Decembers Blog: How Our Love Language Brings Us Closer to Allah
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Allah literally says humankind is weak. Emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally, all of the above, you name it, ding ding ding. CORRECT. There’s a hadith that says the ummah is like one body. When one part is affected, the whole ummah feels it. But taking that hadith internally and literally, when one part of our body is affected by something, our whole bodies are unable to maintain and keep up with even simple tasks. We have to depend on others to help us out with certain things, even when we do not want to. Not sure how I side-tracked so easily (get used to it). But, let’s stop looking at what we CANT control, and start looking at what we CAN.
There’s a healthy boundary in knowing our limitations of things we can and can’t do. Comparison is the thief of joy; every single person is different. What works for you might not work for me, and what works for me might not work for you. That’s completely okay! Allah knows that too. Which is why He created so many different ways to worship Him *gasp*. And it can be so much easier to worship Him if you know yourself and what you like best. Worship is not supposed to be strict and demanding. It is supposed to be something calming, and even fun for ourselves!
Did you know that in sunnah prayers, we can recite Quran, COMMENT ON IT, and MAKE DUAA depending on the verses being recited? For example, if an aya we are reading really stands out to us, we can say “Subhanallah, Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulilah, and/or Masha’Allah”, and when we recite a duaa in the Quran, we can even say Ameen to it? The Quran is meant to be something we interact with, get to know, and even become a companion of. It is not a regular chapter book that we just are commanded to read, no. It is a book full of beautiful miracles, stories, and even healing! We just need to build the connections to it in order to feel its true effects. Isn’t that so cool??
We, or should I say I, was raised to believe worship was something I had to do without feeling a connection just because “Allah will punish me if I didn’t”. While yes that can be true, teaching that to a kid just doesn’t make them motivated to do more in their religion. You’re teaching them to fear the punishment, not the punishER. Big difference. Yada yada fast forwarding, now that I have grown up, now i realize that not praying IS the punishment of my heart hardening (do i sound like your favorite aunt yet? 😂).
Now see, the closest way to get to Allah is through prayer, because it is His most beloved act of worship. We would not do it 5 times a day if Allah SWT didn’t love it. But how can we do that if we do not have a connection with Allah? That is setting yourself up for COMPLETE failure. You have to understand Allah and who He is to build a connection to Him. How can you do that with no basis, no meaning, no depth, no conviction, no compassion, no nothing. What kind of relationship is that?? I bet you don’t even talk to your own friends like that.
The funny thing about that is, one of Allah SWT’s names is Al-Wali, meaning YOUR FRIEND! 😂 Allah is your friend, gang. Don’t be worried about being posh and proper, He is the One who Created you, He is Closer to you than your jugular vein. (That was 4 names of Allah right there). He loves you, He guides you, and He appreciates you. On a streak of 7 now, bet you didn’t see THAT coming!
There are so many different ways of worshipping Allah SWT that do not just fall into praying. There ARE things you can do to start building that connection, and that starts with YOU. Because when you crawl to Allah, He comes walking to you, and when you start walking to Him, He comes running to you. You have to be the one to take that first step in order for Him to make things happen for you. But first, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to make you take the love language test for friends, so you can see how you like to build connections with people. And then use those results to figure out acts of worship you can do to build that relationship stronger. Honestly, the percentage doesn’t matter, but the first two love languages that pop-up are ways you like to be loved, so do those for Allah SWT and you will start to feel the connection, I promise. It all starts with your intention to building that relationship.
Take it here and come back: https://5lovelanguages.com/start/friendships/
Now that you have the order of your love language, try these out and learn more about yourself in the process:
For Acts of Service: Voluntary fasting (Mondays and Thursdays, 3 white days, etc.) and volunteering at your local masjid may be the best acts of worship for you to do! Not only will you physically work for something, but you will build discipline in doing things for the sake of Allah SWT. Allah SWT said the best fasting was performed by Dawud AS, who fasted every other day!
For Physical Touch: Comfortable prayer clothing and nice/matching prayer mats may work best for you! Looking and feeling your best while praying is a must, but intentionally putting clothes on that make you feel good make you more intentional about the prayer you are about to perform.
For Quality Time: Sunnah prayers and Qiyam may be the best acts of worship for you. Intentionally freeing yourself to pray to Allah SWT will make you build a connection to Him deeper. Did you know after your obligatory duaas in prayer, you can make duaa in your own language? How cool is that! It’s definitely a game-changer for me, at least.
For Receiving Gifts: Giving people gifts and regularly giving sadaqah may be the best acts of worship for you! Because you are giving something for the sake of Allah SWT, you in turn will be making Him happy, and racking up those deeds for yourself! It is a two-in-one, and what could possibly be better than that?
For Words of Affirmation: Reading Quran and reciting duaas of the Prophets (ASWS) may be what works best for you! It can be a means of reassurance for you that Allah SWT is always near, especially reading from His book as a sign to YOU, to make you feel more comfortable and at ease with the fact that He is speaking directly to you through the words in the Quran.
Now that you have this in mind, what ways will you maximize your worship with Allah SWT? Write in the comments how this made you feel! And with that, I will be signing off. Until next month, Insha’Allah!
There’s a healthy boundary in knowing our limitations of things we can and can’t do. Comparison is the thief of joy; every single person is different. What works for you might not work for me, and what works for me might not work for you. That’s completely okay! Allah knows that too. Which is why He created so many different ways to worship Him *gasp*. And it can be so much easier to worship Him if you know yourself and what you like best. Worship is not supposed to be strict and demanding. It is supposed to be something calming, and even fun for ourselves!
Did you know that in sunnah prayers, we can recite Quran, COMMENT ON IT, and MAKE DUAA depending on the verses being recited? For example, if an aya we are reading really stands out to us, we can say “Subhanallah, Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulilah, and/or Masha’Allah”, and when we recite a duaa in the Quran, we can even say Ameen to it? The Quran is meant to be something we interact with, get to know, and even become a companion of. It is not a regular chapter book that we just are commanded to read, no. It is a book full of beautiful miracles, stories, and even healing! We just need to build the connections to it in order to feel its true effects. Isn’t that so cool??
We, or should I say I, was raised to believe worship was something I had to do without feeling a connection just because “Allah will punish me if I didn’t”. While yes that can be true, teaching that to a kid just doesn’t make them motivated to do more in their religion. You’re teaching them to fear the punishment, not the punishER. Big difference. Yada yada fast forwarding, now that I have grown up, now i realize that not praying IS the punishment of my heart hardening (do i sound like your favorite aunt yet? 😂).
Now see, the closest way to get to Allah is through prayer, because it is His most beloved act of worship. We would not do it 5 times a day if Allah SWT didn’t love it. But how can we do that if we do not have a connection with Allah? That is setting yourself up for COMPLETE failure. You have to understand Allah and who He is to build a connection to Him. How can you do that with no basis, no meaning, no depth, no conviction, no compassion, no nothing. What kind of relationship is that?? I bet you don’t even talk to your own friends like that.
The funny thing about that is, one of Allah SWT’s names is Al-Wali, meaning YOUR FRIEND! 😂 Allah is your friend, gang. Don’t be worried about being posh and proper, He is the One who Created you, He is Closer to you than your jugular vein. (That was 4 names of Allah right there). He loves you, He guides you, and He appreciates you. On a streak of 7 now, bet you didn’t see THAT coming!
There are so many different ways of worshipping Allah SWT that do not just fall into praying. There ARE things you can do to start building that connection, and that starts with YOU. Because when you crawl to Allah, He comes walking to you, and when you start walking to Him, He comes running to you. You have to be the one to take that first step in order for Him to make things happen for you. But first, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to make you take the love language test for friends, so you can see how you like to build connections with people. And then use those results to figure out acts of worship you can do to build that relationship stronger. Honestly, the percentage doesn’t matter, but the first two love languages that pop-up are ways you like to be loved, so do those for Allah SWT and you will start to feel the connection, I promise. It all starts with your intention to building that relationship.
Take it here and come back: https://5lovelanguages.com/start/friendships/
Now that you have the order of your love language, try these out and learn more about yourself in the process:
For Acts of Service: Voluntary fasting (Mondays and Thursdays, 3 white days, etc.) and volunteering at your local masjid may be the best acts of worship for you to do! Not only will you physically work for something, but you will build discipline in doing things for the sake of Allah SWT. Allah SWT said the best fasting was performed by Dawud AS, who fasted every other day!
For Physical Touch: Comfortable prayer clothing and nice/matching prayer mats may work best for you! Looking and feeling your best while praying is a must, but intentionally putting clothes on that make you feel good make you more intentional about the prayer you are about to perform.
For Quality Time: Sunnah prayers and Qiyam may be the best acts of worship for you. Intentionally freeing yourself to pray to Allah SWT will make you build a connection to Him deeper. Did you know after your obligatory duaas in prayer, you can make duaa in your own language? How cool is that! It’s definitely a game-changer for me, at least.
For Receiving Gifts: Giving people gifts and regularly giving sadaqah may be the best acts of worship for you! Because you are giving something for the sake of Allah SWT, you in turn will be making Him happy, and racking up those deeds for yourself! It is a two-in-one, and what could possibly be better than that?
For Words of Affirmation: Reading Quran and reciting duaas of the Prophets (ASWS) may be what works best for you! It can be a means of reassurance for you that Allah SWT is always near, especially reading from His book as a sign to YOU, to make you feel more comfortable and at ease with the fact that He is speaking directly to you through the words in the Quran.
Now that you have this in mind, what ways will you maximize your worship with Allah SWT? Write in the comments how this made you feel! And with that, I will be signing off. Until next month, Insha’Allah!