I tried to be religious, but... 

Imagine a man who has an apartment above his house, and he wants to rent it out for free to whoever brings him peace of mind and relieves him. So far, the following have gathered in the apartment: an actress with crooked behavior but "entertaining"... and a man with a foul smell but "lighthearted"... and a corrupt singer but handsome with a beautiful voice... These people have not brought him peace of mind, but he is used to them and is afraid that his life will "dry up" if he kicks them out... He heard about you and your good manners, so he wanted to "complete the team" with you in the hope that your presence might comfort him, and he offers you to live with these people in the apartment.

Will you accept the offer?

What? Does the question bother you?

Did you find the offer offensive in itself?

Sorry, but let us face the truth: Anyone who says: "I tried to be religious, but my life did not change" is lacking in tact!

We were deluded in thinking that we "included religion" in our lives when we "tried it." We were very deluded in thinking that this is the religion of Allah!

If you have disdained living in this apartment, then the religion of Allah is higher and greater.

If you are deceived into crowding these competing wretches, then no one is mightier than Allah... He is jealous, glorified be He, to have His love mixed with the love of sins and the longing for them! You will not taste the sweetness of faith if you want to "try" righteousness for a while, expel the bad tenants from your heart but tell them: (stay close, because I may need you again if my life dries up and I don't find the peace I seek in my relationship with Allah)! You keep a "return line," and you stick with the life of heedlessness, and you give the rigid model (which you thought was religion) a chance, and you sit waiting for it to bring you openings and revelations and inspirations... until when nothing comes of it, you blame yourself and say: "I tried to be religious and it did not bring me happiness," then call on the people of evil to crawl back into the apartment, you have deceived yourself, poor thing!

So, whoever sincerely desires Allah to enrich his heart... must cleanse his heart and prepare it and adorn it, then dedicate it to Allah voluntarily, as an eternal dedication, not a temporary rental... saying: Lord, I have surrendered myself to you... Lord, I have vowed to you what is in my chest, so accept it from me... and is ashamed of this mixed commodity, afraid that Allah might not accept it, searching for any defect in this heart that might cause it to fall from the eyes of Allah... He burns his bridges on the shore of righteousness, so as not to think of returning to the past of heedlessness... Then, Allah will truly enrich his heart, and he will truly taste the sweetness of faith, and his life will not dry up.

Yes, the thieves of evil will attack your heart, for you are ultimately human, but you see them as thieves and treat them as such, seeking help from Allah to expel them. But to find solace in these thieves, and to willingly harbor them in your heart, and not make an effort to expel them and cut off ties with them, then to ask Allah with a heart so corrupt to want Him to enrich it, you have indeed misjudged Allah by thinking that He would accept the presence of these in your relationship with Him! (And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal).

So, you who say: "I want to try righteousness but..." the experiment will fail, and the reason is clear from your statement because Allah is realized, and He is not to be "experimented" with. So, be certain, and heed the one who said -in the sacred hadith-: (When a servant comes close to Me by a handspan, I come close to him by an arm's length, and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running) (Al-Bukhari).