Hardship In Taqwa, Not In Worship

In worship is lazzat (enjoyment), not hardship. We feel hardship in worship because we are sick, and just as a sick person will not be able to experience enjoyment in biryani due to his illness, in the same way, because of our spiritual sicknesses we do not experience enjoyment in our worship.

Hardship is in refraining from sin i.e. adopting taqwa, and this is what leads us to becoming friends of Allah. We are not told to “bring imaan” and worship Allah in this way or that way, we are told to “bring imaan and adopt Taqwa”. Of course after adopting Taqwa, if we increase our worship then closeness and friendship with Allah will only increase.

Taken from Shaykh.org

Indeed the strongest of people are those who can go against their desires even in the hardest of situations.

A person may be in the market place where he sees a beautiful young woman and his eyes are on her, the words of shaytaan are telling him to keep looking at the woman, knowing that if he keeps on looking eventually his eyes will meet hers. The wild desires within are being soothed by what his eyes are seeing. But a faint whisper in the background can still be heard amongst all this commotion... "Lower your gaze and indeed you will taste the sweetness of imaan" are slowly echoing within.

This is where the real strength is needed. Where the real power is needed to bring control to your mind and soul. Where the person is forced to decide between the pleasure of his Lord or the pleasure of his nafs/desires. Time and time again situations like these arise but time and time again which option do we choose?

The man knows that if he keeps his gaze fixed upon the woman he may get something out of it, a smile, a hug or maybe even a number. But if he lowers his gaze he protects his eyes, his heart and he gains closer to Allah.

We see in the qoute of Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi Rahimahullah where he says that the "One who guards his heart has guarded his Deen" and indeed this is a true statement. The heart has its own sight, where it sees this world and it sees what it wants from this world. Whatever the eyes see the heart sees and what ever the eyes see that the heart likes, the heart saves an image of it.
Mankind has been created with a heart to love. At every moment in a person's life his/her heart will love one thing or another. Whether it is a BMW, GHD hair straightners or even the man at the local corner shop.

The heart is a delicate organ of the muslim body and if it isn't fed the right "food" it will end up dark and unhealthy. Unrestrained glances at the opposite sex is one of the poisons of the heart and it destroys the soul and peace of a person. Whilst in Salaah a man may have the faces of certain women popping up in his mind totally distracting his concentration and leaving him confused over what rakaat hes on.

Shaytaan Will attack mankind from the left, from the right, from infront and from behind, but Shaytaan cannot attack a person from above or below. The reason Shaytaan cannot attack a muslim from above is due to the fact that when a muslim is in need of help all he has to do is raise his hands to the sky up above and beg his Lord for forgiveness and help, and indeed he will recieve it. Shaytaan cannot attack a muslim from below, because when the eyes are lowered then what of the world will the muslim see? Nothing but the dirt of the streets, therefore preventing his heart from getting attached to the glitter and sparkle of this world.

The eyes are indeed a gift that Allah has given to us but with this gift comes great trust and responsibility...