slip-sliding away…..

Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 17

Our welcome gift in Aziziah

It’s not about the feelings

During our stay in Makkah, our last tawaaf right near the Kabah came a few nights before we left. I hated it. It was so full and uncomfortable that my focus was not on dua, dhikr, or spiritual thoughts – but on the difficulty and unpleasantness of the experience. But it reminded me of a crucial lesson in Islam: we don’t worship feelings.

You see, in ibadah, it’s amazing to have the beautiful feelings of peace, contentment, and an emotional connection to Allah. But such things are not pre-requisites for acceptance of the deeds, and even though they feel good, our feelings shouldn’t be our motivator for those acts of worship.

In Islam, we don’t worship our feelings. We worship Allah. And this applies in all conditions and states of mind…