In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
I do not know where this feeling comes from.
I do not know what its cause is.
I do not know its symptoms.
I do not know its remedy.
But pause for a moment and reflect.
As long as you are holding yourself to account,
then distance from Allah the Exalted,
and the feeling of that distance,
only arises from being away from the places of worship.
For whoever is infrequent in prayer,
and infrequent in prostration,
and whose sins are many,
and whose transgressions are grave,
will experience this feeling of distance.
The symptoms of this are:
a feeling of hardness in the heart,
a rebellion against complying with acts of obedience at their appointed times,
a weakness in the soul,
and a lethargy in one's longing for Allah the Exalted.
And at times,
an arrogance toward the Bestower, Glorified and Exalted is He.
These are all symptoms of distance.
As for the cure and the remedy,
they are sessions of obedience that the body requires,
doses of faith,
and injections of spiritual tonics,
to be administered to the dormant conscience,
making a person vigilant and eager to act in proximity to Allah the Almighty.
It makes them breathe the faith
of which they were deprived throughout the period of estrangement and distance between them and their Creator, the Exalted.
He is near to them in prostration,
and they see Him through the channels of connection throughout the day and night,
which the worshiper transmits via the device of prayer,
as well as through the ether waves
sent by the live broadcast from the tongue of the one who remembers Allah the Exalted,
through glorification, declaring His oneness, and magnifying Him,
and through seeking forgiveness, gratitude, and intimate supplication.
So, you who seek the proximity of Allah the Exalted,
and the proximity of His Messenger, peace be upon him,
be prostrate at His door, the Exalted,
connected to every network that links you to discourse and intimate supplication.
The network of prostration
is the closest connection network that links you to the outer stations leading to Allah the Exalted,
which cannot be reached
except through this network.
For it is narrated that Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b said:
"I used to spend the night with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
bringing him his water for ablution and his needs."
He said, "Ask of me."
I said, "I ask for your companionship in Paradise."
He said, "Is there anything else?"
I said, "That is it."
He said, "Then help me against your own self by performing many prostrations."
So why the distance, and why the abandonment?
Why this coldness?
When proximity to Him, the Exalted, is possible and attainable.
Between you and Allah the Exalted
is a prostration through which you enter a world of delight and absolute happiness,
and refined sensations.
The soul is renewed and returns to its Creator, Glorified and Exalted is He,
and connects with Him,
and its energy and resolve are renewed,
and its strength returns,
like a charger for an empty battery;
when it is connected to the charger,
its power is renewed once again.
Likewise, our souls
are in need of charging,
to return strong once again,
to resume their work once again.
So, you who find yourself distant from Allah the Exalted,
hold fast to prostration,
hold fast to prostration,
and you will find proximity to Allah the Exalted in its greatest form.