How can a Muslim connect with GOD Almighty in life?
My philosophy about living as a Muslim in life and connecting with Allah Almighty is as follows:
1- You must have an infinite amount of faith in Allah Almighty:
Through faith in Allah Almighty we build hope and optimism and remove depression and fear. Through faith in Allah Almighty we gain victory in life and feel secured and happy. Through the Holy Spirit that Allah Almighty created for us to guide us in life, we can overpower Satan and his evil followers from Mankind. Allah Almighty said:
"When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way. (The Noble Quran, 2:186)"
"How can ye reject the faith in God?- seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return. (The Noble Quran, 2:28)"
"But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein shall they abide (For ever). (The Noble Quran, 2:82)"
"Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides God, as equal (with God): They love them as they should love God. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for God. If only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the penalty: that to God belongs all power, and God will strongly enforce the penalty. (The Noble Quran, 2:165)"
2- You must have an infinite amount of patience:
Allah Almighty created us here on earth to test us. His purpose for life is to filter out the good from the evil in humans. Life is a struggle for the believers and the righteous. Therefore, we must have an infinite amount of patience when dealing with life and its challenges. We must also have an infinite amount of patience when seeking Allah Almighty. The way Allah Almighty operates in life is that He allows for things to happen and He in many times takes His time to fulfill our prayers to make us appreciate the value of Him and life. Allah Almighty said:
"Nay, seek (Allah's) help With patient perseverance And prayer: It is indeed hard, except To those who bring a lowly spirit -- Who bear in mind the certainty That they are to meet their Lord, And that they are to return to Him. (The Noble Quran, 2:45-46)"
"O ye who believe! seek help With patient Perseverance And Prayer: for Allah is with those Who patiently preserve. (The Noble Quran, 2:153)"
"(Namely), those who say: "Our Lord! we have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins, and save us from the agony of the Fire;"- Those who show patience, Firmness and self-control; who are true (in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of God); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning. (The Noble Quran, 3:16-17)"
"And be steadfast in patience; for verily God will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. (The Noble Quran, 11:115)"
3- You must have a good amount of discipline:
With discipline you work hard and try hard to make things better. With discipline you take actions to support what's right and condemn what's wrong. If you only have faith and patience and don't have the discipline to put your faith and patience to practice, then you will never accomplish anything good in life. You can never for instance study hard and pass your exam and get the highest grades possible without studying hard. Studying hard requires a lot of discipline and seriousness about success in life. Without it, you can never study hard or accomplish anything. Allah Almighty said:
"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing. (The Noble Quran, 2:177)"
"They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.
(The Noble Quran, 3:114)""It is not your wealth nor your sons, that will bring you nearer to Us in degree: but only those who believe and work righteousness - these are the ones for whom there is a multiplied Reward for their deeds, while secure they (reside) in the dwellings on high! (The Noble Quran, 34:37)"
"But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: "Why, this is what we were fed with before,"for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure (and holy); and they abide therein (for ever). (The Noble Quran, 2:25)"
4- You must always try your honest best in everything you do, and everything you do has to be for a good cause that pleases Allah Almighty:
Working hard is not enough in life. You must always try your honest best, where you deep inside yourself know that there is nothing more you could've done to accomplish the goal. This helps you to have inner peace and comfort even during your loss times, because you would know that the loss happened from the Determination and Will of Allah Almighty, and not because of your lack of hard work or discipline. Allah Almighty said:
"Say: 'Nothing will happen to us except what God has decreed for us: He is our protector': and on God let the Believers put their trust. (The Noble Quran, 9:51)"
"Say: 'I have no power Over any harm or profit To myself except as Allah Willeth. To every People Is a term appointed: When their term is reached, Not an hour can they cause Delay, nor (an hour) can they Advance (it in anticipation).' (The Noble Quran, 10:49)"
"In whatever business thou mayest be, and whatever portion thou mayest be reciting from the Quran,- and whatever deed ye (mankind) may be doing,- We are witnesses thereof when ye are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record. (The Noble Quran, 10:61)"
"Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it. (The Noble Quran, 99:7)"
"And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: "Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of another: Those who have left their homes, or been driven out therefrom, or suffered harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain,- verily, I will blot out from them their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath;- A reward from the presence of God, and from His presence is the best of rewards." (The Noble Quran, 3:195)"
"They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous. (The Noble Quran, 3:114)"
"Verily this Quran doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the Glad Tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward; (The Noble Quran, 17:9)"
5- You must have an infinite amount of trust in Allah Almighty:
As a Muslim, once you tried your honest best to accomplish the good cause that pleases Allah Almighty, whether it is studying for schools, working at a job, spreading Islam to Mankind, etc..., you must always keep your trust in Allah Almighty, and know that whatever gains or losses that result from your work are only determined and chosen for you by Allah Almighty to further test you in life. Allah Almighty said:
"Say: 'Nothing will happen to us except what God has decreed for us: He is our protector': and on God let the Believers put their trust. (The Noble Quran, 9:51)"
"It is part of the Mercy of God that thou dost deal gently with them Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (Their faults), and ask for (God's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast Taken a decision put thy trust in God. For God loves those who put their trust (in Him). (The Noble Quran, 3:159)"
"They have "Obedience" on their lips; but when they leave thee, a section of them Meditate all night on things very different from what thou tellest them. But God records their nightly (plots): So keep clear of them, and put thy trust in God, and enough is God as a disposer of affairs. (The Noble Quran, 4:81)"
"For, Believers are those who, when God is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord; (The Noble Quran, 8:2)"
Warning: Watch out from gaining too much self confidence and arrogance from your successes. If you begin to gain arrogance and think too highly of yourself, then you are beginning to loss faith and trust in Allah Almighty. Sometimes Allah Almighty grants more gains to the arrogant and evil people in life to finish their rewards and gains during their life times, so they wouldn't have anything in the Day of Judgement. So a true Muslim, must always humble him or herself and must never think that they are a big deal and forget that it was Allah Almighty that put them in that position to test them to see if they're worthy or not. Allah Almighty said:
"Nor walk on the earth with insolence: for thou can not rend the earth asunder, nor reach the mountains in height.
(The Noble Quran, 17:37)""And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk in insolence through the earth; for God loveth not any arrogant boaster. (The Noble Quran, 31:18)"
Insolence, or arrogance, or undue elation at our powers or capacities, is the first step to many evils. Besides, it is unjustified. All our gifts are from Allah Almighty.
6- Always pray and prostrate to Allah Almighty in humility:
Allah Almighty loves those who seek Him in prayers and humble themselves for Him in humility by prostrating to Him. Allah Almighty said:
"And be steadfast in prayer; practise regular charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship). (The Noble Quran, 2:43)"
"Nay, seek (God's) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit,- (The Noble Quran, 2:45)"
"O ye who believe! seek help With patient Perseverance And Prayer: for Allah is with those Who patiently preserve. (The Noble Quran, 2:153)"
"Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before God in a devout (frame of mind). (The Noble Quran, 2:238)"
"Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.
(The Noble Quran, 29:45)"
Conclusion:
If you follow the above six points, then I promise you that you will always have inner peace and feel the connection with Allah Almighty. No matter how difficult life is on you, if you keep your infinite faith, patience and trust in Allah Almighty, and always try your honest best in everything you do, and keep yourself disciplined and work hard to accomplish your goals, and pray to Allah Almighty in humility, then no evil will ever overpower you, nor will you ever feel any regrets for losses, because you know it would be from the Will of Allah Almighty and not your own fault or lack of hard work.
Back to Islam - Questions and Answers.
Who is your Messiah in Islam? Who is your Savior?
Where do Martyrs go after death? And will they be judged for their good and bad deeds?
Everything from good and bad that happens to us is determined by Allah Almighty.
Did GOD create some Men and Jinns to be destined to hell?
How does a Muslim get to Heaven, saved, reach a state of perfect harmony with God?