The best way to gain closeness to Allah is to:

•    Set a portion of the Quran to recite daily e.g. 1 juz.

•    Set a time to sit and do the Zhikr of Allah preferably when they are not going to be disturbed easily.

•    At the end of the day make an account of all the sins a person committed, all the excessive (futile) speaking and time wasted and ask forgiveness from Allah.

•    Occasionally participate in gatherings of knowledge and Zhikr in the company of pious scholars.

Two things should be noted:

1.    It should be noted that the state of ‘Imaan’ and feeling of closeness to Allah does not remain at the same level all the time but fluctuates due to other duties such as occupation and family commitments and thus requires a constant effort to keep it strong.

2.    Also the family responsibilities and the rights they have over you in supporting them and ‘Tarbiyyah’ (upbringing) should not be comprised due to over exerting oneself in acts of worship.

This was also the case in the time of the Sahabah. i.e. feeling the Imaan decreasing when in the company of their family. The Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam also admonished some of them for excessive exertion in acts of worship due to neglecting family responsibilities.