What are the causes of a decrease in faith?

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

According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, faith increases through obedience and decreases through disobedience. Therefore, every Muslim should know the causes of its decline so that he can avoid them and strive for what strengthens his faith.

Causes of the Decrease in Faith

1. Ignorance of Allah's Names and Attributes

The less a servant knows his Lord, His Most Beautiful Names, and His Perfect Attributes, the weaker his faith becomes. Knowledge of Allah is among the greatest causes of increased faith, reverence, and love for Him.

2. Turning Away from Allah's Signs

Neglecting to reflect upon the Qur'an and failing to contemplate Allah's universal and revealed signs weakens the heart and causes faith to decline.

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth... are signs for people of understanding."
(Qur'an 3:190)

3. Committing Sins

Sins have a profound effect on weakening faith and hardening the heart. The more a person persists in sin, the weaker his faith becomes.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer."

This means that his faith is weakened while committing that major sin.

4. Neglecting Acts of Obedience

Abandoning acts of obedience leads to a decrease in faith.

• If the neglected act is obligatory and is abandoned without a valid excuse, the person incurs sin and his faith decreases.
• If the neglected act is voluntary, or an obligatory act is missed due to a valid Islamic excuse, the person loses some of the perfection of faith according to what was missed, but is not sinful if genuinely excused.

How Can a Muslim Preserve His Faith?

Among the greatest means of increasing faith are:

• Learning the correct Islamic creed and Allah's Names and Attributes.
• Reflecting upon the Noble Qur'an.
• Performing the obligatory acts of worship consistently.
• Increasing voluntary acts of worship, remembrance of Allah (dhikr), and seeking forgiveness.
• Avoiding sins and repenting from them.
• Keeping the company of righteous people and staying away from bad companions.

Conclusion

Among the greatest causes of the decrease in faith are ignorance of Allah and His Names and Attributes, neglecting to reflect upon His signs, committing sins, and abandoning acts of obedience. The more a servant knows his Lord, devotes himself to acts of worship, and distances himself from sins, the stronger his faith and certainty become.

And Allah knows best.