9 Signs Of Weak Faith With Reference to Ahadith

When it comes to the matter of faith, the thing required of a follower of a particular faith is to be strong in it. Faith helps shape the perception of a person pertaining to life, therefore, if the foundation of faith is weak, it is quite natural to expect the believer of a faith to falter and shake in life pertaining the way he or she sees life and its happenings.

Having faith in Islam means a Muslim believing in the path of righteousness and doing things prescribed by Islam whole heartedly. There are the temptations of this life and the lack of knowledge of people that leads them to weaken the faith and they fail to practice it with full zest and spirit. Therefore, it is important that a Muslim keep an eye on the symptoms that represent weak faith so that they could be eradicated and a Muslim moves on the path of righteousness with strong faith.

Weak Faith and Bringing Improvements

The lines below discuss some major signs that represent weak faith in a Muslim.

1. Sins Without Remorse:

There is no denying the fact that as humans we are bound to commit sin at one point or another and we are to stray occasionally at some point, however, this does not justify the fact that a person should remain oblivious of the committing of sin. Islam realizes that people unintentionally commit sins, however, the thing expected of them is to show remorse on their sins and feel regret about it. Those, who do not feel remorse over their sins are the ones who need to think over the kind of faith they have because sins without any regret or remorse represents weak faith. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“All of my followers will be forgiven except those who commit sins openly. Such is the case of a man commits a sin at night and Allah had his sins concealed till the morning comes. But, he says openly: ‘O so and so, I did such and such yesterday.’ Allah had covered his sin, but he uncovered the veil of Allah from it.” (Bukhari)

Thus, if we brag about the sins we commit and do not show any sign of remorse, our faith had definitely weakened and we need to reconsider what we do and avoid such an act.

Recommended ReadingHow to Repent on Your Sins

2. Worship Without Attention:

There are many of us who offer prayers regularly, however, there are very few of us who offer prayer with the true spirit of attention in which prayer is needed to be offered. Offering Salat or any other form of worship has a particular essence and purpose associated with it, therefore, those who do not perform them in the right way, they are actually missing the spirit or in other words the strength in their faith that makes them show focus and concentration during the offering. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“Allah does not accept the supplication from an inattentive, heedless heart.” (Tirmidhi)

Therefore, missing attention, focus and the presence of heart and mind during prayer is another sign of weak faith and a Muslim should counter it by standing in prayer with all the focus on it and nothing else.

3. Stiffness Of The Heart:

Being a Muslim strong in faith means, a Muslim is soft at heart and his or her heart is sensitive for all the people around them. Those who have weak faith, their hearts become hard and the hard hearts then remain impenetrable to any kind of plea and all a person has left in the heart is darkness and indifference pertaining to goodness or evil. Allah Almighty says in Quran:

“And yet, after this your hearts hardened and became like rocks, or even harder.” (2:74)

Therefore, if our hearts become hard that do not move on any kind of calamity or that are insensitive to the difficulties of people, then it surely is a sign of weak faith and we as Muslims need to consider it for improvement.

4. No Effect Of Quran:

Quran is the strongest and most soul shaking book that is available on the face of this earth. The verses of it directly affect the heart of a person and motivate a person towards the path of righteousness and continuing on the path of faith. When we learn Quran, in addition to the effect the verses have on our soul, there is the message of the verses as well that can help us change our lives for the better and grow stronger in faith. However, if someone has grown impervious to the verses of Quran or who does not value them so that they may have an effect, it is a sign of weak faith and like all other symptoms it also requires immediate attention. If you are a Muslim and think this symptom is present in you, you are strongly advised to start paying attention towards Quran to develop a strong spirtual bond. The QuranReading.com Academy can help you in this regard. By attending the onlin Quran reading, reciting, and translation classes, you will better be able to know the meanings and correct pronouciation of the verses of Quran.

Recommended Reading5 Ayahs Of Quran That Can Change The Life Of A Muslim

5. Patience And Forgiveness:

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in a hadith:

“Iman is patience and forgiveness.” (Tirmidhi)

It means that a person who has a strong faith he or she has to have patience and forgiveness in their character. Thus, the ones who have weak faith will be more inclined towards taking revenge and will also lack patience. Ergo, the absence of forgiveness and the lack of patience in the character and attitude of a person is another sign that shows a person growing weaker in faith and these two elements in character need to be worked upon in order to strengthen the faith.

6. Arrogance:

Further to lack of patience and forgiveness, another vice that represents a person being weak in faith is arrogance. The literal meanings of Islam are ‘to submit’, therefore, the religion teaches us humility by making us realize the fact that we all are equal in front of Allah and there is nothing in us upon which we can show arrogance. Thus, those who are arrogant are the ones weak in faith. The detestation of arrogance can be guessed through the following hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“The one who is pleased that the slaves of Allah stand up for him, then let him be assured of his place in the Fire.” (Bukhari)

7. Greed:

Another vice in the character of a person that represents the weakening of faith is the presence of greed. Islam teaches its followers to be selfless, to prefer the easy and facilitation of others over one’s own self, thus, those who show greed in terms of worldly possessions and their own personal liking over the general well-being are the ones who exhibit sings of weak faith. Prophet (PBUH) said in a hadith:

“Iman and covetousness can never come together in the heart of a slave.” (Nasai)

8. Not Going For Small Good Deeds:

As humans we all want to do works of glory. All our life we remain obsessed with doing something that is out of this world and that has grandeur in it, sadly, under this intent we fail to realize that in the pursuit of doing something big and good, we have left or ignored numerous small good deeds that could have brought bitterness to this world. This approach aside, the lack of inclination of a Muslim towards small good deeds, or he or she belittling them is a sign of weak faith and the attitude and approach towards small good deeds needs to change. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:

“Do not belittle any small act of kindness even if it is to pour water from your bucket into the vessel of the one who asks for it or to talk to your brother with a cheerful face.” (Ahmed)

9. Feeling For Other Believers:

Prophet (PBUH) said:

“A believer feels pain for the believers, just as the body feels distress over what is troubling the head.” (Ahmad)

Thus, those of us who do not feel for the pain of other believers and grow insensitive of the plight they are in, are actually the ones who have weak faith. We as Muslims need to feel for the pain and suffering of other people in general and Muslims in particular in order to keep our faith strong, else the indifference or stoic nature of a Muslim is nothing but a sign of weak faith.

In short, if there can be a general rule for weighing whether a person has weak or strong faith, it can be the inclination that a person has towards good and the abhorrence he or she feels towards everything that is bad and evil.