Closer to Quran

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

The topic about al-Quran is always a fascinating topic for me when I start to learn again about this scripture. I love it and the Words in Arabic is nothing to be compared to any other literary style although it is not a compilation of poems. 

From the lecture delivered by Ustad Hibzi Abdur-Rahim who was a student of Insaniah I get to learn something about Quran today. I had missed the first part of the lecture and I regret it so much. I tried to access records for those lectures but can't find any. I would like to suggest to Kedah FM to help upload them or notify lecture listeners through the radio website. I can't find any there : ( 

Yesterday I went to the library to settle debts for locker key and didn't get to return home early to listen to the radio. Macam orang tua la pulak, hahahahaa. The university is organizing Convocation and Expo beginning yesterday and I hate to stay in crowd since I don't know anyone no more and nobody that I know remains here. So, today after I finished the class earlier since the lecturer of the repeating class which is Dr. Noreha feel sick and has to stop it. I feel a total liberation and right away running my way home to this room and listening for the lecture after Dzuhr prayer service, alhamdulillahi rabbil 'aalamin praise be to the Lord of the universe. The class and this course in general is torturing me and my heart is not in the class anymore. 

I just feel like I wanted to take out my Quran from the bag and just read it without bothering others because... I don't know how to say this. I just hate to see around anymore and letting people seeing sorrow in my face. Feel like wanted to burst out with tears seeing people do not have to stuck like this, that's just a personal feeling we are human. Urmm, maybe others would look to me like a freak but it's ok. Nobody would help me when environment is pressuring me, instead His Word and Miracle is helping me to gain peace and tranquility. I begin to wear skull cap in the midst of people now. It's just as a reminder that His Divine presence is surrounding me at least after I felt that I am not suitable to be tied to any organization such as Tabligh-e-Jama'at nor any other though I respect every brother and sister's organizations. At least I learned something from them. I should have had put skull cap on since I returned home from pilgrimage in the noble city, Mecca last five years but I had postponed it as I thought that I was young but now I am growing old. Death would not have to wait for me to grow old so I better take everything about Him seriously. Besides, I also talked about this with brother Sayyid Eidan last time and he told me about a sage who also wears the skull cap after being advised by his mother. Although we are of different religions but I respect him so much. I feel there is half of me in him, like mirror.

The ustad talked about the interpretation of the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura something and it must be the word from any surah in the glorious Quran. I try to find the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura and it happens to be in surah al-Furqan verse 30, the God says:

"And said the messenger (Muhammad): "Dear my Lord, indeed my people had make this Quran as something forsaken."

In the beginning of this part delivered by the ustad, he talked about the eternal life after the Resurrection. There would be no more death in the hereafter. It implies that while we are living in the world, we have to take care our act while living as we will be resurrected by the God and will be seeing Him. The faith to the hereafter and the day of Resurrection is a pillar in the pillars of faith. It notifies us about the importance of morality and conduct of life that would lead us to prosperity in the hereafter. The noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w mentioned: "And adulterer would have never fallen into adultery if he or she is faithful, and a drunkard would never drink intoxicate drinks if he or she is faithful to the God and His promises." A faithful person has the faith that the God is watching him or her. While doing such vices of adultery and drinking intoxicate drinks a person would feel the pleasure but it is only for a short term, but the longer term pleasure is in the hereafter. Thus, we have to think wisely and deeply before doing anything. It is said that if we follow a path, be a godly person.

Now comes to the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura from surah al-Furqan. The word is translated to forsaken in English. It also means leave. In this sense it refers to people who never learn the lesson of previous nations for example the tribe of 'Aad and Thamud. The tribe of 'Aad is a tribe of southern Arabian Peninsula while the Thamud is a tribe who inhabited the caves at the way from northern Arabian Peninsula to Syria. They carved caves to be their houses and neighborhood. Both tribes are ancient Arab tribes. They are not Hebrews and they have prophets and messengers of the God sent to them for their infidelity which are mentioned in the glorious Quran as Huud and Saaleh a.h.m.s. The word for lesson in Islamic terminology is i'tibaar or tadabbur. Other example for infidelity due to the power is the Pharaoh as he assumed himself as the God who could take the life of people and spare people's life. If we want to see example of patience in women, we may see Aasiyyah the faithful wife of the Pharaoh or Maryam the mother of Jesus Christ. They are mentioned in the glorious Quran.

Ibnu Qayyim al-Jawjiyyah interpreted that the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura means leaving from judgement and rule of conduct in society based from the sources of the Quran. When human-being violating the universe, society, civilization and environment, the God is the One who decides for the judgement. For example, the rule and regulation regarding faraai'd or distribution of properties among recipients of legacy or heirs, if being left without any rule regarding this, servants of the God would be killing each other so the God has prepared the basis for the rulings in the Quran. This knowledge about rulings is now expanded to the branches of science known as Shari'ah or the Path. There will be Qadhis or Judges and Solicitors helping people interpreting the verses of the Quran regarding the rulings in certain cases for rights. For this topic, we need a specific post as to elaborate more or getting information from the Shari'ah Court. In Malaysia we have two systems which is Civil Court and Shari'ah Court. Shari'ah Court usually deals with matters such as matrimonial and it is subbed under states.

The God had revealed the rulings and basis for it in order to keep the mind of human-being. It is an obligation for every human-being to guard their mind from damages through clean and blessed food. Human-being must also guard their acts as they are also related to mind and mental. As for example the basis principle ruling for property is to guard the property of human since human have to work for the property. In a Hadith Qudsi, the God says: "O sons of Adam, I had already distributed your sustenance. Every son of Adam in the earth indeed have his portion for the sustenance through the reason of working to get the sustenance..." The God reminds human not to go beyond the limit and never work until we snatch others sustenance where the God had also saved for brethren. Take our rights with the peace of mind, but do not perform the act that hurt brothers and sisters in order to get the rights in property and sustenance. If we really insist on the worldly matters, the God will give it to us. But in the end, we must bear the burden of consequences for our acts before Him. 

According to Ibnu Qayyim in his exegesis, nations left behind the treatment of sickness and problems through the blessings of the holy verses of Quran. In the Quran, there are curing verses and verses of compassionate mercy for the faithful servant. Quran is able to help people who face sickness, diseases, and psychological problems. If we are sick, we may see the doctor first and if we can't find the root of disease, we may use Quranic verses to treat ourselves. Or we may begin the treatment with Quranic verses, there is of no problem. 

The 1-5 verses of surah Ta-Ha for example could help softening the heart of people. There was an incident where prophet Muhammad s.a.w companion before he becomes a Muslim was a fierce heathen. He is Omar al-Khattab, and he is a favorite figure for me too. When he listened to his sister, Fatimah reciting the Quran he asked her to recite it again as it makes him wonders and think. He is an Arabic speaker so supposedly he knows what makes him wonder. Then he went to see prophet Muhammad s.a.w but while he was in his way other companions of prophet Muhammad s.a.w obstructed his way as they afraid Omar would hurt the noble prophet. However the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w asked those companions to leave Omar alone. Omar spontaneously declaring his faith in the God and the prophethood of Muhammad s.a.w as the seal of the era. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had actually made prayers to the God as to help Muslims liberating them from tyranny either through Omar al-Khattab or Abu Jahal but the God has chosen Omar al-Khattab.

The Quranic verse is capable to soften the heart of husbands, wives, children, and sometimes when parents teaching lessons to children, they themselves are not confident with the ability of the Quran to assist their children. They may come to ustads and religious men with the words like "my child is so stubborn" jumped out of their lips. Their words will automatically be a prayer to the God and He listens to parents prayers. Parents could say dear ustad, please pray to the God for my children well-being. Do not use bad terms or words when talking about child or referring them. Say good things about them although sometimes we feel differently about our children.

How could we benefit from Quran? The first condition is we must know how to read letters in Quran. Nowadays many youngsters in Malaysia do not know how to read Quran. Maybe they could read but not many of them could further read other suras apart of those simple suras they memorized. If elderly come to ustad and say, they are old and now they are 70 years old but they can't read the Quran. That could still be forgiven. Because they perhaps had no time to learn, like women from the antiquity could not learn or further studies because of their parents are traditionalists. Perhaps they have no education because of poverty. But nowadays we have the Quranic lessons everywhere, we just need efforts. To prove to the God that we love Him, we must take our Quran and try to read it although it is difficult. 

From the exegesis of Ibnu Qayyim, there is a lamentation of the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w about the five basic constitutions where people tend to miss: 

1. They would ignore the Quran while it is recited     

2. They would not enforce principles of Quran in rulings

3. They would leave the judgement through precedents from Quran and the basic principles of the path

4. They would leave from benefiting the verses for psychological and healings

5. They do not care about what is forbidden or what is legal though they know and claim that they believe

How should we began to come closer to Quran? 

I. Look at Quran

II. Read Quran

III Try understand and take heed on lessons

IV Teach them to others who don't know when we acquire the skill of the contents and others related to the scripture

Use the skill to read the Quran and share it among friends and brethren. Knowledge and Science belong to the God. Thus we should not keep it to ourselves but teaching to others and sharing it. First focus for us to teach is our own family. The reciter and the fan of Quran would be accompanied by the most good amongst angels called the kiramul bararah. Those who practicing the Quran and teaching it to others who don't know are the friend of angels. Hopefully, at least I could have friends whom are the God and angels. I don't think any human wanted to befriend a weird person like me. Now, I begin to think that I am weird too... After many things happened I don't like to open up my mouth anymore nor looking at people's face.

Lessons from the Quran could be boundaries for us. For example the previous nations. What about nations who still exist today like the Israelites as an example? We do not condemn them, but we take them as mirror. We are not as holy as angels of the God too which is the fact that we should not forget forever. Quran is the source of legal precedents, civilization, manner, and moulder of science. Always recite His Words at our lips. Whatever that we read and memorize let them be with ourselves. It is favorable if our sons or daughters memorize the Quran. I believe that we ourselves will eventually have to save ourselves so I prefer to memorize it myself and not depending on others though it's not a sin to send daughters and sons to teachers to memorize the Quran. Everything must begin with ourselves and our own awareness. A person who memorize the Quran and practicing it will also being the salvator for his or her family members in the hereafter. If we can't provide our sons or daughters with Quranic education, we may also try to provide it to our grandchildren. 

The vessel of those who memorize the Quran will never be harmed by the earth, not touched by worms, and their vessel will be in the grave until the resurrection in peace and tranquility. In the end, the benefit of the Quran in a person could also salvate others as well. 

Goodness and evil will be written in a record where it will be displayed and everyone will look and listened to it. As for us in the world, everyone sees us as a good person but it appears that we are not like what we were in the world. We were actually committing vice behind of people while pretending to be a good person. We ask people to do good and performing charity while we never do what we preached to others. The impact to our face in the hereafter would be bad isn't it? In other word the impact is embarrassment before being dragged to the torment, na'udzubillahu min dzaalik may He forbids it!    

Isn't it great if we would be resurrected in the hereafter with the record being handed over to us at our right hand, and being judged and counted without any complication, later seeing our family again with joy? The ustad still remember when they listened to their honorable syeikh, syeikh Nuruddin said to them that everything must be initiated from right side since in the world. When we do everything good, it is suggested to start it from right before taking any action. When we are going in our house, start stepping in with right leg just like we enter the house of worship and holy places. Before we step into our working place, start it with right leg and everything with right side as it symbolizes blessings of the God. The prophet Muhammad s.a.w said: "be at the right side, as being right gives you blessings." When we want to go out of our working places, house, or other good places, start it with left leg stepping out. Teachers before starting the class could begin entering their classes with right step and reciting the Name of the God and praises to the God. As it is the place for teacher to make a living so make it a blessed place. When we undress, start it with left side as for example. All of these simple matters are also recorded by the God.         

May everything that we delivered benefit us all. May everyone receives blessings and let us pray may we be groups of people who receive salvation, let us pray may the Quran being our friend and companion while we are in the world and when we passed away entertaining us who will be alone in the grave. May prayers be granted... In the Name of the God the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent 1 Praise be to the Lord of the universe 2 The Most Merciful the Most Beneficent 3 King of the Day of the Religion 4 You are the One we worship, and You are the One follow 5 Show us the Straight Path 6 The Path which You agreed with 7 Not paths of those who raised Your anger, and not the path of those who went astray 8 Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!             

Interpretation of Faith

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

source pic: beautifulfoolishness.com

This is the interpretation of faith or iman in the view of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama'ah of Syafi'ie tradition that I listened through Radio Malaysia Kedah at 14:00 today just after Dzuhr prayer service. Although the ustad is a bit proud with his Syafi'ie tradition line of Yemen but it is still a beneficial knowledge for everyone. I am familiar with it anyway. It is our ancestral tradition. As long as we do not condemn each other without sound knowledge and understanding, I will be in agreement with it and I guess it is not a sin.

There are four interpretations of faith which are:

i. faith according to the prophetic tradition which is mentioned in the hadith

ii. faith through keeping practices

iii. faith through morality

iv. the sweetness of faith

First Interpretation

The first one is the faith of the people who keep the prophetic traditions in which we call them as sunni or sunnah. It is the faith which is mentioned in the six pillars of faith.

Second Interpretation

The second which is the faith related to the practices. The practices are prescribed in the scripture and the hadiths regarding the five basic pillars of the law of life. About the characteristics of faith, it is mentioned in the glorious Quran verse 14th of surah al-Hujurat where the Bedouins said: "We have the faith!" and the God cast His words in noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w tongue: "Say (to them), you are not faithfuls but say to them (that they should say), "we already submit ourselves to the path," since the faith is not yet in in your heart. And if you obey the God and His messenger, He will never decrease even a little merit for your deeds. Indeed, the God is All-Forgiver, the Most Merciful. 

I hope that nutty bigots who never tired of stupid enmity and calling themselves as previous Muslims like people care, displaying the distorted verse from surah at-Tawbah about the order to kill everything could also spread this verse to everyone, hahaha... Through this verse, it is expounded that although we had already submitted ourselves to the path, we are not yet faithful since the faith could be somewhere out of the heart. So, this revelation descends into the heart of the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w through the statement of the Bedouins who called themselves as the faithfuls, and the God revealed to the prophet s.a.w to correct their statement.

So, in the second interpretation or opinion about the faith by the people who follow prophetic tradition, it is important for every Muslim to keep their practices in consistency. When we go through the first part which is the faith with heart, proclaim it with tongue, we then will keep practices in our life with our body parts. Said the prophet Muhammad s.a.w recorded in the hadith: "When we see a person who always going to the mosque, be his witness that he is a faithful person. The place to prostrate (masjid) is prospered with the faithful people."

In the surah as-Sajjadah verse 15th, the God said: "Indeed, those who have faith in our verses (proofs) when reminded by the verses will fall down into prostration and exalt (the God) with praises of their Lord and they are not arrogant." 

The verse implies that those who are faithful will be:

1. Falling down into prostration when listening to His verses. It implies the act of awe and worship to Him with body parts

2. Exalting in praises to the God. This implies the exalting is with tongue since our tongue articulating exaltation and praises to Him.

3. A person who is not arrogant. He or she accepts whatever truth coming to his or her, humbling themselves and never looking down to others though a person who told him or her the truth is not of a great position in society, without any possession and others.

The Devil is the first creature of the God who is arrogant. He refused to obey the God to prostrate and humbling himself down in respect to fellow creature who is Adam. Thus, he becomes a subject who lose hope to His Mercy and Guidance and his envious self swear to Him to destroy man's soul into condemnation. Human-being could also be like this, thus we must be so careful. We had seen this around and even in human history.

Third Interpretation

Many law of life scholars also holding this interpretation of faith where a person needs to have his faith according to the six pillars of the faith according to prophetic tradition, keeping the act of worship in daily life as a daily practice, and honoring high morality. Why those in Afghanistan behead others' head? Why those in Somalia and Africa killing each other? Why the people in the Mid East keep chopping each others' head? Everyone should ask themselves why... The answer is within ourselves.

Last night I had a conversation with Mid East congregation after I ask them the book on Three Fundamental Principles by the Reformer Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. I already have copies of that book either in Arabic or in Malay. I just want the explanation book but perhaps they think that I am a beginner since I am a "Malay" and do not speak in Arabic. I don't like people asking me my ethnicity, anyone could just talk in any language they prefer and I would respond if I understand them. It is just offensive for me as I prefer to be known as a Muslim and Malaysian so that I feel close to my compatriots and brethren in faith.

What I can't agree is that they contradict in words. They wanted non-Muslim for example Jews or Christians to embrace the seal of prophethood but they keep repeating offensive words to these people in generalization. I made friend with few priests and shammas (deacons) from Middle East Orthodox Churches and also those from Orthodox Churches in India. Many of them do not offend me so I feel free to contact them and getting information needed and they answer my questions without offending me and my religion. If I have people of the book friends who embrace Islam insulting their family members who do not embrace Islam, I myself would slap his or her face as they are takabbur of themselves. It is a mazmumah (disgusting) characteristics for creatures. We must first understand that Guidance is not in our hand!!! Allah 'Azza wa Jalla is the One with authority in this matter. If we receive Guidance, we must be thankful and grateful to Allah 'Azza wa Jalla and not to look down on others. Our responsibility is only to tell others the good news and not to chop off others' head if they do not accept. Unless if they threaten us with their swords or M-16, then it would be foolishness to let our head being beheaded or kena tembak bocor.

My personal opinion, if we want to spread His Mercy to others, just leave offensive words behind and talk only about Him, sharing whatever we have in our limited knowledge and practices. Let others insult or say anything they want. The angels are behind those people who insult others turning the words back to them. Know first what are their philosophies and creed. It is not as easy as reading books written by few people like Ahmad Deedat, may Allah be Merciful to his soul and others like Zakir Naik. We need to go to the base just like these people did and mingle with the people we wanted to talk with. Human are of different level of knowledge and background just like us as Muslims. We condemn people in distance but we never bother to be among them, talk with them, and never bother to ask what are they doing... So, what do we expect? We expect people to listen to us? People treat us just like we treat them. My second sister now began to read these kind of books too and sometimes she might quarrel with me since she could not understand when I do not agree with the offensive parts for the people of the books or any other non-Muslims. When we do not agree with something, try to find other alternatives which could make everyone understand what we are up to. For now, I don't talk with people if I know their level of understanding though they might 'appear' to be pious. It will just complicate matters because people have different understanding and worldview. Even in the same house.    

Said the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w in a hadith: "The highest faith is the proclamation with tongue and the confidence in heart that there is no gods but only the God. The lowest one is when a person casts away obstacles in the road, helping to repair the road as to avoid others from falling into accidents, being merciful to animals and fellow human, and others." These are the signs of faith in a person. There are about 63 to 73 branches of faith, one of it is feeling shy.

Fourth Interpretation

The person who feels the sweetness of faith is a person who knows his or her God which is called as ma'arifatullah. This faith can be seen in a supplication which we recite three times in morning and evening which is: "I am pleased that Allah (the God) is my Lord, and I am pleased with Islam as the law which leads my life to Him, and I am pleased with Muhammad s.a.w as my prophet and the messenger of the God to me."

This interpretation is equated to a hobby, for example someone who loves to watch movies, he or she can stand sitting on the sofa for 10 hours watching movies without feeling bored. Or someone who loves to fish, he or she could sit on the bridge or spending few hours at the bank of the river trying to get some fish for his or her satisfaction. In our history, there are many scholars and sages who are devoted to the God, they pray hundreds units of prayers just because they love the God and it is their hobby in their free time. Some of them chanting holy verses everywhere without stop like a scholar in Yemen where his mouth could not stop chanting holy verses until he has to put a stone into his mouth to prevent it from reciting holy verses in toilet. 

We are suggested by scholars and people who follow prophetic traditions to recite the supplication to the God الَّلهُمَّ ارْزُقْنا حُبَّكَ وحُبُّ رُسُلِكَ وحب مَنْ اَحَبَّكَ وحب ما اَقْرَبِ إليكَ which means dear our Lord, sustain us with the love to You, and love to Your messenger, and love to those who love You and love on what brings us closer to You. We are suggested to supplicate may the God grants us with love toward all of those mentioned in the supplication. 

In this interpretation, through faith, a person will get to know the God. He or she will only agrees with the God and not others. The prophet Muhammad s.a.w traditions and sayings will be his or her model to perform daily life. And the interpretation is also a kind of level of faith that someone is going through step by step. In order to reach the stages above, a person needs stairs and the stairs are ulamas with efforts, scholars and sages. 

Summary of the Lesson

The first interpretation of faith is related to the six pillars of faith, a person must know it together with the learning of the obligatory characteristics and impossible characteristics of the God, sciences of the Quran, creed according to prophetic traditions, companions of the prophet Muhammad s.a.w, the Asha'ari and Maturidi. As for Asha'ari, the ustad said that he had a dream meeting with the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w and in his dream, he was advised to keep the creed. Imam Syafi'ie also memorized the Quran since he was seven years old. According to the narration of Imam Hanbal, Imam Syafi'ie had narrated about his dream where he met the prophet Muhammad s.a.w in his dream. The prophet s.a.w asked him where he came from (his house)? He said that he came from the house of Quraisy. Thus the prophet s.a.w asked him to come closer to him and he put his saliva into the mouth of the child. This is in his dream and vision. After that, he never wrong in reciting holy verses and narrating hadiths.

In surah Yunus, it is mentioned that those who are close to the God never feel scared or sad as for them is fear to the God and faith in Him. The God promise them with good news in their worldly life where noble people will love them. The God will call His archangel, Gabriel a.s and telling him that this person is the person which I love. Go and tell everyone that I love this person. The archangel Gabriel will go to heavens and telling everyone to love the particular person. It will also reach the heart of other faithful servants in the earth. How could we detect this kind of person? The ustad said... Look at how the person brings himself or herself in the society. With whom they mingle with? If they mingle with people who do vices, they would pray for them may the God be Merciful for those people. 

The God knows whatever happens. Every deeds and everything we talked in our heart will pass Him first. The noble messenger, prophet Muhammad s.a.w also being notified by the God on what happens in his nation. If his nation is in good condition striving in charity, he will praise the God. If he sees that his nation is in bad condition, he will pray to the God for salvation and forgiveness.  

People who are loved by the God

1. Are promised with good news

2. Having good dreams and visions, such people are the Imam Syafi'ie, the Imam al-Ghazali, and other ulamas and they have also stated in their books about their dream and vision for record. The ustad said, ulama from Syafi'ie school always look at Quranic verses with their heart. I agree, and other ulamas are also the same. They deserve equal respect. Not like us who only look at everything with our physical eyes.

3. People who holds tasawwuf in which the beginning of tasawwuf began sciences of religion and the law of life. Then it will continuously be supported with the practice of the sciences and knowledge. And from that, they will receive the Love of the God where the God will teach them knowledge which they themselves never know. This could not be sought in school or university. Because it is in His authority as what has been mentioned in surah al-Qalam, He teaches human on what he does not know. It begins with collections of basic knowledge and sciences and basic practices. The knowledge where the God teaches people He loves is called as the knowledge which is granted upon or 'ilmul-wahbi. 

Everything that the God grant to us in this world is something which is borrowed. It is not permanent. It includes knowledge and sciences. It also includes sons and daughters. Everything belongs to Him. As for children, as they are not ours but the God, we must teach them sciences of religion, the law of life with love and never neglect them. Teach our children with revelation, prayers, fasting, and everything in the basic pillars of religion. Teach them how to pray when they are seven years old, make it interesting and fun for them to pray obligatory salat service. Don't let them do it alone. Teach them fasting in Ramadan, teach them step by step. Don't ask them to fast like adults until they reach 10 years old. Teach them with creed as what has been prescribed in Quran and Sunnah. Children are not something to take as easy. They are responsibility. And they are not ours as everything is not permanent. Even if we have friends, our friends is only borrowed by the God to us. They are not ours. They will go different directions from us when certain period in our life come. Ibn Hatim had said: "Since friends, lovers, and everything will eventually leave us, I make faith and practice as my lover and my friend." Such a nice words of wisdom, I love this philosophy. 

Said the prophet s.a.w in a hadith: "Indeed Constantinople will be opened to His light again by a good chief amongst human-being, and his soldiers are amongst good soldiers amongst soldiers." It appears to be from the prophecy of the prophet Muhammad s.a.w that sultan Muhammad al-Fateh was the one who opened the city. He is actually a person who performs tasawwuf and always praying salat nawafil apart of other obligatory salaat services. May Allah be Merciful to his soul, amin. 

The faith may increase or decrease. It depends on environment. If we are in good environment, good deeds will arise more while evil will sunken a bit. Even if a person who knows religious sciences would still fall into evil as their environment would influence them to reject whatever being taught to them. Sometimes it might be due to non-halal sustenance (such as from bribery, cheating, and etc). When the food that we get not in proper manner and morally bad, our prayers and supplication will be rejected by the God. It is not only about avoiding pork, hog, monitor lizard, snake, dog, birds like eagle, bear and other animals prescribed in the Quran and Sunnah which should be avoided as food. Or only about alcohol consumption. It is more than that.

This is some essence of the half an hour lecture delivered by ustad Aminuddin Abdul Rahim at the Zakat Tower aired in the Radio Malaysia Kedah. The producer of the program is madame Hasmah Bahari. I wish it is not only beneficial for my self but also to those who passing by this humble site of a faqir, insyaallah.
    

Sealed with salawat, prayers for peace, mercy and love for brethren, amin!