The Biggest Misconception About Having High Imaan

The Biggest Misconception About Having High Imaan

A lot of people, there was a time in their life when they became initially religious and practicing and they found some very tingly sensations — let's call it. From that time till now they never felt the same sensations again. They're waiting to go back to that.

That's never coming back because Iman is not about feelings. It's not about worshipping a feeling. It's about the ability to turn up and submit with discipline regardless of how I feel.

That is the sign of Iman. Iman is about submission and turning up. It's not about how you feel.

The Myths About Iman

Last session I shared that there are a number of myths that people have about Iman that are not true. They're completely false. I'll give you guys the first for free — then it's your turn.

Myth #1 — Iman Is Not Blind Faith

The first — people think that Iman means faith or blind faith. But Iman is not about blind faith. Blind faith is what the Catholics in Europe had created. This idea that religion is something that's nonsense — even God himself, don't try to think too much about it because it will not make any logical sense. Three in one, one in three, God died for your sins as a human. He's divine. No one knows what's going on. So switch off your brain. That is what faith is about.

That being the religious culture and environment of Europe, this slowly became part of the culture of Muslims — that when we talk about Iman, we're talking about something where we switch off our brain and it makes complete nonsense. This is not true.

Iman is not blind faith. Iman is certainty based on evidence. It's like saying the sky is blue. When I say the sky is blue, it's not my preference. It's not just because I feel like it. It's a fact. When I say God exists, when I say God is one, when I say God is merciful — these are facts I can prove logically. I can prove through the signs in the universe. I can prove through many ways. It's a fact. It's true. It's based on logic and evidence.

This is Iman. Iman is not blind faith. Iman is certainty based on evidence. This is the first myth.

Myth #2 — Iman Is Not Your Emotions, Feelings, or Vibes

The second myth — Iman is not your emotions, your feelings, and your vibes. People wake up in the morning: "My Iman feels high." Nighttime: "My Iman feels low."

Okay, one second. If Iman is not your feelings and your up and down of motivation, what is it then? How do you know whether Iman is up or down? What's the sign?

We said Iman is a worldview — it's how you see the world. But there's a second one we said: Iman is a muscle.

Let me give you the analogy of health. I'm telling you my lower back is hurting. My lower back is hurting and I don't feel motivation. Why is my lower back hurting? Why is a young man's knees and back hurting? Posture. Lack of exercise. Not moving — and then complaining about low health. "My health is not great. My health is low." But I'm not willing to move. You see the problem?

Motivation goes up and down. Iman is not about your motivation level. It's about you turning up, showing up to exercise your muscle of Iman regardless of how you feel. Your feelings fluctuate every day — but you turning up for Salah should be constant. The sign of your Iman is that you turned up — in your low motivation mode, in high motivation mode, doesn't matter.

So Iman is not about motivation and feelings. Because what happens? A lot of people, there was a time in their life when they became initially religious and practicing and they found some very tingly sensations — let's call it. From that time till now they never felt the same sensations again. They're waiting to go back to that. That's never coming back — because Iman is not about feelings. It's not about worshipping a feeling. It's about the ability to turn up and submit with discipline regardless of how I feel. That is the sign of Iman. Iman is about submission and turning up. It's not about how you feel.

Myth #3 — Iman Is Not Something Only in the Heart

The third myth — people think Iman is something in the heart only. Is Iman only in the heart? Where is it then?

Iman is a certainty in the heart, a statement that you make on the tongue, and actions which are reflected in your body. Let me give you an example. Let's imagine you go to the supermarket to buy a cigarette pack. What's on the cover of the cigarette pack? It says: smoking causes cancer. Smoking kills.

Now if I go and say, "Yes, smoking causes cancer. Smoking kills. Can I please have two of those packets?" — what would you call that? I believe it's true, but not enough to act on it. So if Iman is just something in the heart — in my heart I know it's true, full marks — but from an Iman perspective I am deficient, because I wasn't sure of it enough that it stopped me. So that is not Iman. That is just theoretical knowledge.

It only becomes Iman when it shows. It has to be expressed. It has to naturally flow through to your body. If not, there's something called cognitive dissonance — when a human being has a split personality disorder. "I know something to be true but I'm still going to act completely opposite. This is bad for my health but I'm going to do it. This is terrible for the environment but I'm still going to do it." That means you're not really living it. Iman is not some abstract idea in your head. It's not only in the heart.

Iman is a worldview, and it is a muscle you have to keep exercising. You have to keep working on it for it to improve and increase.

Iman Is Like a Bicycle

Today I'm going to give you a new analogy. Iman is like a bicycle. Which means — if you stop pedaling, what happens? You don't just stop. You will fall and crash. If you stop pedaling, you don't just fall nicely and cutely. You stop pedaling and the thing is going to swing over and you will hit the sidewalk.

What does that mean? If Iman is a bicycle, you have to keep pedaling. "Okay, I woke up in the morning, I started pedaling and now I don't feel like pedaling anymore. I don't have motivation." You're on a main road, on a 30 mile an hour road, riding in the bicycle lane — and suddenly: "Oh, I don't feel like it anymore." Tough luck — keep pedaling.

When it comes to movement, when it comes to health, we are a lot more practical. We believe it's about discipline. We believe it's about pushing. It's about getting somewhere. But when it comes to worshipping God, when it comes to submission to Allah, it's a lot more about feelings: "I don't feel like doing it. I don't have a vibe today. My motivation is reduced."

Iman is about you acting despite your dip in motivation. Despite not feeling like it. It's about building the discipline. It's about building the routine. It's about turning up even when you don't feel like it.

Summary: The Three Realities of Iman

So — Iman is not blind faith. Blind faith is an irrational idea brought by religions which had a theology and a belief system that makes no sense. Ours — the timeless belief of one God and His messengers and revelation and a final day of accountability — this is the only form of truth with a capital T that is provable, that is evidence, that is fact. It's not blind faith. It's certainty based on proof. That's number one.

Number two — Iman is a muscle. It requires constant exercise for you to move forward. If you don't exercise the muscles, what happens? You start to feel pain. A lot of what people experience from a mental health perspective — in terms of emptiness, in terms of lack of motivation, in terms of distress and despair and affliction and anxiety and depression — a lot of it is because these are the symptoms of a body that is crying with pain because you haven't exercised the spiritual muscle.

These days when somebody is feeling anxious or depressed, what do they tell you to do? Go and meditate. Go sit and meditate and listen to your thoughts and watch your thoughts come by like a truck and do all this breathing exercise. Why? This is the closest thing possible to a spiritual muscle being exercised. What they call mindfulness — it's the closest thing possible to the remembrance of Allah and reflection on the afterlife. The closest thing. But it's not quite there. That's why after one hour of meditation people still feel empty.

When the body is in pain, you feel the pain in your limbs. When the heart — the soul — is in pain, you feel it in the form of anxiety, in the form of depression, in the form of angst, in the form of emptiness. And this is a sign the soul is crying out to be exercised.

So we said there is exercise of the soul — the muscle of the soul needs exercise. Fear, love, hope, reflection, remembrance — these are spiritual exercises. You can't see them. They're spiritual. And there is practical exercise, which is turning up to your Salah, turning up to fast, turning up to the masjid, turning up with your companions — your friends who remind you of Allah. Regardless of whether you feel it or not, there have to be things in your life that you turn up to out of discipline and submission, not based on feeling.

Iman is a bicycle. It moves depending on your effort.