Question
I’ve been reading your Question and Answer pages for quite sometime now and I really appreciate them, they answer everything in a correct and sensible manner as opposed to unlearned Muslims who announce their replies to be correct in every sense. Anyway, these days I’ve been having a very difficult time with prayers and my faith. I’ve just come to a point in time where I am starting to develop a sense of anger towards God for many reasons. I pray every day and I sometimes ask for things during these times and to this day none of them were ever granted, it makes me feel like God doesn’t want to grant them. They are simple requests, mostly that God give me more strength in my faith towards Him.
Sometimes I feel like my prayers won’t be accepted, I don’t know why but that is the feeling I get when I start reciting them and I start thinking as to why I am taking the time to offer them if God doesn’t accept them. I truly want to keep my faith and I feel like I’m losing it at a very rapid pace. This feeling just forces me to think that maybe God is doing this to me because He’d rather send me astray.
And all these feelings just lead up to this strong sense of anger, of why God created me and is forcing me to choose between Heaven and Hell. Why is He putting me in a position that if I screw up once I’ll be in an eternal punishment, and if I don’t I will be forever rewarded. I wouldn’t be in this position if I were never created.
It hurts the most when I hear that non-Muslims will go to hell and there is no way that you can help it. I don’t believe it, I think that God is merciful and that He would understand the fact that people were born into a Christian family and raised with such strong faith that it was hard for them to accept any other religion. They are only human. Is God truly this strict and easily angered?
Any reply would really help me during this time. It is starting to scare me that I am losing my faith. I don’t know if it’s temporary or if it would last, but it is causing some terrible questions towards God that I feel guilty even thinking about. Is it alright to be angry with Him at one point? Is He truly as merciful as I used to know Him as, before I started hearing people say how strict He is and if you mess up once He will punish you forever?
Thank you so much.
Allah Hafiz.
Answer
For the first part of your question, please refer to one of my answers to a similar question, titled: “Our relationship with our creator” in our section “God and theology” . For your question regarding success in the hereafter for people of other faiths, please refer to: “Will only muslims go to paradise” in our section “Islam and Muslims”
My dear brother/sister, for increasing your faith in the Almighty, devote some time each day to reading and understanding His revelation and guidance to mankind – the Qur’an; some time to ponder upon His creations; some time to consider all the things that you value, which are the result only of God’s mercy upon you; some time to imagine that if He decides to deprive you of all that He has blessed you with, no one has the power or the ability to return these blessings back to you. Such meditative intervals shall, insha’Allah, improve the state of the mind that you are presently in.
I would also suggest that you spend some time in the company of people whom you find to be pious and Godly. Finally, I would suggest that you involve yourself in supererogatory activities of worship. For instance, spend a part of your resources (over and above the obligatory Zaka’h) to help the poor and to help the cause Islam; offer supererogatory (naf’l) prayers; or any other supererogatory offerings that would make you feel closer to God. You shall, insha’Allah see the tremendous effects of these activities on yourself, very soon.
While doing all this, never despair of God’s mercy. God loves you, many times more than even the womb that bore you. I assure you that no mistake or error committed by a repentant heart that is filled with the fear and the love for God, shall be punished. God does not punish unintentional errors. The things that are punished by God are arrogance in response to and rebellion against God’s guidance. God shall never leave you alone, if you truly seek His company. However, He blesses only those with His company, who truly seek His mercy and follow His guidance to the best of their abilities.
My fondest regards to you and those around you.
UIUK team
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