salam. i hope you can give me advice? im muslim and recently, this past week, i stopped praying because i was overwhelmed with school and felt like i was praying mindlessly. anyway, i keep getting bad thoughts about islam now, like really bad, stuff like hijab is not necessary etc, and it really is scaring me. im scared, i love islam and dont doubt it one bit. i just dont know what to do in this situation. im tired of this :(
Firstly, we all have to remember that salat is really truly for ourselves. During times when you’re overwhelmed & stressed out that’s when you really have to work hard to make salat. Even if you’re praying mindlessly, that means you must work on focusing during salat and keeping your obligation to Allah. There is no excuse for missing salat when we are able to do so.
When we miss salat, nothing else will align. We will feel restless. If we are stressed out already, we will be more stressed. Salat is a cure to so many problems, we just have to give ourselves a chance to really perfect our salat - so that we can worship our Lord and benefit our iman.
Here are some techniques to make salat more beneficial to your soul:
Pray in a quiet, serene area (find an empty room that doesn’t have crazy colors and loud noises close to you). Make sure it’s not smelly or hot (if you can).
Be as comfortable as possible. So if you need to use the restroom before, go. Take of your jewelry so it’s not a huge distraction. If your throat is dry get some water, etc.
Pray as soon as possible, don’t delay it just because you can
Make sure you make wudu properly, and do not rush through it
Clean your teeth prior to salat (it’s a sunnah)
Dress yourself in a particular way that prepares you to face your Lord (like for me, I have a prayer set .. even when I’m wearing abaya I try to wear this because it changes my mentality)
Before you say “Allahu Akbar” clear your mind as best as you can. Make niyyah and focus on where you are. Relax your shoulders and get yourself in God conscious state
Keep your eyes on the place that you will make sujood
Make a lot of dua in sujood
Go through the motions slowly, pause when necessary.
Think about the meanings of the surahs you’re reciting - reflect on it
Afterwards, make dhikr and recite ayatul Kursi. Rushing away from salat can become a bad habit. Reflect on the moments of the day that you were grateful for and what can be improved
Please read this online version of a great book on Kushoo (concentration in salat) for more help
Secondly, feeling these emotions about Islam shows that your iman is dipping low a bit. This happens to everyone. Our iman (faith) is something we must constantly be considering. If we reach a high point in our iman, that’s great, but unless were continue to nurture that, it will go down. So I really suggest investing in improving your iman. It’s something we must do regularly.
Here are some iman boosters (read another list here):
Repent to Allah for your previous sins
Get past the issues you’ve had before, beating yourself up is often not motivating in moving forward - get optimistic
Make more dhikr (remembrance of Allah) (more here)
Fast more (Mondays and Thursdays are a sunnah to fast)
Surround yourself with those who are also striving to improve themselves as Muslims
Watch/listen to Islamic lectures (I personally love Nouman Ali Khan & Omar Suleiman)
Read about the stories of the prophets (peace be upon them all)
Choose a few goals (improve modesty, be more kind, cuss less, etc) and go after them
Study hadith and implement more sunnahs in your life
Read about the pious women of our religion (Maryam, Khadijah, Aisha, etc. (may allah be pleased with all of them))
Do more charity work (whether it’s physical volunteering or donations [list here])
Give your friends gifts related to Islam (perfect for Ramadan)
Work on destroying your sinful habits (part of this is just doing more good anyway)
Thirdly, if we act on temporary feelings - those actions will haunt us. Right now, your iman is a bit low, you’re feeling overwhelmed, and if that leads you to taking off hijab or losing parts of what hijab means to you, you will regret that once you’re iman is higher. I firmly suggest to read more about hijab and reflect on what it means to you. If you feel it’s purpose (to remind you of your deen) is not being completed, then work on that :D Our religion is something we must attend to continuously and there is no shame in renewing intentions and starting over again.
There are so many people who miss salat and think nothing of it, so clearly Allah’s mercy on you was to make you feel as though something needs to change. Alhumdulillah.
Don’t forget, Ramadan is coming and during that month your iman will have easier chances to be improved - but - don’t wait for Ramadan to begin to improve :)
InshAllah this is beneficial and if not, let me know what else I can do to help!