Getting Closer to Allah

HOW TO GET CLOSER TO ALLAH?

Many of our readers ask, "How to increase the iman (faith)" or "How can I get closer to Allah?" or "What can I do to feel more secure in this life and about the Next Life?"

First, let's get some basic questions answered from another point of view - From God's POINT OF VIEW. What does God (Allah) say about Himself? Who? Where? What? How? Why? - Those are the real questions to deal with BEFORE asking how to "get closer" to Allah.

We asked scholars about this, and visited websites and made some notes, asked more questions and then gathered the information on our websites and articles to help all of us. Here's some basic answers to question for better understanding about Allah (God) before we even talk about drawing closer to Allah:

If you have more (or better) please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and tell us, inshallah.

Wali (plural is awliya) is often translated as "friend". But there is much more to it than that.
Consider these all together and it will help you come up with something much closer:
(a protector, a guardian, a patron, an ally).

Schools within Arab countries often take permission from the 'wali amr' (a governmental position of leadership) who represents a child for things pertaining to the child, like a gardian or protector.

What would be some of the attributes of a guardian for a child?
     1. Close to the child
     2. Care giver for the child
     3. Good understanding of the child's condition and situation.

Allah is the perfect one for us to take as our "wali". He is close to us and definitely takes care of us and He absolutely is aware of our condition and situation.

Consider the prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, when his own brothers abadoned him in the well. It was Allah who caused travelers to seek out the well to quench their thirst just at the right time. They rescured him, took him along to Egypt and of course you know the rest of the story.

It was Allah who was the protecting guardian of the prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him. He made things come out exactly as things happened, by Allah's Will. Yusuf, peace be upon him, put all of his trust in Allah, and did not do anything bad, even though it would have been so easy for him.

Take a look in surah Yusuf, chapter 12, verse 101 - Yusuf, peace be upon him, is talking to Allah saying (the meaning), "Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my Wali in this world and in the After life." [12, 101]

Bascially, everyone has a choice in this life; either you take Allah as your 'Wali' or you will take something Allah created as your 'wali'. (big mistake)

If Allah is your 'Wali', what can you look forward to?

1. You have no fear in this dunya (material world we live in), and no sadness in akhirah (the Next Life).

“Unquestionably, [for] the awliya (protected ones) of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve”. (Qur’an, 10:62)

2. He will put light in your life.

“Allah is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out darkness and into the light.”
(Qur’an,2:257)

3. Allah promises victory over anyone who acts with emnity toward one of his 'awliya' (those He Protects)

“Whoever acts with hostility toward a 'wali' of mine, I will wage war against him..." This is hadith Qudsi, in Sahil Al Bukhari

I want that for me, don't you?

So how can I be a Wali?

“Unquestionably, [for] the awliya of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. Those who believed and had taqwa of Allah” (Qur’an, 10:62)

Striving for taqwa gives us the status of a Wali inshaAllah.

So how do we get Taqwa?

Some scholars have defined taqwa as when Allah finds you where He has ordered you to be, and does not find you where He has forbidden. The following hadith qudsi sheds more light:

“Whosoever acts with enmity towards a closer servant of Mine (Wali), I will indeed declare war against him. Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with the supererogatory (nawafil) so that I shall love him. When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk. And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.” (Bukhari)

Another thing to be inspired by: Jannah

Sometimes we forget about Jannah, Paradise. But Paradise is a reality.

I’m supposed to travel to Granada tomorrow insh’Allah (if Allah wills). Everyone has been telling me how amazing and beautiful it is. A part of me is really excited to explore it and its history, but another part of me is just looking forward to having a break. I’ve been preparing: I will take two books, one spiritual and one political. I’ve made sure I’ve tied up all the ends here. Just as Granada is a reality for me and something to look forward to, Jannah should be just the same for us since we have its description.

Imagine this: you’ve just crossed the sirat (bridge over hell) and made it to the other side. You are waiting for the doors of Jannah to open. Finally they open to the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) and you are in awe.
Truly this place is as the Prophet ﷺ described which “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and the mind of no man has conceived”, [Bukhari].
What is the ground made of? It smells a little like saffron, subhan’Allah! What are those trees with huge fruits? Is that a river of honey? Dip your finger in it, that can’t be honey! You’ve never had anything like it in your life. You try it again and it tastes even better.
How is that possible?
Ok, enough honey. Where is my house?
As you are being escorted to your home, you see it’s not just a house.
It’s a mansion! Not even Bill Gates had it this good, and you are told you earned it because you donated $10 for that masjid.
 If only you had donated more! Well this mansion is enough. You’re eager to start exploring.

You enter from the front door with a texture that feels pearly. Are the doors made of pearls? Subhan’Allah!
You walk in and there’s someone there. Is that your spouse from the dunya?
But looks different. So beautiful, you’re mesmerized. You walk hand in hand out the door and then you see that person who wronged you in the dunya.
Even though you forgave on earth, whenever you saw them, you’d still get a bit frustrated. But for some reason it’s ok now. It’s all good. Actually- you’re happy to see them. In fact, you can’t stop smiling.

This place is awesome. You feel so light and airy. You feel as though nothing bad has ever happened to you in your life. You have peace.

"Doesn't get any better than this - Right?"

O Yes, it can!

As you walk outside your mansion imagine - you see people rushing to go some place. They’re crowding around somebody. Is that prophet Muhammad there? O my Lord! It is!" - Tears are running down your face - "IT IS PROPHET MUHAMMAD!"

For sure, he's the most beautiful person, more beautiful than any of the descriptions you’ve read. You embrace him. He smiles at you. You're just so amazed. After awhile, you are walking away, still in shock - "You have just met Prophet Muhammad, last and final messenger of Almighty God" (may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him).

And look - over there! - Is that Abu Bakr? Sitting there with Umar (may Allah be pleased with them)!
And over there is Fatimah, sitting with her mother Khadijah! And there’s Mariam! (may Allah be pleased with them all)
You overhear a conversation and it’s someone asking Salaah ad-Din Al Ayyubi how it felt to liberate Jerusalem. And you recognize an accent, it’s Malcolm X!

Finally, it’s the pinnacle of Jannah. Being with Allah. You actually get to see Allah. The highest, greatest most amazing pleasure that surpasses everything we’ve just talked about. Seeing your Lord, Most High.

I want that for me! What do I need to do to get it?

We were all created differently for a reason. Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror known in Arabic as Muhammad al-Fateh, was inspired by something.
He heard a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ “Certainly, you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will he be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!”and he wanted to be that person. [Hadith in Imam Ahmad's collection]
He had the opportunity and the skill. He persisted and Allah gave him success. We don’t all have to be Sultan Mehmet II, but we should all desire to be something special to Allah.

So read the Qur’an and find the inspriation you seek. One person was inspired by a hadith, of the prophet, peace be upon him, wherein he had listed the kinds of people to be protected under the shade of Allah on Yawmul Qiyama (Day of Resurrection).

The particular kind of person that caught his eye was the one whose left hand did not know what the right hand was giving in charity. The person put the hadith to work and started giving money every Jummah (Friday sermon), giving money without even looking at how much it was, just the contents of the wallet. Then later the person said, "Glory to Allah. Never did I give money, except it came back to me"

There is so much to look forward to and so much to have hope for. We should not be satisfied with a basic level of faith and doing extra only once in a while.

Rather we should say, “this is who I want to be!” and live every day wanting to become a 'wali' of Allah.

- Edited from Suhaib Webb's web page

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