📈 The Increase and Decrease of Faith

﴿ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا ﴾
"And when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith."
— [Al-Anfâl: 2]

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📚 Scholarly Views on Faith

Doctrine of Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jamâ'ah

Doctrine of the Murji'ah

Doctrine of the Khawârij and Mu'tazilah

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⚡ Proofs of Faith's Increase

From the Quran

From the Sunnah

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📊 Causes of Faith Increase

Heart-related causes

Practical causes

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📉 Causes of Faith Decrease

Heart-related causes

Practical causes

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🔄 Treatment of Weak Faith

The steps

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📖 Stories from the Salaf: Hanzalah and Abû Bakr on Faith's Fluctuation

In Madinah, Hanzalah al-Usayyidî رضي الله عنه came to Abû Bakr as-Siddîq رضي الله عنه distressed...

Hanzalah said: "Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Abû Bakr!"

Abû Bakr said: SubhânAllah! What are you saying?!

Hanzalah said: "When we are with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he reminds us of the Fire and Paradise as if we see them with our own eyes. But when we leave the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we engage with wives, children, and livelihood, and we forget much!"

Abû Bakr said: "By Allah, we experience the same thing!"

So they went to the Prophet ﷺ, and Hanzalah told him what he said...

The Prophet ﷺ said: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, if you remained in the state you are in when with me, and in remembrance, the angels would shake hands with you in your beds and on your paths. But O Hanzalah, there is a time and a time." [Muslim]

Lesson learned: Even the Companions felt fluctuations in faith! This is natural. The important thing is to renew your faith and not surrender to heedlessness.

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🎯 Contemporary Cases

Case 1: After Ramadan

Situation: A Muslim who during Ramadan prayed the night prayers, read Quran, and gave charity, then when Ramadan ended, he left all of that!

Question: What happened to his faith?

Answer: ❌ His faith decreased by abandoning acts of obedience.

✅ Treatment: Continue with some worship even if less. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved deeds to Allah are the most consistent, even if small." [Al-Bukhârî]

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Case 2: Lowering the Gaze

Situation: A young man says: "I feel hardness in my heart and no longer enjoy prayer like I used to!"

Then it became clear he was letting his gaze wander into what's forbidden and watching unlawful things.

Question: What caused his heart's hardness?

Answer: Sins decrease faith and harden the heart.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Sin brings darkness to the heart and estrangement between the servant and his Lord."

✅ Treatment: Repentance, lowering the gaze, and increasing seeking forgiveness.

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Case 3: Accompanying the Righteous

Situation: Someone who was far from Allah then joined a study circle and accompanied righteous people, and his life changed!

Question: What happened to his faith?

Answer: ✅ His faith increased through accompanying the righteous and beneficial knowledge.

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💡 Pause and Reflect

Personal question:

When was the last time you felt your faith high? And when did you feel it weak?

What do you do when you feel your faith weakening?

Remember:

1. Recognizing the problem is half the solution
2. Seek small consistent deeds
3. Seek righteous company
4. Increase remembrance of Allah and Quran recitation

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🎯 Contemporary Cases

📉 Case 1: Feeling of losing faith after a major sin

Situation: After committing fornication, Yusuf feels "far from Allah" and thinks he has completely lost his faith.

❓ Has he lost his faith? How can he recover?

📜 View the answer

📖 Analysis:

Criterion	Application
Major sins	Decrease faith without removing it
According to Ahl as-Sunnah	Sinner remains believer with deficient faith
What he should do	Repent sincerely, don't despair

💡 Rule: Sin decreases faith but doesn't remove it (unlike Khawârij). The door of repentance is open. "Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah's mercy."

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🌅 Case 2: Spiritual boost after Ramadan that fades

Situation: During Ramadan, Amina prayed at night and read Quran. Two months later, she abandoned everything and feels guilty.

❓ Why this decline and how to manage it?

📜 View the answer

📖 Analysis:

Criterion	Application
Nature of faith	It increases and decreases
Fatrah (slackening)	Normal phenomenon mentioned in hadiths
The solution	Regular deeds even if small

💡 Rule: "The most beloved deed to Allah is the most consistent, even if small" (Bukhari). Aim for consistency rather than temporary intensity.

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🤯 Case 3: Doubts about Islam after philosophical reading

Situation: Karim, after reading atheist philosophers, has doubts about God's existence and feels confused.

❓ Do these doubts mean losing faith?

📜 View the answer

📖 Analysis:

Criterion	Application
Involuntary thoughts	Are not disbelief
What the Prophet ﷺ said	"That is pure faith" (hating these thoughts)
What is dangerous	Enjoying them and following them

💡 Rule: The Companions had doubts (waswas) and the Prophet ﷺ told them to say "I believe in Allah" and turn away. Doubt that is fought is a sign of faith.

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😢 Case 4: Depression and feeling distant from Allah

Situation: Sara suffers from clinical depression. She can't pray with concentration and feels "cut off from Allah."

❓ Does mental illness affect faith?

📜 View the answer

📖 Analysis:

Criterion	Application
Depression	Is an illness, not a sin
Difficulty in worship	Excused according to capacity
Feeling of distance	May be symptomatic, not real

💡 Rule: "Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity." Seeking treatment is recommended. Faith remains as long as the person doesn't voluntarily apostatize.

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🔄 Case 5: Spiritual cycle - highs and lows of faith

Situation: Omar notices he has periods of great fervor then periods of slackening, in a repetitive cycle.

❓ Is this cycle normal? How to manage it?

📜 View the answer

📖 Analysis:

Criterion	Application
Hearts	Fluctuate by nature
What the Prophet ﷺ said	"For everything there is a zeal, and for every zeal a slackening"
The key	That slackening doesn't exit the permissible

💡 Rule: The cycle is normal. The important thing is maintaining obligations during low periods and benefiting from highs for supererogatory deeds.

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💭 Reflection

"Faith is like a plant: it needs regular water (deeds) and light (knowledge). Neglected, it withers. Maintained, it flourishes."

— Teaching of the scholars

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can one say "I am a believer in shâ' Allâh"?

Answer: Yes, according to Ahl as-Sunnah, because faith includes actions and one doesn't know if it's complete. This is the permissible exception.

Q2: Does faith disappear completely by sin?

Q3: What are signs of strong faith?

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📚 Sources

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والله أعلم — And Allah knows best