What Are the Causes of Increased Faith? And What Are the Main Factors That Weaken or Prevent It?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

Faith (iman) increases through obedience to Allah and decreases through sin. There are causes that strengthen it and others that weaken it or prevent a person from being guided. Among the most important are the following:

First: Causes That Increase Faith

Among the greatest means of strengthening faith are:

• Seeking beneficial Islamic knowledge. The more a person learns about Allah and His religion, the stronger their faith becomes.
• Accepting the truth with humility and avoiding arrogance and turning away from it.
• Reflecting upon Allah's signs in creation, such as the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, and the countless signs of Allah's greatness found therein.
• Reflecting upon the Qur'an and acting according to it, for it is among the greatest means of increasing faith and strengthening the heart.
• Taking lessons from the stories of previous nations and reflecting upon the fate of those who denied the truth.
• Resisting personal desires and following the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
• Keeping the company of righteous people and staying away from people of heedlessness and corruption.
• Using sound reason to reflect and contemplate without following doubts and misleading arguments.
• Loving faith and obedience while hating disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience.

Above all these means of guidance is the grace and guidance of Allah, for He alone guides whom He wills to the Straight Path.

Second: Obstacles That Weaken or Prevent Faith

Among the greatest obstacles that prevent or weaken faith are:

• Ignorance of Allah's religion and its teachings.
• Envy, injustice, and rejecting the truth because of personal desires.
• Arrogance and refusing to submit to the truth.
• Turning away from the remembrance of Allah and neglecting His revelation.
• Rejecting the truth after recognizing it, or refusing it after clear evidence has been established.
• Becoming immersed in luxury and worldly desires until the heart becomes hardened.
• Looking down upon the truth or its followers.
• Persisting in sinful behavior until the heart becomes sealed.
• Hardness of heart and heedlessness of the remembrance of Allah.
• Hating what Allah has revealed, which is among the gravest and most dangerous barriers to faith.

Summary

Faith increases through beneficial knowledge, reflecting upon the Qur'an, righteous deeds, striving against one's lower self, keeping the company of righteous people, contemplating Allah's signs, and continually asking Allah for steadfastness and guidance.

On the other hand, ignorance, arrogance, envy, turning away from the truth, following personal desires, persisting in sin, hardness of heart, and hatred of what Allah has revealed are among the greatest causes that weaken faith or prevent a person from receiving guidance.

And Allah knows best.