Our Prophet Muhammad, sallalahu alaiha wa sallam (peace and blessings upon him), taught the followers of Islam that Islam is not just a religion, but a way of life. As Muslims, we are to worship and remember Allah may times during our day. We have all been guilty of letting ourselves get caught up in our busy lives, and we forget how important this is. The respect and remembrance of Allah is what separates those on earth from those who have died. We know that remembrance of Allah includes Hajj, fasting in Ramadan, praying with a congregation at least once a week, reading and reciting the Quran, and praying five times a day. This does not mean, however, that we should forget Allah outside of those prescribed moments.
As Muslims we need incorporate Allah in our lives and in the lives of our children.
• If you need or want something, no matter what it is, pray to Allah first. "Call on Me. I will answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to serve me will surely find themselves humiliated in Hell" (40:60). Taking a moment to ask Allah forces you to realize that Allah wants us to remember Him and put our trust in him.
• If you are facing a difficult event or a happy one, turn to Allah. According to Abu Huraira, "The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, reported that, whoever wants Allah to answer his prayers during difficult times, should supplicate to Him more and more in times of ease."
• Always beware of how events should be addressed. Always say “Assalm Alaikum” (Peace and Blessings upon you) when you meet a fellow Muslim. Use words like Alham’dullah (All thanks to Allah) at the appropriate times to remind yourself of Allah’s presence and goodness. Use the words Insha’ Allah (God willing) when you are considering something, Ma Sha Allah, if you are praising something or someone and Bismillah (In the name of Allah) before you start anything. If you think about doing or saying Islamic, say Audhu billahi min al-shaitan ir-rajim (I seek refuge with Allah from Shaytan, the accursed) or Astaghfirullah (I ask Allah forgiveness.).
• Surround yourself with others that remember Allah. The Prophet reportedly told ibn Umar that, "There are some angels of Allah who go about looking for such assemblies or circles of Zikr, and when they find them they surround them."
"When any group of men remember Allah, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him" (Abu Huraira and Abu Said Al Khudri).
• Do not forget the importance of charity. It is reported that the Prophet once said, "Charity is obligatory every day on every joint of a human being. If one helps a person in matters concerning his riding animal by helping him to ride it or by lifting his luggage onto it, all will be regarded as charity. A good word, and every step one takes to offer compulsory congregational prayer, is regarded as charity; and guiding somebody on the road is regarded as charity (Abu Huraira).
• Teach others about Islam. The Quran says, "those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah, for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction" (13:28).
We try to find excuses for the things that we are to busy to do, but the remembrance of Allah should be a part of everything we do, and it does not take much out of our day. Whatever it is we do, we need to keep Allah in our hearts and minds. Insha’ Allah and Alham’dullah.
Source: Patel, Karin “How to incorporate Zikr into our lives.” Retrieved on September 17, 2009 from Sound Vision: http://www.soundvision.com/Info/teens/incorporatezikr.asp
Showing posts with label Purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Purpose. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
What place does Islam hold in my life?
Each of us asks “What is the life our lives” and “Why is it we here?” I have for a long time tried to make sense of my life, my choices, and my purpose and role here on earth. I have studied religion and found myself questioning my faith more often because I am Muslim woman in the United States. Moreover, I am Muslim woman in corporate America.
I have long sought the answers in Islam and other faiths to get some kind of concise meaning for all of it and all the roles I play in my life, a mother, a wife, a working person, and as a member of the human race. I ponder questions and I want answers, and the answers are different depending on who you ask. Many would tell their purpose is to be successful, happy, or charitable, but what reasoning do they have? If our purpose is to do these things, what do we have left once we have done them?
We look at our lives with meaning and purpose, but we still feel worthless, like we just haven’t found what we are looking for. I was raised in the Islamic faith, and I have always looked at my life from a spiritual, non-religious perspective, but I wanted to a better feeling of worth, because that spirituality just did not seem like enough.
Someone in his or her 30s or 40s may believe that all they need is to give their families a good life, whereas a person in 80s would replace all the money in the world for their health. Your teenager may believe that the purpose of life spending time with friends and being popular and your six-year just wants a new toy. What determines self-worth is going to depend on the stage of your life you are in.
Money will not follow you to the afterlife; neither will your health nor family or friends nor material things. If you are a disbeliever, you will live in fear of the end. While it is nice to have all these things in this world, you also need to focus on the afterlife. The challenge and contemplation of where we belong and our purpose is best reflected upon when we become parents. Suddenly, we see wealth and power does not define who we are and that our time here on earth is only temporary. Our actions and what we teach our children are what we will take to the afterlife. How can you enjoy your wealth if you are so skeptical of the world, of our own actions, and of where we belong? Our material worth will be gone when we are gone.
Between being children and adults, we begin our question our existence and some of us rebel, but in the end, we always come back to our beliefs. The only advice that I can offer to young people is to make sure they can live with the decisions they make now and that those decisions do not affect their futures. There will be a day when we all question our existence and we will come back to Islam and Allah, and we should be prepared for how our past decisions play in the decisions we make when we embrace Islam again. For example, if you decide to have a child out of marriage, be prepared to understand that that other child’s parent, if that parent is non-Muslim, may raise that child as a non-Muslim. That is something that will be a difficult blunt to bear when you are trying to be a good Muslim. Remember that Allah is merciful and forgiving, but as a parent, you owe a duty to yourself and to Allah to teach your child Islam, even under the most difficult circumstances.
We all need a purpose in life and worship is a good purpose. Our lives here on Earth can be fulfilling but they do require us to embrace Islam to submit to Allah. Our goal is the next life where Allah will reward us for our faith, our intentions, our attitudes and our good deeds. Remember that Islam teaches us that life on Earth is only a test our true natures and in the end, we all must accept death in order to beginning our final destination in the hereafter.
If there really is a true purpose for all of us, it is that our first lives are only a test. The life in the grave is a place to rest before the Day of Judgment. The Day of Judgment is the day we will clearly understand our fate based on actions in the first life. The Afterlife will be either one of paradise or one of punishment. If we can clearly and fully understand that, then our purpose, as Muslims, is clear.
I have long sought the answers in Islam and other faiths to get some kind of concise meaning for all of it and all the roles I play in my life, a mother, a wife, a working person, and as a member of the human race. I ponder questions and I want answers, and the answers are different depending on who you ask. Many would tell their purpose is to be successful, happy, or charitable, but what reasoning do they have? If our purpose is to do these things, what do we have left once we have done them?
We look at our lives with meaning and purpose, but we still feel worthless, like we just haven’t found what we are looking for. I was raised in the Islamic faith, and I have always looked at my life from a spiritual, non-religious perspective, but I wanted to a better feeling of worth, because that spirituality just did not seem like enough.
Someone in his or her 30s or 40s may believe that all they need is to give their families a good life, whereas a person in 80s would replace all the money in the world for their health. Your teenager may believe that the purpose of life spending time with friends and being popular and your six-year just wants a new toy. What determines self-worth is going to depend on the stage of your life you are in.
Money will not follow you to the afterlife; neither will your health nor family or friends nor material things. If you are a disbeliever, you will live in fear of the end. While it is nice to have all these things in this world, you also need to focus on the afterlife. The challenge and contemplation of where we belong and our purpose is best reflected upon when we become parents. Suddenly, we see wealth and power does not define who we are and that our time here on earth is only temporary. Our actions and what we teach our children are what we will take to the afterlife. How can you enjoy your wealth if you are so skeptical of the world, of our own actions, and of where we belong? Our material worth will be gone when we are gone.
Between being children and adults, we begin our question our existence and some of us rebel, but in the end, we always come back to our beliefs. The only advice that I can offer to young people is to make sure they can live with the decisions they make now and that those decisions do not affect their futures. There will be a day when we all question our existence and we will come back to Islam and Allah, and we should be prepared for how our past decisions play in the decisions we make when we embrace Islam again. For example, if you decide to have a child out of marriage, be prepared to understand that that other child’s parent, if that parent is non-Muslim, may raise that child as a non-Muslim. That is something that will be a difficult blunt to bear when you are trying to be a good Muslim. Remember that Allah is merciful and forgiving, but as a parent, you owe a duty to yourself and to Allah to teach your child Islam, even under the most difficult circumstances.
We all need a purpose in life and worship is a good purpose. Our lives here on Earth can be fulfilling but they do require us to embrace Islam to submit to Allah. Our goal is the next life where Allah will reward us for our faith, our intentions, our attitudes and our good deeds. Remember that Islam teaches us that life on Earth is only a test our true natures and in the end, we all must accept death in order to beginning our final destination in the hereafter.
If there really is a true purpose for all of us, it is that our first lives are only a test. The life in the grave is a place to rest before the Day of Judgment. The Day of Judgment is the day we will clearly understand our fate based on actions in the first life. The Afterlife will be either one of paradise or one of punishment. If we can clearly and fully understand that, then our purpose, as Muslims, is clear.
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