My brother is struggling to trust Allah after losing hope in dua — looking for Islamic guidance
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Assalamu Alaikum everyone,
I’m asking this on behalf of my brother because I’m worried about him and would really appreciate some sincere Islamic advice.
My brother knows he has committed sins, including dealing with riba/usury. He feels guilty about it and regularly says Astaghfirullah. He is also trying to move away from riba and wants to correct his situation. Unfortunately, some of the money involved in his life, including the rent for his house, is connected to this income.
He still prays five times a day, although he sometimes misses Fajr because he struggles with sleep. He mostly focuses on praying his fard prayers now and continues making istighfar.
There is another thing that affected him deeply. Last year, he fell in love with a girl and genuinely hoped to marry her. He made a lot of dua for her, including during Tahajjud, between the adhan and iqamah, and during his regular prayers. He was extremely hopeful that Allah would grant what he was asking for.
But in December 2025, she married someone else.
This completely broke his heart. He had been so certain and hopeful that Allah would answer his dua, and now he is struggling to understand why it happened despite all the dua he made.
Since then, he has started thinking, “If Allah is not going to accept my dua because I have haram income and sins, then why should I even make dua?” He came across the hadith about how consuming haram can be an obstacle to dua being answered, and he has taken that very heavily.
He still believes in Allah and still prays, but he says he has lost the same trust and hope he used to have. He also feels that perhaps Allah is looking for perfection from him before He will accept anything from him.
At the same time, he is very ambitious and has many things he wants to achieve in life. He wants to become a better Muslim, leave riba, strengthen his relationship with Allah, and have a successful future. But right now he feels discouraged and almost afraid to make dua because he thinks, “What's the point if it won't be accepted?
I know that Allah is not unjust and that we don't always understand why certain things happen. But I don't know how to properly explain this to him from an Islamic perspective.
What would you say to someone in this situation?
- Does committing sins or having haram income mean
Allah will simply reject all of someone's duas?
- How should he understand the dua he made for this girl that was not fulfilled?
- How can someone rebuild their trust in Allah after something they desperately prayed for didn't happen?
- Does Allah expect us to become perfect before we can turn to Him?
- And what practical advice would you give someone who wants to leave riba, repent sincerely, and regain hope in Allah?
I would especially appreciate answers based on Qur'an, authentic hadith, and the understanding of knowledgeable scholars. JazakAllahu khairan.