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This is following reminder is based on a incredible conference of عبد الله السيد.

When someone complains about experiencing a decline in their faith (intikās al-īmān), it is important to offer advice that can help them restore their relationship with Allah.

However, before discussing what to do when going through such a period, we must first understand how to protect ourselves from this decline.

There are two fundamental means of preserving faith in the heart (بقاء الإيمان في القلب) and strengthening it.

1.Constantly Asking Allah for Steadfastness in Faith (دوام سؤال الثبات)

The deeper your understanding of faith becomes (كُلَّمَا ازْدَدْتَ إِدْرَاكًا لِلْإِيمَانِ), the more you become aware of its fragility and the fact that you are never entirely safe from experiencing a decline.

The very act of constantly asking Allah to grant you steadfastness (al-thabāt) demonstrates that you have understood an essential reality: your faith is not something you can ever take for granted.

You recognize that your heart can change, that you may be tested in your religion, and that this can have consequences for every aspect of your life.

This is why the Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate to Allah, saying:

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ، وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّتِكَ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَنْ تُضِلَّنِي

"O Allah, to You I have submitted, in You I have believed, upon You I have relied, to You I have turned in repentance, and with Your help I have contended against my opponents. O Allah, I seek refuge in Your might, there is none worthy of worship except You- from being led astray." (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2717, excerpt from the hadith)

Allah also teaches us the supplication of those firmly grounded in knowledge (al-rāsikhūna fī al-ʿilm):

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ

"Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed, You are the Bestower."

(Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, 3:8)

Furthermore, Ibn ʿUmar reported that the Prophet ﷺ would frequently swear by saying:

لَا وَمُقَلِّبِ الْقُلُوبِ

"No, by the One who turns the hearts!" (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6628)

The Prophet ﷺ would also repeatedly make the following supplication:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

"O Turner of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion."

(Al-Tirmidhī, 2140)

All of this reminds us that a believer should never rely solely on their current level of faith, their knowledge, or their good deeds. Rather, they must constantly ask Allah to protect them and keep their hearts firm.

2. Constantly Turning Back to Allah (دوام الإنابة إلى الله)

The second means, which constitutes one of the greatest protections against a decline in faith, is inābah (الإنابة), meaning the sincere and continuous return to Allah.

This does not simply mean turning back to Allah after committing a sin. Rather, it is a continuous inner effort, a constant renewal of one's return to Him (تجديد الرجوع إلى الله).

However, it is important to understand that this is not just any kind of return.

It is a return that involves directing the heart exclusively towards Allah (توحيد الوجهة إلى الله) and developing a deep inward inclination towards Him (الانجذاب إلى الله).

In other words, the heart must constantly renew its attachment to Allah, turn away from everything that distances it from Him, and sincerely return to Him.

Allah says:

مَّنْ خَشِيَ الرَّحْمَٰنَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَجَاءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُّنِيبٍ

"Who feared the Most Merciful without seeing Him and came with a heart that constantly turned back to Him."

(Sūrat Qāf, 50:33)

The expression قَلْبٍ مُّنِيبٍ (qalb munīb) refers precisely to a heart that continually returns to Allah, sincerely turns towards Him, and remains attached to Him.

Inābah, therefore, is an action of the heart and not merely an outward religious practice. It is precisely this constant return to Allah that constitutes an essential means of protection (wiqāyah) against the danger of spiritual decline (intikās).

2.Constantly renew our return to Allah (الإنابة) by working on the orientation of our hearts, our sincerity, and our attachment to Him.

But now, what should someone do when they are already experiencing a serious decline in their faith? Perhaps you remember a time when your relationship with Allah was strong. You were consistent in your worship, found sweetness in your prayers, enjoyed reading the Qur'an, and felt genuinely close to Him.

But something changed. What once came naturally now feels burdensome. Your heart no longer responds as it used to, and you struggle to recover the spiritual state you once enjoyed.

How does a person reach this situation, and, more importantly, how can they recover?

1. Understanding the Spiritual Consequences of Our Actions

Before discussing the remedy, there is an important reality we must understand.

Allah is al-Shakūr (the Most Appreciative) and al-Ḥalīm (the Most Forbearing). He does not wrong His servants, and the Qur'an teaches us that our choices and actions can have profound consequences for the condition of our hearts.

We tend to associate divine punishment (ʿuqūbah) with visible calamities, worldly difficulties, or punishment in the Hereafter.

However, the Qur'an also speaks about something potentially far more frightening: punishments that affect the heart itself (العقوبات القلبية).

Consider the following verses:

فَلَمَّا زَاغُوا أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ

"And when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate." (61:5)

فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ

"So He caused hypocrisy to follow in their hearts." (9:77)

كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

"No! Rather, what they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust." (83:14)

Allah also speaks about hearts being sealed (63:3) and hearts being turned away from guidance (6:110).

These are among the most frightening forms of punishment because they affect the very thing through which we recognize the truth, experience faith, and draw closer to Allah.

In Sūrat al-Tawbah, Allah says concerning those who failed to participate in an expedition:

وَلَوْ أَرَادُوا الْخُرُوجَ لَأَعَدُّوا لَهُ عُدَّةً وَلَٰكِن كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انبِعَاثَهُمْ فَثَبَّطَهُمْ

"Had they truly intended to go forth, they would have prepared for it. But Allah disliked their going forth, so He held them back." (9:46)

Although this verse concerns a particular group and situation, it illustrates a frightening reality: being deprived of the opportunity or motivation to perform good deeds can itself be a form of punishment.

Of course, we should not assume that every period of spiritual weakness is a divine punishment. Faith naturally fluctuates, and exhaustion, illness, and other difficulties can also affect one's motivation. Nevertheless, we should take seriously the possibility that persistent negligence and disobedience may gradually damage our relationship with Allah.

2. How Does Spiritual Regression Develop?

One of the most important verses on this subject is found in Sūrat al-Ḥadīd:

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ

"Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts should become humble at the remembrance of Allah and the truth that has been revealed? And that they should not be like those who were given the Scripture before, but a long period passed over them, and their hearts became hardened." (57:16)

Pay particular attention to these words:

فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ

"A long period passed over them, and their hearts became hardened."

This verse highlights an essential danger: spiritual deterioration can be a gradual process rather than a sudden event. To understand this process, it is useful to distinguish three situations.

The first is normal fluctuations in faith (التغير المقبول).

We know that faith increases and decreases (al-īmān yazīd wa yanquṣ). A believer may experience periods of greater enthusiasm and others of lesser motivation while remaining committed to their religious obligations. This is not necessarily a dangerous regression.

The Companions themselves were extremely attentive to changes in their spiritual condition.

Consider the famous incident of Ḥanẓalah رضي الله عنه, who feared that he had become a hypocrite because he could not maintain the same spiritual intensity outside the company of the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ reassured him, explaining that there is a time for worship and remembrance and a time for ordinary worldly responsibilities (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2750)

The second is prolonged spiritual erosion (طول الأمد وقسوة القلب).

This is considerably more dangerous.

Unlike an ordinary fluctuation, the decline becomes persistent. A person may continue performing the obligatory prayers and fulfilling their basic religious duties, yet gradually lose the spiritual connection that once accompanied these actions.

Their heart becomes increasingly distracted, their enthusiasm disappears, and their negligence slowly becomes habitual. Perhaps this continues for one year, two years, or even longer. The real danger is that the person may not notice what is happening. Outwardly, much of their religious life remains intact, but inwardly, their heart is becoming increasingly distant from Allah. This is why prolonged spiritual erosion can be especially dangerous: it may prepare the ground for a much more serious regression without the person realizing it.

The third is spiritual regression itself (الانتكاس).

At this stage, what began as gradual negligence may develop into a much more serious deterioration.

A person abandons practices they once maintained, becomes increasingly comfortable with disobedience, or loses much of their previous attachment to religious life.

Even here, however, people respond differently.

Some experience tremendous regret (al-taḥassur ʿalā mā fāt). They feel as though they have lost something irreplaceable.

They may feel like an orphan, or like someone stranded in the middle of a desert, desperately wanting to escape but unable to find the way out.

Others respond with pride or indifference (al-kibr), refusing to acknowledge their deterioration or recognize their need to return. The first person is suffering from the loss of something they still recognize as precious. The second may face the additional obstacle of refusing to acknowledge the problem.

3. The Greatest Remedy: Humbling and Breaking the Heart Before Allah (الذل والانكسار بين يدي الله)

So how does someone return?

Among the greatest means of restoring one's relationship with Allah is to bring together the heart and body in sincere worship, particularly through al-dhull wa al-inkisār: humility, brokenness, and a profound acknowledgment of one's need before Allah.

This is not simply about performing additional acts of worship mechanically.

It is about standing before Allah, recognizing your helplessness, acknowledging your shortcomings, and sincerely begging Him to restore your heart.

This is especially powerful during moments of solitude (al-khalawāt), when you are alone with Allah, away from distractions and other people.

There are several important aspects to this spiritual state.

First: Recognizing that there is no way back without Allah.

A person must come to the realization that the greatest treasure they have lost is the sweetness of faith and closeness to Allah. And no matter how much knowledge, experience, or determination they possess, they cannot restore that spiritual state independently of Allah's assistance.

This realization should produce a profound feeling of need (al-iftiqār ilā Allāh). You are no longer merely asking Allah to improve your situation. You are begging Him because you recognize that without Him, you cannot recover what you have lost.

Second: Expressing your weakness and suffering through your supplications.

It is important to translate this inner feeling of humility and dependence into the very words we use when supplicating to Allah. The Qur'an provides remarkable examples of this.

Consider the supplication of Zakariyyā عليه السلام.

Allah first mentions that he called upon his Lord privately:

إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا

"When he called upon his Lord in a private supplication." (19:3)

Then Zakariyyā expressed his weakness and his confidence in Allah:

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُن بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا

"My Lord, my bones have weakened, and my head has become filled with grey hair, yet I have never been disappointed in my supplication to You, my Lord." (19:4)

Notice how Zakariyyā describes his condition in detail while also recalling Allah's previous generosity towards him. We find something similar in the supplication of Ayyūb عليه السلام:

أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

"Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy." (21:83)

And in the supplication of Yūnus عليه السلام:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

"There is none worthy of worship except You. Glory be to You! Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers." (21:87)

These supplications teach us to combine acknowledgment of our weakness, recognition of our shortcomings, praise of Allah, and complete dependence upon His mercy.

Someone experiencing spiritual regression could therefore supplicate in their own words, for example:

"O Allah, You know the condition of my heart better than I do. You know how close I once felt to You, how much I enjoyed worshipping You, and how distant I have become. O Allah, I have wronged myself. I have neglected my heart and allowed myself to become distracted from You.

My Lord, I want to return, but I cannot find the strength to do so without Your help.

O al-Hādī, guide me back to You. O al-Raḥmān, have mercy on my weakness. O al-Jabbār, mend my broken heart. My Lord, if You do not help me, who else can guide me? Where could I turn except to You? You have blessed me countless times, and I have fallen short in showing gratitude. Do not leave me to myself. Restore the sweetness of faith to my heart and make me among those who sincerely return to You."

Notice that this supplication combines several elements: expressing one's spiritual suffering, acknowledging one's sins, remembering Allah's blessings, invoking Him through His beautiful Names, and recognizing that there is no refuge except with Him.

Third: Persisting in supplication (الإلحاح في الدعاء).

This humility and brokenness must be accompanied by sincere persistence (al-ilḥāḥ).

It is not simply a matter of making one emotional supplication and expecting the heart to transform immediately.Persistence involves taking time to supplicate, repeatedly returning to Allah, and continuing to ask Him for help over days, weeks, months, or however long it takes.

A person should not abandon supplication simply because they have not yet experienced the spiritual change they hoped for. A heart that has been neglected for years may require sustained effort to recover. And throughout this process, we must remember that the objective is not merely to experience a temporary emotional moment but to rebuild a lasting relationship with Allah.

4. Increasing Good Deeds and Addressing the Causes of Our Decline

Alongside sincere supplication, another important remedy is to increase righteous deeds (al-istikthār min al-aʿmāl al-ṣāliḥah).

Particular attention should be given to good deeds that directly address the wrongdoing or negligence that contributed to our spiritual deterioration.

For example, someone who has become attached to unlawful wealth should abandon that source of income, restore any rights owed to others, and replace their previous habits with lawful earnings and charity from lawful wealth.

Someone who has neglected the Qur'an should gradually rebuild a consistent relationship with it.

Someone whose heart has become attached to worldly distractions should deliberately create more opportunities for remembrance, worship, and reflection.

We should also make a special effort to draw closer to Allah through the greatest and most beloved acts of worship. Of course, this begins with safeguarding our obligations (al-farāʾiḍ). But we should also pay particular attention to deeds connected to the very foundations of faith. For example, renewing our attachment to the testimony of faith:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

There is none worthy of worship except Allah.

This is not an ordinary statement.

It is the foundation of Islam, the declaration through which a person enters the religion, and the very purpose for which human beings and jinn were created. Returning to the foundations of our religion, reflecting on their meanings, and renewing their reality within our hearts are among the greatest ways of rebuilding our relationship with Allah.

5. Constantly Seeking Forgiveness and Renewing Repentance

Another essential remedy is dawām al-istighfār (دوام الاستغفار): constantly seeking Allah's forgiveness. This should accompany our daily lives and our acts of worship. We should also continuously renew our repentance (tajdīd al-tawbah). An especially important practice is al-tawbah al-ʿāmmah (التوبة العامة), or general repentance.

Rather than limiting our repentance to one particular sin, we sincerely turn away from all forms of disobedience, including shortcomings and sins of which we may not even be fully aware. We acknowledge that our relationship with Allah may have been damaged by things we have overlooked, forgotten, or failed to recognize.

This is particularly important because sins have consequences for the heart.

The Prophet ﷺ explained that when a servant commits a sin, a black mark appears on their heart. If they stop, seek forgiveness, and repent, their heart is polished. But if they persist in sin, these marks increase until they cover the heart.

He then connected this to Allah's statement:

كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

"No! Rather, what they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust." (83:14)

(Al-Tirmidhī, 3334, graded ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ)

There is something particularly encouraging about this narration. Just as sins can gradually darken the heart, repentance and seeking forgiveness can polish it again.

Our hearts are not beyond repair.

6. Never Despair of Allah's Mercy

I would like to conclude with something especially beautiful. The life of the heart (ḥayāt al-qalb) is a provision (rizq) from Allah.

Just as Allah provides us with food, health, and countless other blessings, He is the One who grants our hearts faith, guidance, sincerity, and spiritual life. And just as He can restore life to something that appears completely lifeless, He can restore life to a heart that has become spiritually barren.

Remember the verse from Sūrat al-Ḥadīd mentioned earlier:

فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ

"A long period passed over them, and their hearts became hardened." (57:16)

Now consider the verse that comes immediately afterwards:

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحْيِي الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا

"Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death." (57:17)

What a beautiful connection to reflect upon.

Immediately after warning about the hardening of hearts, Allah reminds us of His ability to bring dead earth back to life. If Allah can revive barren land after its death, then He is certainly capable of reviving a heart that has lost its spiritual vitality.

So no matter how distant you may feel from Allah, do not despair of His mercy. Recognize your need for Him. Turn to Him in private. Express your weakness, acknowledge your sins, remember His countless blessings, and persistently beg Him to restore your heart.

Combine this with sincere repentance, righteous deeds, and a renewed commitment to your religious obligations.

And remember: the fact that you genuinely regret having lost your closeness to Allah is itself a reason to hope and an opportunity to return to Him.

May Allah protect our hearts from spiritual regression, forgive our shortcomings, restore the sweetness of faith to those who have lost it, and keep us steadfast upon His religion until we meet Him.

آمين.

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