Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As-Salaam Alaikum,

Brother I would like to start with that I love this website. It has truly answered alot of my questions. I`m a new Muslim, and I want to know how does one get closer to Allah(SWT). I`ve heard scholars say the fast way is through the heart but they never go into details about how one can do this. Thank you for your time and patience.

As-Salaam Alaikum,

Sincerly,

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

How to get close to Allah?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: Brother I would like to start with that I love this website. It has truly answered alot of my questions.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Statement: I`m a new Muslim,

First and foremost, on behalf of all the brothers and sisters of this forum, and indeed on behalf on all the true believers, we wholeheartedly congratulate you on your choice to choose Islam as your deen and way of Life. May Allah Subhanah accept your reversion to this beautiful and easy deen, have Mercy on you, help you, guide, you, forgive you and us our shortcomings, and save you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 125-127:

125 Those whom Allah (in His Plan) Wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islam; those whom He Wills to leave straying He makes their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.

126 This is the Way of thy Lord leading Straight: We have detailed the Signs for those who receive admonition.

127 For them will be a Home of Peace in the presence of their Lord: He will be their Friend because they practiced (righteousness).

Hadrat Amr ibn al-'As (r.a.) says: "When Allah guided me to Islam, I went to the Prophet (saws) and said to him: 'O Prophet of Allah! Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge my allegiance to you.' The Prophet (saws) stretched out his hand to me, but I withdrew my hand. The Prophet (saws) asked: 'O 'Amr! What is the matter with you?' I said: 'I would like to stipulate a condition! ' The Prophet (saws) asked: 'What is it?' I said: 'That all my past sins be forgiven!' The Prophet (saws) said: 'O 'Amr! Do you not know that acceptance of Islam wipes off all past sins, and Hijrah (leaving one’s home and hearth for Allah's cause) wipes off all sins, and (similarly) Hajj wipes off all past sins!"'

Related by Muslim.

Allah-o-Akbar! Allah-o-Akbar! Allah-o-Akbar! Our heartfelt Congratulations and Felications to you, our beloved brother in Islam, on the good news and glad tidings of the Prophet (saws) who confirmed that the reversion of one to Islam absolutely and completely wipes off all of one’s past sins. Allah is our witness brother, if it were not a sin in Islam, we would all be envious of your fortunate status in the sight of the Merciful Lord. We beg and implore our Lord Most Merciful, in absolute and utter humility and fear and hope, that just as He has shown Mercy to our New Brother in Islam and forgiven you your past sins…He forgives us all our past sins and wipe them out from our Book of Records. Ameen.

Your Question: I want to know how does one get closer to Allah(SWT). I`ve heard scholars say the fast way is through the heart but they never go into details about how one can do this.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.49 Narrated by An Numan bin Bashir

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, 'Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good, but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt, and that is: the heart.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2337 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "When a believer sins, there is a black spot on his heart, and if he repents and asks pardon his heart is polished; but if he does more it increases till it gains the ascendancy over his heart.’

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, the truth is that every good deed one does to earn the Pleasure and Good Will of Allah Subhanah, it will take him closer to his Lord Most Merciful; and evil deed one does, it will take one away from Allah Subhanah!

The more one is constant in the doing of good deeds, the closer his heart will feel to His Merciful Lord; and the closer one feels to Allah Subhanah, the more his heart will develop ‘taqwa’ or piety and righteousness; and the more one develops ‘taqwa’ in his heart, the more his heart will encourage him to do good deeds! Ah! All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone! What a beautiful ‘cycle’ that makes one closer to Allah; one step only helps in strengthening the other! Allah Subhanah Himself declares in His Glorious Quran that the closest or the most honorable in His Sight, is the one who is the most ‘pious’ or has the most ‘Taqwa’.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 49 Surah Hujurat verse 13: O mankind, We created you from one man and one woman, and then divided you into nations and tribes so that you may recognize one another. Indeed, the most Honorable among you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most pious of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Every good deed one does for the sake of Allah, he will come a step closer to Allah! Constant remembrance of Allah will take one closer to Him; prayer, fasting, giving charity, helping others less fortunate, the pilgrimage to Allah’s Sacred House, the regular visits to mosques, the learning and teaching of the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), the giving of each his due rights in full benevolence for the sake of Allah Subhanah, constantly seeking His reward of Paradise in the Hereafter, and constantly fearing His Wrath and His Anger and His Punishment of Hell Fire, etc. ……. Each good deed one does, he will find himself a step closer to His Lord Most Merciful.

And the one thing that will soften one’s heart and encourage it to do good deeds, is the sincere and true and constant recitation and study and the understanding and the pondering of the verses of the Glorious Quran and the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws)! Stay as close as you possibly can to the learning and understanding of the Quran and the Sunnah, and your heart will find itself closer to Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 23: Allah has revealed the most Beautiful Message (The Al-Quran) in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspects): the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble there at; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah's Praises. Such is the Guidance of Allah: He guides therewith whom He Pleases, but such as Allah leaves to stray can have none to guide.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 28-29: The people who have accepted (the Message), their hearts find comfort in the Remembrance of Allah. Note it well!, that it is Allah’s Remembrance Alone that brings contentment to the hearts! Blessed are those who have accepted the Message and done righteous deeds. They will have a good end.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan