Salaam all, really struggling with my faith rn. Not going out and doing wrong, but really starting to question things. I can’t shake out the thoughts that Islam sounds like a convenient framework to escape the mundane: Ask Allah for what you want and praise/thank Him if you do. Didn’t get it? It’s because He doesn’t will it. Try asking during XYZ hours and the chance of acceptance goes up. But if He is near and all powerful, why specific times? And can’t He just accept everything? (Cont’d)

I completely understand this and sympathize with you. There were times when my faith was low as well. Even when it was tough, I persisted and kept making dua and praying as much as I could. I did receive what I asked and on a scale I could never comprehend. I wish it wasn't taboo to talk about literal miracles but thats how I see the duas that came true. Obviously not all of them but definitely made my life better. Islam is absolutely real to me and Im grateful. Patience and persistence are key.

Hey,
I think a reframe of perspective is necessary. You need to explore what and why are we asked to believe and submit to Allah. It is because he is our creator and the only one worthy of worship as evident from the perfection of the creation (Else we would have seen many errors), perfection of the final message( Else we would have seen many contradictions) and many other things.

That is the core and Crux of Islam of which everything flows. Islam is not made to escape the mundane, or to just improve society or our health. The core principle of Islam is worshipping and submitting to our creator who created us, and will resurrect us on the day of judgement.

As for the points you raised, here also a perspective shift is needed. As a thought experiment, if a rural farmer sends a letter to the president he's never seen and doesn't recieve a reply. Does it mean the president doesn't exist?

Similarly I'd the reply comes 2 years later, did the president not exist in those 2 years. In the same vein, Allah tells us that he either answers our dua, or prevents a calamity or saves it till the hereafter. Without seeing the hereafter we can't claim to not have recieved a reply.

Finally as for why certain times are preferred, this is to find those who are hard working from those are lax. And to reward those are hard working. Ofc Allah can answer and does answer prayers at any time. But Allah sets out a test to reward the hard working. A similar parable is in the exam system, Why do wrote have tests and rules, to separate the hard working from the lax.

This is also why Allah doesn't grant everyone. Allah can grant as the creator and owner and king of everything. But he's the King and he's testing us to differentiate the good from bad for verily this world is a test. So he tests by giving and he tests by withholding. What point is a test if everyone receives what they want and everyone is given a miracle. Remember the reward is paradise which is beyond one's imagination.

The Answer to Every Dua
It’s important to remember that every dua is heard by Allah, but the response may come in different ways. Allah can answer our dua in one of three ways:

Granting what we asked for immediately or at the right time.
Delaying the response to give us something better than what we asked for.
Redirecting the dua to protect us from harm or a greater trial.
In all cases, Allah’s wisdom prevails, and we trust that His plan is always in our best interest, even if we don’t immediately understand it.

I think you need to focus on why you are doing what you are doing in Islam. We have not been asked ponder on that often enough. Most parents give kids instructions and not much else.

You can’t expect a transactional relationship with Allah. You can’t only believe in him when he gives you want you want (there are sects of people who do that and there is harsh word for them).

Lastly, you should talk to Allah not just ask for stuff. It is hard because it is not how the rest of the world works. The closeness to Allah comes from Taqwa.

I’d say you should try and understand the bigger picture. Our lord swt has the full picture, yet we only have a pixel. Never forget when Allah says in 2:216 “ Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.”

I’ll tell you what, friend, if Allah swt answered some of the duas I made early on- id be incredibly cooked now. I literally prayed in front of the Kaaba that Allah swt would allow me to land a very specific internship- and it never happened. Had Allah swt accepted the dua, I never would be where I’m at now. Ik it’s incredibly hard to see in the moment but I promise you there always comes a time when you can reflect and realize…’damn I’m kinda glad the timing came when it came’.

Another anecdote: exactly 1 year ago today my friend died in a freak accident. I was with him 3 hours before. This was on campus. We were celebrating a friends birthday and they decided to just do spontaneous stuff- long story short I was in a bad place because I hadn’t landed a job at the time and was forcing myself to lock in more and disconnect from friends. I went to my dorm early that night, I wake up early to banging on my door and a friend explaining that a horrible mistake happened to a friend. Had I been there that night something could’ve possibly happened to me too. I don’t like going into details on this story but all I can do is be thankful and truly realize everything that’s ever happened in life has led you to the present moment.

The only thing that kept me from giving up on life was Allah even tho rationally from an atheistic mindset, I probably should’ve given up a long time ago.

(Cont’d) Oh and btw, you need to put in effort also to achieve the things you ask for, it’s not just free. But can’t He do anything? It’s what Prophet(S) taught us

So you want him to give you anything you ask for and then it will be real? It’s a genuine question. I am trying to understand what doesn’t make sense to you.

It’s natural to question your faith. It all seems very convenient doesn’t it? I believed for a long time that all religion was a man-made construct to help us feel better about the fact that we all die and no one knows why we’re here or what happens next. Without religion, the world would be chaos. And that’s why it sticks.

However, I learned that faith requires faith. It doesn’t all need to be logical, because it’s beyond logic. It’s beyond what you are capable of comprehending. Don’t try to understand it completely. Part of it is just faith.

The single cell organisms are living things, as are you, but those organisms can’t even comprehend you. You’re still real.

This world is too perfect for it to just be random. We have a creator and we are here to serve him