Among the Causes of Losing the Delight in Worship

Question:
The first message in this episode is from one of our brother listeners who called himself Abu Muhammad from Riyadh. Our brother says: What are the causes of losing the delight in worship? And how is it treated practically? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family, and upon his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
There is no doubt that worship of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has a great delight in the heart of the believing man and the believing woman. The noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and he said to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him): meaning: Establish it so that we may find rest in it.
So prayer, which is the greatest of the acts of worship after the two testimonies, is rest for the hearts, a coolness for the eyes, and bliss for the soul; for the one who turns to it, is present in it with his heart, is humble in it for Allah, and realizes that it is the pillar of Islam, and that it is a conversation with the Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He), and a standing before Him. By that, he finds rest in it, his eye is cooled, and he finds delight in it within himself, in his standing, his recitation, his bowing, his prostration, and all that Allah has prescribed in it.
So my advice to every believing man and every believing woman is to turn to worship, whether prayer or otherwise, to be present with the heart in it, and to feel that he is doing it for Allah alone, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment, and that there is for him in that great good with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) if he is sincere to Him and does it in accordance with the Sunnah, not in accordance with religious innovation.
So prayer and zakah, and voluntary charity and fasting, and Hajj and 'Umrah, and the prescribed dhikr, reading the noble Qur'an, calling to Allah, and enjoining good and forbidding evil; all of these are acts of worship that have a great delight in the hearts, rest in the hearts, and bliss for the soul. In them, the believer remembers that he is doing something that pleases Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and that it is something Allah has commanded, and that it is something for which he will be rewarded. He finds rest in that, he takes delight in that, and his eye is cooled by that because of the great good in it, and because of the obedience to the command of Allah in it, and because of the great good in it from the side of the abundant reward from Allah, and what follows from it of the expiation of sins, the removal of errors, the success in Paradise, and the salvation from the Fire.
And likewise, what follows from calling to Allah, and enjoining good, and forbidding evil; of the benefit to the servants, directing them to good, and helping them with what Allah has prescribed, and with leaving what Allah has forbidden; all of this is what the good souls take delight in, and the hearts find rest in it, and the eyes are cooled by it, I mean: the eyes of the believing men and believing women. He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said in His great Book, and He is the most truthful of speakers: those who establish prayer and spend from what We have provided them. Those are the true believers. For them are degrees with their Lord and forgiveness and noble provision. [Al-Anfal: 2-4].
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and the just one is only one who fears Allah and hopes in Him . He only took delight in it because of the good he knew in it, and because of the reverence for Allah that settled in his heart, and his sincerity to Him, and his love for Him (Glorified is He), and his desire for what is with Him. , because they found in the love for Allah great good, rest for the hearts, bliss for the souls, and great companionship; because they know that this pleases Allah, and that Allah has prescribed it for them, and that through it is obtained great good, which Allah knows best, of cooperation, and advising one another to truth, and sincere advice.
The fifth: Why did he say this? Because of the love of Allah that settled in his heart, and his reverence for Him, and his fear of Him, and his watching over Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), until he left this woman who called him to lewdness, and she was of high status and beauty, so he refused out of fear of Allah, and desire for what is with Him, and companionship with His obedience, and taking delight in what pleases Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). And likewise, if a woman is called by one of high status and beauty to fornication, and she says: I fear Allah, and she stays away from that because of the love for Allah that settled in her heart, and the spiritual bliss, and the delight in the obedience to Allah, and following His Shari'ah.
The sixth: Why? Because of the love of Allah that settled in his heart, and his reverence for Him, and that He (Glorified is He) knows everything, and nothing is hidden from Him, and that He loves sincerity to Him, and He loves the work done for Him in secret. So for this reason, his left hand does not know what his right hand spends, because of his great sincerity, and his great desire for what is with Allah, and his indifference to the showing off of people, and the praise and commendation of people.
And the seventh: out of fear of Allah, and reverence for Him, and love for Him (Glorified is He), and companionship with Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), so he became one of the seven whom Allah will shade in His shade.
And the summary is: that turning to Allah with worship, and realizing His greatness, and that you are seeking His noble Face, and that you did this seeking His pleasure, and obedience to His command, and love for Him (Glorified is He), and eagerness for what pleases Him and brings you near to Him, all of this is what makes you take delight in worship, and turn to it, and find rest in it, and enjoy it. May Allah guide them all. Yes.

The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good. Who complains of the opposite of that, O Shaykh? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer: Who complains of the opposite of that, with the hardness of the heart, he must treat that by increasing the remembrance of Allah, and reading the noble Qur'an, and being cautious of sins and disobedience, and repenting to Allah from what has passed, with sincerity in that. If he is sincere with Allah in repenting from disobedience, and in increasing the remembrance of Allah, and in turning to His worship with his heart, and realizing the greatness of Allah, and that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is watching over him, indeed Allah is a watcher over all things (Glorified and Exalted is He), and that with him are two angels, one writes the good deeds, and the other writes the bad deeds. By realizing these matters, his heart softens, and his heart becomes humble, and he takes delight in obedience, and finds rest in it, and finds companionship with it. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good and do you good.