- Giving to charity (Zakah): This helps those in need and purifies wealth.
- Pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj): This is a lifelong aspiration for many Muslims.
- Living a Moral Life:
- Sincerity and good intentions (al-niyah): This is crucial for the acceptance of one's actions by Allah.
- Honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness: These are essential virtues in Islam.
- Kindness, compassion, and generosity: These qualities are encouraged in interactions with others.
- Balancing the Spiritual and Worldly:
- Seeking knowledge and understanding: Learning about Islam and the world around us is important for making informed decisions and living a fulfilling life.
- Prioritizing family and relationships: Strong relationships are crucial for happiness and well-being.
- Living in the present: Appreciating the blessings of life and finding joy in the small things.
- Focusing on the afterlife: Remembering that this life is a test and that our actions in this life will have consequences in the hereafter.
- Cultivating a Positive Mindset:
- Gratitude and thankfulness: Acknowledging Allah's blessings and expressing gratitude.
- Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and focusing on the positive aspects of life.
- Optimism and hope: Maintaining a positive outlook and viewing challenges as opportunities for growth.
- Patience and resilience: Being steadfast in the face of difficulties and persevering through challenges.
- Balancing Priorities: Finding a balance between work and leisure, ensuring that we have time for both fulfilling our responsibilities and enjoying life.
- Setting goals and working towards them: Having aspirations and a sense of purpose.
- Making the most of our time: Avoiding procrastination and making the most of every opportunity.
1. Knowledge. We have to continuously learn about Allah (ʿazza wa jall) through His Names, His Words, His creation, and by worshipping Him. We have to learn about His beloved,ﷺ, who practically demonstrated to us how to live a ‘good life’, and we have to learn about the ‘actions’ and the ‘diseases’ of the heart. One of the predecessors said, “How unfortunate are the people of the world who left the world without having experienced its greatest delight!” When he was asked, “What is its greatest delight?”, he replied, “Knowing Allah, loving Him, finding comfort in His closeness, and longing to meet Him. ”
2. Battling the inner self (nafs). In our journey to Allah, the initial stages will feel very difficult at times. We have to persevere and keep going, until our hearts become attached to Allah. Once our hearts are attached to Allah, the acts of worship will no longer feel difficult and we will begin to enjoy them. Abū Zayd (raḥimahullāh) said, “I forced my nafs (inner self) to go to Allah whilst it was crying, until I was able to take it to Him whilst it was laughing.”
3. By performing all the obligatory deeds and additional voluntary deeds. In a ḥadīth qudsī, Allah states, “My servant continues to draw close to Me with voluntary deeds until I love him” (Bukhārī).
4. Spending time in isolation with Allah. This includes reciting the Qur’ān with reflection (tadabbur), dhikr with reflection (tafakkur), talking to Him intimately in heartfelt duʿā’; and combining all of the above in ṣalāh with humility and full focus (khushūʿ). This has a deep impact on strengthening our connection with Allah and increasing in love for Him. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (raḥimahullāh) said, “Indeed the beloved of Allah are those who have inherited the good life and tasted its bliss, due to conversing privately with their Lord and experiencing the sweetness of His love in their hearts.”
5. Staying aways from sins. Wuhayb b. Ward (raḥimahullāh) was asked, “Can the sinner taste the sweetness of worship?” He said, “No, not even the one who considers doing the sin.”
“The ‘good life’ is attained through lofty aspirations, true love, and a sincere intention.” – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)
No comments:
Post a Comment