Signs of fitnah in the heart
It is easier to see faults in others than in ourselves.
Easier to call them out than to realize we fall into the same faults. Or even worse.
Reflecting on our own actions, admitting mistakes, and making amends can feel like the hardest thing in the world.
But it is worth it.
When was the last time you reflected on your behavior?
When you thought about the impact of your actions on others?
When you were self-critical?
When you recognized ongoing mistakes, made tawbah, and rectified your behavior?
This newsletter is a guide on how to identify signs that your heart is hardening.
And some simple steps to protect yourself from that fitnah.
Let’s explore them.
1) Salah became a chore
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Between a man and shirk (idolatry) and kufr (disbelief) is abandoning the prayer.” [Muslim 82]
Prayer is the first thing you will be asked about.
Yet for many, it is the first thing neglected.
Salah is not just a ritual. It is the direct link to Allah.
The lifeline of the heart.
The daily reminder that you were created to worship Him.
If salah feels like a burden, it is not a sign that you are hopeless.
It is a sign that your heart needs attention.
How to protect yourself?
- Treat salah as a meeting with Allah, not a task. Pause before you begin, set your intention, and remind yourself who you are standing before.
- Build consistency by anchoring salah to your day. For example, never sleep without praying ‘Isha, no matter how tired.
- Make dua after salah, asking Allah to make it beloved to your heart.
2) Sins became easier
“Allāh has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.” [49:7]
When sin no longer feels heavy, it is a warning sign.
Everyone slips, but the danger is when slips become habits. When your heart feels nothing.
This is not about being a bad person.
It is about a heart that is losing sensitivity.
How do you bring your heart back when it slips?
- Do istighfar daily, even for small mistakes. The Prophet ﷺ sought forgiveness more than 70 times a day.
- Cut off paths that lead to sin. If scrolling, certain places, or certain people make you fall, step away.
- Replace sins with good deeds. Even small acts like charity, helping someone, or reading Qur’an can restore balance.
3) Reminders are mocked
Mocking the reminders of Allah is not a joke.
It is a disease of the heart.
Yet sometimes it creeps in without realizing.
Dismissing advice, rolling your eyes at reminders, or laughing at those striving to practice their deen.
We all need reminders.
The heart grows hard without them.
What can you do to mend this?
- Instead of resisting reminders, ask yourself: “What is Allah trying to teach me here?”
- Keep company with those who value the deen. Their seriousness will soften your heart.
- When corrected, respond with humility. Even if you struggle, say: “JazakAllahu khayr, make dua for me.”
4) Your nafs became your Lord
“Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire?” [45:23]
When desires control you, the nafs becomes the master and you become the servant.
The Qur’an warned us about this because it is easy to fall into.
Living only for pleasure, ignoring what Allah commanded, chasing temporary highs.
The more the nafs is fed, the hungrier it grows.
What steps can keep you safe from this trap?
- Fast voluntarily. It trains the nafs to submit.
- Practice saying “no” to yourself in small ways. Leave that extra bite of food. Hold back that harsh word. Delay that impulse.
- Make dua every day: “O Allah, do not leave me to my nafs even for the blink of an eye.”
These signs are not pointing at a bad person.
They are pointing at a heart in danger.
The Prophet ﷺ warned us. The Qur’an showed us.
Not to shame us. But so we do not fall blindly.
Guard your salah.
Repent often.
Surround yourself with what softens the heart: Qur’an, dhikr, salah, and good company.
And remember, no matter how far you feel you’ve gone, Allah is always near.
His door of mercy is always open.
Your heart can be revived with His permission.
Do not delay.
Take one small step today to bring your heart back to Him.
If you want a practical tool to help with that, explore our Juz 30 Qur’an Journal.
A guided journal to connect you with the Qur’an daily, reflect on its verses, and soften your heart one page at a time.
May Allah guide your heart and keep it alive with His remembrance.
مع حبي (with love),
Eternah
اترك تعليقًا
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