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When we talk about a good ending, one of the greatest gifts Allah can grant us is to say the Shahada—the testimony of faith—at the time of death.

It’s not a small thing; it’s the culmination of our life's journey, reflecting a deep connection with Allah.

But how do we achieve that?

How do we ensure we will be among those who leave this world in such a state?

It’s not automatic.

It requires work—sincere effort and introspection.

We must ask ourselves: How is our connection to Allah right now?

Some of us may be praying regularly, reading the Qur’an, and fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, but still, something feels off.

Despite all of this, there might be this lingering question:

Why am I not feeling that deep connection to Allah? 

And even if we feel some connection, we might ask:

Is this enough?

Am I among those close to Allah, or is something standing in my way?

The Subtle Barriers

It’s crucial to understand that hidden barriers could distance us from Allah even while engaging in worship.

These barriers might not become evident until our final moments or the Day of Judgment.

Often, we make the mistake of treating our worship in isolation, thinking that more worship automatically means more connection.

But the reality is that everything is interconnected.

Why Can’t We Connect?

We treat these issues like isolated problems, but they are often symptoms of a much larger issue: the interconnectedness of our actions and intentions.

The Prophet (ﷺ) gave us timeless wisdom when a man once complained to him about the hardness of his heart.

The Prophet (ﷺ) didn’t advise him to pray more or fast more.

Instead, he told him to soften his heart by showing kindness to an orphan—by doing something outside the typical realm of worship, something that would help reorient his heart toward compassion and mercy.

This indicates that our connection with Allah has many gates.

Many of them often depend on our relationships with others and interactions with the world around us.

The Two Major Barriers

There are two major categories of barriers that often block us from that more profound connection with Allah:

1. The Belittling of Sins: One subtle trap we fall into is belittling minor sins.

   The Prophet (ﷺ) described a man who kept throwing small branches into a fire until it grew and consumed him.

   Over time, these "small" sins stain the heart. At first, they may seem insignificant—just small slips here and there—but they accumulate.

   Over time, our hearts become stained to the point where we cannot truly benefit from our worship.

   Then Qur’an, Salah, and Dua no longer reach us in the same way.

It’s like water dripping on a stone—one drop seems harmless but eventually erodes it.

These minor sins go unnoticed, but it’s on us to look deep within ourselves and ask:

What are the sins I’m belittling?

What are the invisible barriers I’m allowing to form between me and my Creator?

2. Violating the Honor of Fellow Muslims: The second significant barrier is one we often overlook—how we speak about and treat others.

   The Prophet (ﷺ) emphasized during his Farewell Hajj that a Muslim's honor, wealth, and blood are more sacred than even the Kaaba.

   Yet, how easily do we let our tongues slip?

   We gossip, backbite, or slander, thinking it’s harmless, but in reality, these are among the quickest ways to distance ourselves from Allah.

   The Prophet (ﷺ) warned us about the dangers of careless speech, saying that a person could say one word without thinking much of it, and it could lead them into the fire.

How often do we let our tongues loose, talking about others as though it’s no big deal?

This behavior poisons our connection to Allah and creates a distance between us and the Divine.

A Moment for Introspection

This is not meant to scare us but to awaken us to the subtle dangers we may be allowed to grow within us.

Allah has made these barriers subtle, but He has made our insight and intellect even stronger.

If we genuinely strive for His pleasure and work to remove these obstacles, we can regain our connection with Him and experience new levels of depth in this connection.

The key is introspection.

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