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Be Careful What You Feed Your Soul

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Most of us understand the psychological and emotional harm that comes from constantly exposing ourselves to negative, toxic social and personal environments. So we limit interactions with negative people, and we end toxic relationships. But when it comes to religion, we say things like, “If you truly have faith, nothing can shake it.”

UZ Corner

There was a time when I myself believed this and proclaimed the same. But today when I hear statements that attest to the unshakeable nature of “true faith,” what comes to mind is the popular saying, “Fools rush where wise men wouldn’t dare to tread.”

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Even the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) prayed, “O You who turns hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.”[i] In the Qur’an, Allah describes the believers as those who pray, “Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us; and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed You are the Bestower” (Ali’Imraan, 3:8).

Also, the Prophet repeatedly warned us about the dangers of bad companionship, and in the Qur’an Allah narrates the story of a person in Paradise reflecting on his time in this world and recalls a friend who would cast doubt on the truth of the Resurrection:

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“…I had a companion [on earth], who would say, ‘Are you indeed of those who believe, that when we have died and become dust and bones, we will indeed be recompensed?’ He will say, ‘Would you [care to] look?’ And he will look and see him in the midst of the Hellfire. He will say, ‘By Allah, you almost ruined me! If [it were] not for the favor of my Lord, I would have been of those brought in [to Hell].’”

As-Saffaat, 37:51-57

And bad companionship does not come only in the form of friendships. It also comes in the form of our social, academic, and work environments. It can also come in the form of what we expose ourselves to through the media, whether for entertainment or listening to “the news.”

Naturally, because we live in this earthly world, we interact with friends and neighbors, we go to school and work, and we remain abreast of what is happening around us. However, if we hope for both good in this world and good in the Hereafter, we cannot afford to be only active participants in our worldly pursuits. We must also be active participants in our spiritual pursuits.

In the Qur’an, Allah says,

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“And among the people is he who says, ‘Our Lord, give us in this world,’ and he will have, in the Hereafter, no share. But among them is he who says, ‘Our Lord, give us the best in this world and the best in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’”

Al-Baqarah, 2:200-201

And we gain the best in both worlds, as well as protection from the Fire, by nourishing our hearts and souls with constant remembrance of Allah, prioritizing the five daily prayers, and working everyday to protect ourselves from spiritual degeneration—and by being ever aware of the human weakness in ourselves.

Perhaps it’s okay to believe things like, If you truly have faith, nothing can shake it—so long as you recognize that true faith does not come from you. It is a gift from Allah. We just need to make sure that our hearts are ready to receive this gift…

By protecting ourselves from toxic relationships and environments that prevent our hearts from being open to Allah’s guidance.

So be careful what you feel your soul.

This blog was originally published via uzauthor.com

Umm Zakiyyah is the internationally acclaimed author of the If I Should Speak trilogy. Her latest novel Muslim Girl is now available.

To learn more about the author, visit ummzakiyyah.com or subscribe to her YouTube channel.

[i] Al-Tirmidhi, graded saheeh by Al-Albaani

Copyright © 2015 by Al-Walaa Publications. All Rights Reserved.

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The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

Daughter of American converts to Islam, Umm Zakiyyah, also known by her birth name Ruby Moore and her "Muslim" name Baiyinah Siddeeq, is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including novels, short stories, and self-help. Her books are used in high schools and universities in the United States and worldwide, and her work has been translated into multiple languages. Her work has earned praise from writers, professors, and filmmakers. Her novel His Other Wife is now a short film. Umm Zakiyyah has traveled the world training both first-time authors and published writers in story writing. Her clients include journalists, professional athletes, educators, and entertainers. Dr. Robert D. Crane, advisor to former US President Nixon, said of Umm Zakiyyah, “…no amount of training can bring a person without superb, natural talent to captivate the reader as she does and exert a permanent intellectual and emotional impact.” Professor K. Bryant of Howard University said of If I Should Speak, “The novel belongs to…a genre worthy of scholarly study.” Umm Zakiyyah has a BA degree in Elementary Education, an MA in English Language Learning, and Cambridge’s CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). She has more than fifteen years experience teaching writing in the United States and abroad and has worked as a consultant for Macmillan Education. Umm Zakiyyah studied Arabic, Qur’an, Islamic sciences, ‘aqeedah, and tafseer in America, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia for more than fifteen years. She currently teaches tajweed (rules of reciting Qur’an) and tafseer. In 2020, Umm Zakiyyah started the UZ Heart & Soul Care community in which she shares lessons she learned on her emotional and spiritual healing journey at uzhearthub.com Follow her online: Website: uzauthor.com Instagram: @uzauthor Twitter: @uzauthor YouTube: uzreflections

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Abdullah

    June 30, 2015 at 2:46 PM

    The Muslim Girl link i.e. http://www.ummzakiyyah.com/muslimgirl/ give a “page not found” error.

    • Umm Zakiyyah

      June 30, 2015 at 3:58 PM

      Thank you, Abdullah. The url is now working. BarakAllaahufeek.

  2. Rubana Parveen

    September 8, 2015 at 6:42 AM

    I’ve been looking for an article like this and it came at the right time. I needed a sign from Allah and he spoke to me through this.

    JZK Sister

  3. Anon

    October 19, 2015 at 12:32 PM

    What should you do however if you are surrounded by toxic family and friends. How do you escape and avoid that?

    • Aya

      January 3, 2016 at 7:04 AM

      Slam, i guess you can’t avoid yourself from your family but friends you can in the first it will be very hard but then you will realize that allah will help you to continue your life without them and will send you people you can’t imagine they will make relationship with you and they will be nice people and full of khair and remind you of allah just be patient :)

      God bless you.

  4. ghulam mustafa

    March 29, 2016 at 10:07 AM

    jazakallah good blog.

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