That is why every believer is in pursuit of keeping his Īmān intact and not get it tainted by the distractions by the Satan, the Evil and the world itself. Before we see practical ways to strengthen it., let us explore it clearly and deeply — from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and views of early scholars.
What is Īmān (Faith)?
- The Linguistic Meaning: “Īmān” (إيمان) comes from the Arabic root A-M-N (أ م ن) — meaning security, peace, and trust. So, Īmān literally means to affirm with conviction, to feel secure through belief.
- Qur’anic Definition:
- "The (true) believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere." — (Surah Al-Ḥujurāt 49:15)
- This verse shows that Īmān is not just belief — it includes:
- Conviction (no doubt),
- Action (striving with wealth and life),
- Sincerity (doing it for Allah alone).
- Prophetic Definition (Hadith of Jibrīl — Sahih Muslim 8): When Angel Jibrīl asked the Prophet ﷺ: “What is Īmān?”, the Prophet replied: “It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and in Qadar (divine decree), both good and bad.”
Classical scholars (like Imām al-Bukhārī, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Imām al-Nawawī) define Īmān as:
“Īmān is belief in the heart, words by the tongue, and actions by the limbs — it increases with obedience and decreases with sin.”
Thus, Īmān is dynamic — it grows or weakens. “That they may increase in faith along with their (present) faith.” — (Surah Al-Fath 48:4)
How to Strengthen Īmān
Let us follow the following roadmap drawn from Qur’an and Sunnah:
1. Deepen Knowledge of Allah
First and the foremost, we must be very clear and sure who Allah is. For many, the belief in God is varying. For Hindus, although there is a concept of a divine deity, they replicate this deity into idols and when they think of that divine deity, an image of a man made idols creeps into their mind. Likewise, the concept of Trinity further confuses the true identity of one true God. But the Muslims have a very clear knowledge of Allah, and follow Him unseen without need of any illustration or image of Allah being in front of them. And it is this unseen faith in Allah which strengthens our Īmān in Allah, for we do not need to see Him. We have His book, Al Qur'an, through which He directly speaks to us if we reflect on the verses of Qur'an.
“It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah.” — (Surah Fāṭir 35:28)
We can also know Allah through His 99 attributes, each of which is embodiment of His finest qualities and describes Allah to us clearly and leaving no doubt about is existence. Learn Allah’s Names and Attributes — knowing who He is brings love and awe.
Practical Tip:
- Study one Name of Allah daily and reflect on how it shows in your life. You may like to read, understand and memories these 99 attributes of Allah from our post: 99 Attributes of Allah.
- You may also know Allah better from our earlier posts given in:
- Understanding Islam - Frequently Asked Q&A for knowing more about Islam
- Compiled verses from Qur'an on specific subjects: Faith in Allah
2. Regular Salah (prayer)
In Islam, five salah (prayer) has been made obligatory on all adult and healthy Muslims (barring the lunatics or ill to an extent not to know of one's actions) of both genders five time a day.
The performance of the five daily prayers with sincerity and focus is not only an act of fulfilling the obligation of worship of Allah, but it also takes a believer closer to Allah and develops the love with Allah which He most certainly deserves.
Adding Tahajjad prayer late at night adds more closeness to Allah, for getting late at night and breaking one's sleep is an act which most loved by Allah. That is why there is a Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which narrates that at the time of Tahajjad, Allah comes down very close to our world to listen to His believers and bless them all they wish for.
2. Regular Qur’an Recitation and Reflection
Reading Qur’an with understanding and emotion nourishes the heart.
“The believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble; and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith.” — (Surah Al-Anfāl 8:2)
Most of us, however, read the Qur'an but do not reflect on what is being said to them and act upon the commandments of Allah. In fact, it is Allah who is speaking directly to us through His revealed Book - so we need to rad small portions with tadabbur (reflection), not just speed, and shape our lives as per instructions of Allah.
Tadabbur is the deep reflection, contemplation, and pondering over the meanings and lessons of the Quran to understand its message and apply it to one's life. It involves going beyond mere recitation to grasp the wisdom within each verse, relate it to daily experiences, and seek guidance for personal and spiritual growth.
- Key aspects of Tadabbur
- Deep reflection: It is a mindful process of thinking deeply about the words of Allah, reflecting on their implications and wisdom.
- Beyond recitation: It moves past reciting the Quran to understanding its message, making it a source of guidance for daily life.
- Personal application: Tadabbur involves applying the lessons of the Quran to current life situations, such as problems at work or home.
- A deeper connection: It is a way to connect with Allah and His words on a deeper level, providing grounding and solace.
- Understanding consequences: The word itself relates to the idea of thinking about the consequences or the underlying cause of something, which helps in uncovering the deeper meanings of the verses.
- A continuous process: It is an ongoing exercise of seeking and internalizing the guidance from the Quran for personal and spiritual development.
So engage with meaning of verses of Qur'an and apply its teachings to our practical life.
3. Constant Remembrance (Dhikr)
Dhikr is a devotional practice of remembering Allah by reciting phrases or prayers, either silently or aloud. The practice involves invoking God's names or reciting supplications from the Qur'an and hadith to keep Allah in one's mind. This act of remembrance is considered a fundamental form of worship that strengthens faith, brings peace, and can be done at any time.
“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” — (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:28)
In fact Dhikr connects your heart with Allah and removes spiritual rust.
Daily Tip: Make daily habits — SubḥānAllāh, Alḥamdulillāh, Allāhu Akbar, Astaghfirullāh — especially in moments of stillness.
However, some factions of Muslims sit together in congregation, and start reciting one attribute of Allah with their heads swaying side by side for the whole day - some even go to wilderness and do Dhikr sitting in isolation, cutting themselves from the world. This is not the purpose of Dhikr. Instead, we need to remember Allah and do dhikr even when we are at work. This will add good to us and blessings of Allah and strengthen our Iman for we are constantly in remembrance of Allah.
4. Repent Often and Avoid Sin
One of the best tool provided to a believer to seek Divine forgiveness of the sins so committed through repentance.
“Those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness… and do not persist in it.” — (Surah Āl-‘Imrān 3:135)
Repentance, known as Tawbah, is a direct relationship with Allah to ask for forgiveness for sins, which involves three core steps: feeling regret for the sin, ceasing the sinful action, and resolving not to repeat it. If the sin involved another person, the individual must also make restitution or seek forgiveness from them. Sincere repentance is seen as an act of worship and is considered a way to purify the soul and draw closer to Allah.
Sin darkens the heart and weakens faith; repentance restores its shine. Unlike some religions, where after sinning, the followers go to their religious men and ask for forgiveness and they are assured that they are forgiven by God. But that is not the correct of seeking repentance and forgiveness. Qur'an tells us to approach Allah directly without any intermediary and repent - and no matter how bigger is the sin, Allah will forgive. But repentance should not be toyed with - that is summitting sin, repenting and then return to sins again. One has to first sincerely feel ashamed of his sinful act, then repent with a clear intention of not sinning again and then seek forgiveness.
We have written a number of posts on repentance which may be read to understand what repentance and forgiveness is. Our latest post How do we know that Allah has accepted our repentance and forgiven us may be read to understand the concept of repentance better.
5. Keep Good Company
Always remember the age old phrase: A man is known by the company he keeps." Friends influence faith — keep the company of believers who remind you of Allah.
“And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening.” — (Surah Al-Kahf 18:28)
If one is in the company of the God fearing ones. one learns good things from them that strengthen one's Iman. But if one is in company of those who take this life as an entertainment and while away their time in acts that are detrimental to ensuring closeness to Allah, then one starts to drift from the righteous pat and a time comes when their conscious dies to really appreciate what is good and bad. Such a state whe is reached, one's Iman is said to have weaken to its lowest ebb.
6. Perform Good Deeds Consistently
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has been quoted as saying, “The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if small.” — (Sahih al-Bukhari 6464). Some of the good deeds are Small daily worships — salah on time, charity, fasting, helping others — feed the heart.
Read our already published a number of posts on Charity from our reference page: Selected verses from Qur'an on Importance of Charity in Islam to know why charity also strengthens our Iman.
You may also read an eye open Hadith regarding death: Death of some relieves them and death of some relieves the world (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)
7. Reflect on Death much too often and the Hereafter: A believer with firm faith and Iman should often reflect on the purpose of life and why it is so short lived. If one contemplates the purpose of life and the final return to the One who created us in the first place will reflect on us the purpose of life which would ultimately strengthens our Iman.
Remember, one of the 99 Attributes of Allah is Al-Mumīt - The Creator of Death. Read more to know about this attribute and why Allah created death.
8. Supplicate Constantly
While one should take all possible practical steps, as mentioned in point 1-6, one also needs to continuously supplicate and seek Allah's blessing so that his Iman does not get tainted.
The Prophet ﷺ often prayed: اللَّهُمَّ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ “O Allah, keep my heart firm upon Your religion.” — (Tirmidhi 2140)
This shows that even the Prophet feared for his heart — so constant dua is essential. This does not mean that the Prophet sinned, but this was a practical tip for his companions to supplicate for they were no prophets but plain human beings liable to commit sin or something unbecoming. We therefore, should regularly and continuously supplicate to be be on the right path so that our Iman does not get tainted but strengthens every day.
9. Seek knowledge
Science and working on meaning of Qur'an is unfolding many a hidden secrets and knowledge of Qur'an which were hitherto were obscure from the scholars and the scientists. In view of the great research work done on Qur'an and Islam, it is incumbent on every believer to learn more about Islam through books lectures and scholars. This would not only increase one's knowledge about Islam, but would also lace every believer with knowledge to spread Islam and extend Da'wah to non Muslims. At the same time more indepth knowledge will add to strengthening our Iman.
10. Read about life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
The life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a beacon of hope for all Muslims in particular and others in general. From a thriving businessman of Quraish of Makkah, his life changed from extreme comfort to extreme discomfort when he was chosen for the prophethood at the age of forty years. From here on till he died, was a life full of tests and trials, torture and mockery by the idolaters of Makkah. He endure the physical as well as spiritual hardships when he went about extending Da'wah / invitation to Islam to the non Muslims. Despite the rugged life he endured, ever new test further strengthen his Iman.
And if we review our status of Iman, we would appreciate that we have more failings than success while trying to live a life as per tenets of Islam. We hardly life a life as was lived by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. If we start now bit by bit, we will certainly add on to better our Iman and becoming a good Muslim.
In short: Īmān = Conviction in the heart + Declaration by the tongue + Action by the body. It grows through remembrance, knowledge, and obedience — and weakens through sin, heedlessness, and pride.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
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