Ahmad was a teenage boy at 16 years of age. He had two older brothers and one younger sister. His parents were ones of excellent religious character who tried their best to raise their children to the standards of Islam. It was religion first then education second. They hated when other Muslim friends or family asked their children about their education without first being asked about their religious duty to Allah being performed.

Sadly Ahmad attached himself to the so-called glitter of life. He would not pray while running off to the cinema with his friends while spending time hours and hours a day talking about girls. When his parents realised of what Ahmad was doing they sat him down one evening for a very important Islamic talk.

“Ahmad, my dear son. You know I love you from the bottom of my heart. I am your father who wants best for you all as you are all my children, my flesh and blood.” His father said to him in a saddened tone.

“I know.” Ahmad answered without emotion.

“Ahmad. By Allah, if you don’t like school you can come and work with me as long as you turn back to Allah.” His father said.

“Dad! It’s ok! I am 16! I have a long life ahead of me! I promise I will be good in the future!”

When people live together in harmony, life is beautiful. How good it is when all members of society get along with each other in a spirit of mutual respect and mutual affection. It is a sign of our faith in Allah when we deal with people in kindness and fellowship.

It is also part of human nature to seek the fulfillment of our needs. Some of these needs are material, like food, clothing, and shelter. There are other needs which are intangible, but which are just as important to a balanced existence. Human beings are social creatures. They need other people. They need meaningful relationships. For social relationships to be healthy and beneficial, they must be based upon personal dignity mutual respect. Problems arise when such respect and dignity are lacking.

Mutual respect does not require a close relationship, since the basis for all human interaction is that of human dignity. Allah says: "And truly We have honored the progeny of Adam." [Sûrah al-Isrâ': 70]

Therefore, respect is the underlying principle for our social existence.

Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe.”, and that they will not be tested?  (Quran 29:2)

Allah uses every aspect of our lives to test us–even down to the innate biological urges He instilled in us.  We must eat to live, but what we eat may be halal or haram.  We must drink to live, and again we must choose between halal and haram.  With our sexual urges, we must also choose between halal and haram.

Halal and haram.  Right and wrong.  Good and evil.  Those who submit to their Lord and those who do not submit.   Despite all of the unfathomable complexity of the universe, Allah has made our role in it easy and simple for us to understand.  At the same time, the free will that Allah allows us and the Mercy He extends to us make possible the seemingly infinite range of human behaviors and choices.

So when it comes to the myriad possibilities of human sexual activity, Allah helps us keep it simple–sex is only permissible between husband and wife.  That’s it.  Oh, how that simple rule tests us.  How many excuses, rationalizations and justifications we can give for breaking it

“I tried to make salat again, but I don’t feel anything anymore.” That was a statement of a Muslimah whose life, for a decade or more, centered largely on intoxicants and sensuality. She is like a lot of Muslims who are trying to come back to their faith but don’t want to declare repentance before Allah, because they are still in a lifestyle that contradicts the tenets of Islam. Maybe they will make salat occasionally. Maybe they will fast—or try to fast—a few days during Ramadan. But when they try to fulfill one of the pillars of Islam and feel no spiritual reward, their attempts become even more sporadic, or they give up.

An effort to reconnect to faith spiritually may begin with a simple expression of gratitude to Allah. That is because, in fact, there is nothing simple about expressing gratitude to Allah. Gratitude has many facets and is an entryway into the heart of the Muslim. Muslims trying to come back to faith may find that achieving a renewed spiritual connection requires some work to change the heart, to let the seeds of spiritual change begin there, as well as through the physical actions of salat and fasting.