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What if I told you that being bored in your worship might actually be an opportunity for spiritual growth?
Stay with me.
You’re yawning while getting up to pray. You say “astaghfirullah” and remind yourself you’re standing in front of your Creator and should be more attentive… but you struggle.
You’re bored from Salah.
You get another WhatsApp message from a friend about a LaunchGood campaign for a personal or community tragedy. You click, donate the minimum to avoid guilt, and move on.
You’re bored with your sadaqah.
Another Monday, another Thursday, another fasting day. You get used to the hunger pangs. You don’t feel the spiritual ‘buzz’ from fasting anymore.
You’re bored from fasting.
If you’ve experienced any of the above, you’re not alone.
Why do we get bored with our worship?
I see boredom for someone sincerely trying to get closer to Allah as a stretch of ‘dryland’ between two spiritual oases. The first oasis was when they first tasted the sweetness of that worship. When Salah felt deep, when fasting brought clarity, when dhikr filled their heart with calm. The second oasis is the deeper level of worship waiting for them if they push through the dryness with consistency and sincerity.
Another way of thinking about this is that this boredom is like when you have been regular with the gym and you’re not getting those fitness gains you were getting when you first started working out. You’ve plateaued and you’re now in this zone where things aren’t improving and you don’t want to slide back. Do you quit the gym, or trust the process and keep showing up?
Boredom in worship can either kill our relationship with Allah or elevate it. Shaytaan wants to team up with your bored nafs and whisper, “You’re not feeling it anymore, so why bother?”
But what if that boredom is actually Allah’s invitation to worship Him with deeper sincerity? Sometimes Allah withdraws the sweetness of worship to reveal what’s truly in our hearts; are we worshiping for the spiritual high, or for Allah Himself? Other times, He may withdraw that sweetness because of our sins, gently calling us back to repentance and His forgiveness.
Regardless of how you feel, if you continue worshiping Allah despite boredom, you’re demonstrating the highest sincerity because you’re not doing it because it feels good, you’re doing it for Allah whether “it feels good” or “doesn’t feel good” and that takes real faith.
Remember, this is a journey of a lifetime. Allah says in the Quran:
And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty [i.e., death].
(Quran 15:99)
It’s natural to feel bored sometimes, just like it’s natural for a marathon runner to hit “the wall” at mile 20. But champions don’t stop running because it gets hard, they run through the wall, despite it being hard.
The next time worship feels tasteless, don’t despair. Smile knowing that you’re in good company; every sincere believer has walked this path. And somewhere in that boredom, Allah is preparing your heart for the next level of sweetness insha’Allah.
May Allah grant us sincerity in our worship, whether it feels sweet or we’re bored. Ameen.