Increase and Strengthen Your Imaan

Allah speaks in the Qur'an about increasing imaan, giving peace to the heart, and making hearts firm. that He increases the faith of the believers, fills their hearts with tranquility, and strengthens them until they stand firm through every trial.

The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord. (Al- Anfal:2)

Whenever a sûrah is revealed, some of them ask ˹mockingly˺, “Which of you has this increased in faith?” As for the believers, it has increased them in faith and they rejoice. )At-Tawbah:124(

He is the One Who sent down serenity upon the hearts of the believers so that they may increase even more in their faith. To Allah ˹alone˺ belong the forces of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Al-Fath:4)

We relate to you ˹O Prophet˺ their story in truth. They were youths who truly believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance. (Al-Kahf:13(

And the heart of Moses’ mother ached so much that she almost gave away his identity, had We not reassured her heart in order for her to have faith ˹in Allah’s promise˺. (Al-Qasas:10)

And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and declared, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will never call upon any god besides Him, or we would truly be uttering an outrageous lie.” (Al-Kahf:14)

The most important thing is to learn how to return. Learn how to renew your imaan. Learn the simple steps that bring your heart back to life. When you have this knowledge and these practical skills, you will no longer fear the ups and downs of faith, because you will know that the door back to Allah.

17 Practical Ways to Renew, increase and Strengthen Your Imaan

1. Stay away from anything that makes your heart feel heavy.
2. Make Istighfar immediately after every sin.
3. Make du'a for a firm heart.
4. Read the Qur'an to discover the wisdom behind every ayah.
5. Remember Allah with a present heart.
6. Listen or sing loud to meaningful Islamic poetry and Nasheed.
7. Count Allah's blessings in your life.
8. Help others for the sake of Allah.
9. Listen to someone who needs to be heard.
10. Serve your mother, Spouse, family members or Friends.
11. Spend time with righteous friends.
12. Choose righteous company, online and offline.
13. Honor and feed your guests, especially the poor.
14.  Contribute to Khayr —Take the lead in good deeds, with your wealth, your time, your knowledge, or your energy.
15. Reflect on Allah's creation.
16. Remember the trials of the Prophets.
17. Be consistent, even if your deeds are small.

Conclusion: When we put all these teachings together, we discover a beautiful truth: a tired and weakened imaan is not the end of the journey; it can be the beginning of a new one. It is an opportunity not only to revive your faith, but to make it deeper, stronger, and more sincere to reach a level of certainty and inner peace you may never have known before. If your heart feels weak, your desire for worship has faded, doubts have entered your mind, or the whispers of Shaytan have filled your thoughts, do not think that your faith is lost. As long as you know that the door back to Allah is always open, that He will accept you, and that you are willing to take even the first small step toward Him, these difficult moments can become the very means through which you draw closer to Him. And remember: the ups and downs of imaan are part of every believer’s journey, just like the waves of the sea. Sometimes they are calm, and sometimes they rise high. These very highs and lows keep the ocean of faith moving, creating new and stronger waves. A sea without waves seems still and lifeless; but a sea with waves is alive and in motion.

About the author:

Waresa Azizi

Master student-Department of Fiqh and Usul Al-Fiqh-IIUM

Email: Waresa62@gmail.com