Temptations, along with sins and distractions are part of worldly life. Unfortunately, they appear as attractions that trigger people to stray away from the right path of Allah SWT. Mankind were created weak so they tend to fall into the trap of Satan.
They need the right way how to deal with temptation in Islam to be a good Muslim. Fighting with temptation is struggling with inner self. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“We have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad.” (Bayhaqi)
Even through the hadith was weak, the message was sound and important: fighting within yourself is harder that fighting outside, which means if you can’t conquer yourself you can’t external struggles.
So here are useful tips for Muslims in dealing with temptations:
- Acknowledge It First
Temptations are the work of Satan, so instead of fighting the thought and trying to deny it, acknowledging it is better. Whenever you feel the urge of craving something forbidden, tell yourself it’s not real, it’s the whisper of Satan and it will pass in a few minutes. Also read How to Gain Forgiveness in Islam
By acknowledging that Satan is trying to lure you to the wrong direction.
- Turn Your Back to Allah SWT
“By Him in whose hand is my soul, if you did not sin Allah would replace you with people who would sin and they would seek the forgiveness of Allah and He would forgive them.” (Muslim)
Remember that Allah SWT is always by your side. No matter how deep you have drown in sin, He welcomes you back whenever you turn to him. Human falls into sin all the time, but only the real Muslims know that they should return to Allah SWT.
- Avoid the Temptation
“And if you are tempted by Satan, then seek refuge with Allah. Indeed, He [alone] is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (41:36)
Temptations are test which Allah SWT sends to His servants. It appears in the form of Satan’s whispers to push you to commit sins, so the best solutions is to avoid it. Seek for the opposite such as purifying yourself, seeking refuge in Allah SWT, as well as lowering your gaze. Also read Benefits of Lowering Your Gaze in Islam
- Make Dua to Allah SWT
“O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion.” (Tirmidhi)
Dua is the guardian of your heart in soul. Through dua you ask Allah’s blessings and protections. Make dua after prayer, make dua when you need to be protected, make dua when you’re tempted to commit sins. Dua helps you to avoid sins.
[AdSense-B]
- Do Self Reflection Every Night
Create a habit every night before you to sleep to review your day. It’s the ways on how to deal with temptations in Islam. Reflect on what have you done all day, what kindness and sin you committed.
Pray sunnah prayer before bed to repent from your sins. The closer you are to Allah SWT, the further Satan will be from you. Also read Importance of Self Reflection in Night in Islam
Umar Ibn Al- Khattab said, “Take yourselves into account before you are taken to account. Weight yourselves before you are weighed.” (Ahmad)
- Have a Positive Thoughts
Having a good thoughts and prejudice towards yourself and Allah SWT is important. Be optimist than you can be a better person with the help of Allah SWT. If you think you can do it, you can do it.
- Perform the Night Prayers
“Verily, Allah the Exalted stretches out his hand by night for those who repent until the coming of the day.” (Muslim)
At night when everybody fast asleep, stay awake and perform the Tahajjud prayers. Make supplication to Allah SWT so that you will be shielded away from Satan and its evil whisper. Doing Tahajjud at night helps someone to avoid sins during the day. Also read Benefits of Tahajjud Prayer in Islam
- Be Obedient to Allah SWT
Fulfilling five obligatory prayers each day is the main duty of a Muslim. As long as you do the daily prayers and even better with sunnahs, Allah SWT will give you protection towards all evil things. More than that, protect your eyes, ears, and nose from anything that may cause sin.
[AdSense-C
- Keep in Remembrance of Allah SWT
“Keep your tongue moist with remembrance of Allah.” (Al-Nawawi)
The best thing you can do to keep Allah SWT in remembrance is by doing dhikr. Dhikr is a deed that can be done everywhere and every time. Do the daily dhikr every morning and evening, as well as after the prayers. Also read Importance of Dhikr in Islam
“Indeed, when Satan whispers to those mindful [of Allah], they remember [their Lord] then they start to see [things] clearly.” (7:201)
- Keep Away from Haram Things
If you want to purify yourself, you have to make sure to do it perfectly from the inside and outside. in addition of getting closer to Allah SWT, make sure your income and the food you eat are all halal.
More Ways on How to Deal with Temptations in Islam
Here are more tips you can do in daily life to deal with temptations
- Becoming more productive by keeping yourself busy in doing good deeds
- Avoid anything that is not beneficial for you such as using internet for things that you don’t urgently need.
- Be friends with good people that will always remind you Allah SWT.
‘Verily, the parable of a good friend and a bad friend is that of a seller of musk and a blacksmith. The seller of musk will give you some perfume, you will buy some, or you will notice a good smell. As for the blacksmith, he will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell.’ (Bukhari)
So those are all the tips how to deal with temptation in Islam. The most important thing is to always remember Allah SWT and going back to His right path when you’re about to stray away. You have to be sincere in your repentance so that Allah SWT will give you His forgiveness.