As I’ve become more and more religious for the past 2-3 years I’ve changed myself completely and it impressed a lot of people around me, like my mother she became very proud of me. One problem is that I feel like my niyah is becoming wrong, I’m starting to fear that I’m doing stuff just to impress people and that is truly not what I want. The reason why I became more religious was because I had so much anger issues and I was never happy, and I found that happiness with Allah swt. I felt like worshiping him because he deserves to be worshipped. But now when people start to give me thumbs up I feel like that is what is driving me more nowadays. I’ve started also to feel that I’ve lost connection with Allah swt, I feel it during prayer when I can’t focus and I feel it when I do other good deeds.

I’ve truly reached a stop where I don’t know what to do and how to help myself not fall into that path where I’m practicing for the wrong reasons. I miss the feeling I had a few months ago when it was truly for Allah swt only, I want to go back to that. What do I do?

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Some recommendations:

1- Every time you hear someone praising you, privately say to yourself: what do they know about me? They are just seeing my outside appearance. They don’t know about my sins. I’m just a weak sinful servant of Allah, and without Allah’s blessings I am worthless. Always say such things to yourself to quell your ego.

2- In your private setting, do more for your religion and relationship with Allah. Tell yourself: here no one but Allah seems me, and this is purely for Him. I don’t want anyone to know or to praise. I just want my Lord and His satisfaction. Such thoughts are effective.

3- Do sujud for several minutes each night and with a deep breath each time say: سبحان ربي الاعلى وبحمده (subhana rabbial a3la wa be7amdeh).

4- Before sleeping, say 100 times لا اله الا الله (la ilaha illa allah) and take a deep breath each time.

5- Put the Qur’an on your heart and recite verse 82 of Sura al-Israa:
‎وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

6- Read this Dua daily:
https://www.duas.org/Amn.htm

7- Everyday pray 2 rak’as like the morning prayer, then when done gift it to Imam Mahdi. Say O Allah I offer this prayer as a gift to Imam Mahdi. Then talk to Imam Zaman and ask him to help you with this situation. This prayer is very effective.