Episode 15 - Why Do We Find Worship Difficult?

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Brother, imagine you are traveling and you have a map to the city you are heading to, or—as in our days—a GPS. If there is someone you long for in that city and you are confident in the map, what happens? You walk quickly, you do not look for alternative routes, your mind is focused on the goal, which is reaching the city to meet your loved ones. On the other hand, what happens if you doubt the map's accuracy? You will not walk quickly, but you will walk a little and stop, you may ask passersby to confirm the route, your mind will be distracted and will not be focused on the goal and the loved ones you want to meet, but you will remain hesitant, confused, and questioning the correctness of the path. What is the connection between this example and the Quran? Allah the Almighty says: ((And seek help in patience and prayer, and indeed it is difficult except for the humble ()) who believe that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him)) ((And indeed it is difficult))... Patience in adversity is difficult, patience in performing acts of worship is difficult, refraining from committing sins is difficult, and maintaining prayer is difficult... difficult for the hesitant one who doubts the correctness of his religion and that it is the path leading to Paradise. Every time he refrains from a sin, Satan comes to him saying: (Are you refraining from it in hope of Paradise? What if this Paradise does not exist? Then you will not see the grapes of Sham nor the grapes of Yemen!). But this difficulty disappears before the humble and submissive to Allah...((Those who believe)) and belief in the Quran often comes with the meaning of certainty...((Those who believe)) meaning they are certain ((that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him)) to be held accountable for their deeds and rewarded with Paradise and Hell. Therefore, when they are certain of the Hereafter and the reward, it becomes easy for them to perform acts of worship and abandon evil. Therefore, brother and sister, whenever you find it difficult to perform acts of worship, ask yourself: Do I long for Paradise? Am I certain of its existence? Do I doubt that obeying Allah is the path leading to Paradise? Then why do I procrastinate? So gather your faith and proceed on the path of Allah quickly without hesitation and without turning to other methods or alternative paths, and unite your heart and soul for the awaited meeting. For as our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ((Whoever fears will hasten))—meaning he travels at night to cover distances quickly—((and whoever hastens will reach the home. Verily, the merchandise of Allah is precious, verily, the merchandise of Allah is Paradise)). Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.