By Zia Ullah Khan
Dearest and most beloved brothers and sisters, may Allah the Most Merciful shower His grace upon you with abundance and comfort you with His Mercy and Benevolence. In these turbulent times, the Muslim ummah is going through an immense amount of change. Whether the change be for the better or worse, it is up to each individual Muslim to rectify their own deeds before the inevitable strikes them.
It is a given that everyone comprehends that they will have to exit this fleeting life sooner or later. At the same time, everyone also understands that this world is not a place of permanence, rather days roll by like the drifting sand and yet we make no new changes to our personalities. Day after day, the mundane, the banal and the humdrum of daily life numbs us to change, and makes us insensitive to the One who Created us. I am sure you, dear reader, have a deep desire to remodel your present static condition. I am positive that you are fed-up if your heart has hardened with sins, and receives no nourishment, even after completing prayers. I am certain that you would love to change your paralyzed eman (deep certitude in Allah), to one that is responsive and alive, vibrant and humble. How many days will you allow to pass you by in this miserable condition? How many moments of true joy will you forgo? How many stages of your life will be void of the love of Allah, the Most Compassionate?
I can sense that you want to turn a new leaf, but find it difficult, if not impossible, to rid yourself of factors that renders your life faceless and dull. Some or all of the following could be happening to you:
1) You do not know how to turn off the television, yet hope to someday. Before I continue, I would like to expand on the name “television”, for fun:
- T.V. = Totally-vacant (that is, your mind)
- T.V. = Tenacious-villain
- T.V. = Temptation-vegetation (when you sit, you are tempted to sin, and you vegetate)
- T.V. = Tel-no vision
- T.V. = Terrible-vice
- T.V. = Trashy-Vulgar!
One learned man named Uncle Hussein from Guyana once said, “We have too much television and not enough vision.” Now, on the serious side, T.V. is the culprit that evaporates your time, and time is the most precious asset you have. Hasan Al-Basri (ra) said: “You are but a bundle of days, and everyday that passes, your bundle gets smaller and smaller.” Ali (ra) also stated that “each breath you take is a breath closer to your grave.” Ah, wouldn’t you love to change, yet this desire only remains a wish within you that fails to evolve into action. T.V is also that culprit that eradicates your good deeds as fire devours wood and increases your evil deeds as fuel increases fire. List for yourself the amount of benefit you receive, as well the amount of loss from one day of viewing. Count up the hours you have spent viewing in the past month, and ponder the good you could have accomplished during that time. How much longer can you afford to be in a state of neglect? Such is the T.V. that robs you of precious moments with your mother, father and dear ones, yet more importantly, takes you away from sincere worship of your Most Gracious Lord, Allah. How much longer will you allow your sacred life to flow without meaning? Take a pen and paper and list the pros and cons of your day, and the truth will become evident.
2) You do not know how to get rid of company that introduces you to sin and heedlessness. You are intimate with company that encourages you to smoke and portrays this as a beneficial habit. They offer you the cigarette that destroys the lungs that you need for the breath of life. Tobacco companies encourage you to smoke cigarettes that gives you cancer, as stated by the manufacturers of the deadly drug, yes drug, for studies show that it is more addictive than marijuana. The cigarette that you burn, polluting the environment and harming those around you, is a cause of concern. The cigarette that you spend your hard-earned money on, while a hungry child goes without food and clean water, is a devastating blow to humanity. Can you justify that?
You cannot get away from company that instills in you the love of life and the hoarding of commodities, throwing you into the competition of who can accumulate the most. As Allah (swt) states, “The mutual increase diverts you.” (Qur’an 102:1) Also, as stated by our most beloved messenger (saw), “If the son of Adam had a valley of gold, he would desire another like it.” (Fath’ Al-Bari 11:258) This trend will never cease for there will always be another product that is desired, a newer car that is envied, and a worldly position that is competed for. As the messenger of Allah stated, “The son of Adam becomes old with senility, yet two things remain with him: greed and hope.” (Ahmad 3:115) Therefore, these so called friends bring you superficial joy, which, in reality, is depression, as you try to fit into a lifestyle that is not conducive to a sublime character. I say to you, detach yourself from people who cause you worry and despair, and would desert you at the drop of a dime. More importantly, move closer towards people who are content with themselves, and bring you the happiness of faith and closeness to Allah (swt). Wealth is not a problem in Islam, yet greed is the trait to be loathed. You can be rich and generous, and that is what is preferred.
Now, I would like you to set and action plan for yourself, and hence take a step in the right direction.
Prayer
Try your level best to be constant in your prayers. Ibn Mas’ud (ra) stated that consistency in purpose makes you great. Prayer is a vehicle that elevates you, yet degrades you if you abandon it. The last statement of our beloved prophet (saw) before he departed this life was a reminder of remaining steadfast in prayers. However, many people perform the prayer yet still feel empty from within. There could be several reasons for this, and prayer itself is no to be blamed. Some reasons for hollow prayers are:
Lack of concentration
A person may begin thinking about everything else except the prayer.
Sins
The influx of sins can be so great that a five minute prayer has no effect. For example, a person may watch 2 1/2 hours of T.V. programs that are filled, crammed and brimmed with sins, then get up and quickly perform the prayer while their mind is still engrossed with the programs. You need to take your time and contemplate your prayer, for it is a connection between you and your Creator. The prophet (saw) loved his prayer and it was a comfort for him. For many of us today, the prayer is somewhat of a burden; a duty to complete so as to relieve us of a burden. My dear mother (ar) used to advise me that whatever you put in the cooking pot is what you will find in it after it is cooked. Therefore, if you put rice into the pot, do not expect chicken to be served. This did not make much sense to me when I was 6 years old, but it sure does now. So, know that whatever you put into your prayer is what you will get.
Lack of understanding
If one does not take the time to understand the words of Allah, the link with Him, during the prayer will be weak. For how many more years will you give the excuse that Arabic is not your mother tongue? Year after year you study thick text books and pass your exams, yet at the same time, learning the meaning of seven verses of Qur’an becomes a task insurmountable. If this is the case, it is your degree of sincerity with Allah that you should be worried about, so get up and do something!
Read the Qur’an and live with its verses for it is a never ending ocean. How many Muslims leave this life unable to read or understand the Majestic Qur’an? They read complicated texts on different subjects, yet find it impossible to read the last book revealed to humankind. Are you one of them? It should only take a few lessons to learn to read if you have the desire to do so. Find a teacher today and do not delay.
If you have the ability to read, then set a program, like the following:
| no. pages of Qur’an to be read | 5 pgs | 10 pgs | 15 pgs | 20 pgs | 25 pgs | 30 pgs |
| Length of time to complete reading the entire Qur’an | 4 months | 2 months | 40 days | 1 month | 24 days | 20 days |
Note: Every letter you read of the Qur’an is equivalent to a minimum of 10 good deeds. If I were to inform you that every time you read a letter you get a minimum of 10 dollars, make it 10 British pounds, what would you do? Thus if you are not reading the Qur’an, your faith in Allah’s promise is nil. How many people work the whole day for 20 dollars? Think about it and think deeply,…something is not right if you are not reading the Qur’an.
Set a goal and be committed. Substitute an hour of television for an hour attached to the Book of Allah (swt). Every endeavor is not easy at first, but rewarding thereafter. Our dear prophet (saw) stated, “The Qur’an is an evidence for you or against you.” (Bukhari) How would you like to be judged in light of the Qur’an?
With daily recitation you should endeavor to memorize the Qur’an. InshaAllah it will be easy if you set a program like the following. Remember, nothing great happens haphazardly.
| no. lines to memorize per day | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| no. of years to complete memorization | 24 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 yrs |
I am positive that you can find a suitable plan that fits your schedule. Remember, the more you memorize, the greater your capacity to memorize will be. So, you can do it. You have to fill your days with something, so why not fill them with the Qur’an that will benefit your hereafter? You shall never lose, but gain, in this life and, more importantly, in the life to come. It is stated in Tirmidhi, regarding the elevation of one’s station in paradise, that it will be told to the companion of the Qur’an: ‘read and recite the Qur’an as you used to in the first life, for your station will be according the last verse you read.’ Thus, my dear brothers and sisters, motivate yourselves so that you will not drown in your own regret.
Without much effort, you can, with your daily reading and memorization, add beauty and significance by reading the explanation (tafsir) of the Qur’an. If you do not own one, then buy it, for it is not expensive considering other commodities we indulge in. Set a program like the following:
| no. of verse to be read with explanation per day | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| no. of years/months to complete reading tafsir of the Qur’an | 17.7 | 8.9 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
If you desire something, you can accomplish it.
Dear Muslims, there are many deeds you can instill in your life to change your present lifeless condition. You know your condition is lifeless if you have no goals for the hereafter; it is lifeless if you have not shed one tear for the love of Allah. Your breath is inanimate, like television programs, if you have not established your love of Allah and closeness to Him. Your being is hollow if you are unaware of the loving messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, whose character was exalted. Your continuance is a failure if you do not cease the moment, as stated by the chosen messenger (saw), “Cease your life before death ceases you.” Finally, your vitality is baseless without proper understanding of Islam. You can be great in front of Allah (swt) if you so wish, with devotion, sincerity and humility, “…so worship Him and rely upon Him.” (Qur’an 11:123)
Do not lull yourself to sleep
Do not fabricate a lie deluding you from reality, and do not take lightly your meeting on the Day of Judgment. Our beloved prophet (saw) said, “Woe unto you. Verily it will occur (Day of Judgment), so what have you prepared for it?” (Fath Al-Bari 1:140)
You owe it to yourself to change for the better before it is too late. Do not be one, who says, with deep regret, in the winter of life, “I should have, and I could have.” These words will be meaningless, having no bearings on the ultimate result. Ibn Wardi (ar) said in a poem called Lamiyat Ibn Wardi, “think of the ending of a beautiful object you desire…you may find it a matter that is either elevated or despised.” Meaning, what you aspire to or fancy should not drag you to disgrace, for it is useless lusting over material that will eventually end as ruin.
There are many things of virtue that you can accomplish if you set your intentions right, and ultimately the blessings are from above. Never despair or feel helpless with Allah (swt), but always prepare to do the right things in the right time. May Allah help you to succeed in this life and most importantly in the life that is SURE to come. Wait no longer, get up and make a change, now.
Courtesy of www.lightuponlight.com
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