I pray but my heart isn't in it

 🔴 Q : I don't feel like praying, I pray but my heart isn't in it. What should I do in this situation?

🔵 Ans: Imaan (faith) says that the Kalima is acknowledged by the tongue, confirmed by the heart, and fulfilled by the limbs. And until we practically demonstrate our faith, we will not be called believers. And prayer is the pillar of the life of a believer, and a believer always prioritizes prayer, whether he is in comfort or hardship.
A companion, Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him), who had hemorrhoids, asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Pray standing, and if you cannot pray standing, then pray sitting, and if you cannot pray sitting, then pray on your side." (Bukhari)
You can gauge from this Hadith that prayer is never excused, even for a sick person. If someone cannot pray standing, he should pray sitting, and if he cannot pray sitting, he should pray on his side, but prayer is never excused.
If someone thinks, "I don't feel like praying," then he should immediately repent to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and make a firm intention to pray in all circumstances, whether he feels like it or not. This is because prayer is an action without which one cannot be called a Muslim.
If someone neglects prayer, he will not be called a Muslim, his worship will not be accepted, and he will not be deserving of Allah's mercy and blessings. Rather, he may be tested with trials, afflicted with calamities, and face difficulties in this world and the Hereafter, where the punishment for neglecting prayer is Hellfire.
Therefore, we should fear Allah and prioritize prayer in all circumstances. Some reasons for neglecting prayer include watching movies and serials, attending bad gatherings, keeping bad company, earning haram income, and engaging in sinful activities. We should avoid these things and attend religious gatherings, listen to religious sermons, befriend good people, and engage in good deeds.
Specifically, we should pray the five daily prayers on time, recite the supplications after prayer, recite the morning and evening supplications, recite the supplications before sleeping and waking up, and recite some portion of the Quran daily. We should also give some charity, which will soften our hearts.
 ✒️ Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi Hafizahullah, Jeddah Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia. 

waiting period (iddah) after divorce

 Question: Some women, influenced by irreligiousness or Western civilization, do not complete the waiting period (iddah) after divorce. What is the punishment for such women in Islam?
 Answer: If a Muslim woman does not complete her waiting period (iddah) after being divorced by her husband, she is violating an important teaching of Islam. In such a situation, she should sincerely repent to Allah, otherwise she will be held accountable in the Hereafter. However, if she unintentionally or deliberately did not complete a few days of the iddah, Allah will forgive her out of His mercy, and there is no expiation (qaza) required. Once the days of iddah have passed, no expiation is necessary.
 A critical issue arises if a woman who was required to complete the iddah (three menstrual cycles) did not do so and married another man during that period. Such a marriage is haram (forbidden) and invalid. Allah's command states:
  وَلا تَعْزِمُوا عُقْدَةَ النِّكَاحِ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ الْكِتَابُ أَجَلَهُ (البقرة: 235)
Translation: "And do not decide on the marriage contract until the decreed term reaches its end" (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:235).
 Living together as such a couple is haram and considered as zina (adultery). A Muslim judge or responsible authority should separate them. The woman must first complete the remaining iddah from the first husband and then complete the iddah from the invalid marriage. Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to flog such people.

Does fearing anyone other than Allah constitute shirk (polytheism)?

 Question: Does fearing anyone other than Allah constitute shirk (polytheism)?
 Answer: Fear of Allah and His awe is a form of worship. The more a person fears Allah, the closer and more beloved he becomes to Allah. Allah has commanded humans to fear Him alone. The divine command is:
 واياي فارهبون
Translation: "And fear only Me." (Al-Baqara: 40)
 Allah's command is:
 يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا. (Al-Ahzab: 70)
Translation: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice."
 In another place, it is said:
 فلا تخشوا الناس واخشون ولا تشتروا بآياتي ثمنا قليلا.
 Translation: "So fear not the people, but fear Me, and do not sell My verses for a small price." (Al-Maida: 44)
 This fear and awe should be of Allah to the best of one's ability, as Allah commands:
 يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. (Al-Imran: 102)
 Translation: "O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims."
 Thus, the one deserving of fear is only Allah. Fearing anyone else in His place is considered shirk in worship. There are two scenarios of this:
 1. Abandoning religious practices out of fear of people.
 2. Fearing or believing that someone other than Allah can harm without Allah's permission. For example, fearing idols, saints, jinn, the dead, and imaginary wandering spirits.
 Allah mentions this in the Quran in this manner:
 انما ذلكم الشيطان يخوف أولياءه فلا تخافوهم وخافون إن كنتم مؤمنين. (Al-Imran: 175)
 Translation: "It is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers."
 Therefore, under no circumstances should fear of anyone other than Allah be allowed in the heart. Allah is the sole owner of benefit and harm. No one can harm us without Allah's command.
 The divine command is:
 وإن يمسسك الله بضر فلا كاشف إلا هو وإن يمسسك بخير فهو على كل شيء قدير. (Al-An'am: 17)
 Translation: "And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He intends for you good, then there is no repeller of His bounty. He causes it to reach whom He wills of His servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
 Fear is an anxiety that arises in the heart due to shortcomings in obligations and the commission of sins. Similarly, a person fears non-acceptance even after performing acts of obedience.
 However, natural fear, like the fear upon seeing a snake or wild animals, is different. This fear is not in comparison to Allah; it is just a natural feeling, as when Musa (peace be upon him) feared the snake. Allah's command is:
 وألق عصاك فلما رآها تهتز كأنها جان ولى مدبرا ولم يعقب يا موسى لا تخف إني لا يخاف لدي المرسلون. (An-Naml: 10)
 Translation: "Throw down your staff." But when he saw it wriggling as if it were a snake, he turned in flight and did not look back. [Allah said], "O Musa, fear not. Indeed, in My presence the messengers do not fear."
 The reward for fearing Allah is Paradise. Allah's command is:
 وأما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى فإن الجنة هي المأوى. (An-Nazi'at: 40-41)
 Translation: "But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination, then indeed, Paradise will be his refuge."
 May Allah bless us with the quality of fear and reverence. Ameen.
 Those who doubt the Quran and Hadith form sects in the names of Imams.
In regions where people indulge in grave worship and shirk, they can be subject to Allah's wrath and punishment at any time. May Allah protect us.