New Year Resolutions

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

As we mark the start of the new Gregorian year, I have made certain resolutions.  Some of you would have already received them via email but I would like to remind firstly myself and you about them.

Firstly; I have realized that another year has come to an end.  This means that I have one year less to live as the day of departure is fixed by the Lord.  Therefore I must make proper and constructive usage of the time I have left.

1.       I will try to increase my love for my Lord.

Allah says but those of faith are overflowing in their love for Allah (2:165).  Everyday try to love your Lord more and more.  As Muslims we must always aspire to please Allah as much as possible.

2.       I will try to meet and greet Him more regularly.

How can we meet and greet Allah?  Through the institution of salaat.  In salaat we meet Him, greet Him and talk to Him.  So the greater your desire to get closer to Him the more optional prayer you should offer.  You won’t look only at the compulsory but those optional ones that are mentioned in the Qur’an and found in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). 

3.       I will try not to displease Him in any way.

If you are in the presence of someone honorable and respectable, would you want to misbehave?  Of course not!  And at all the times we are in the presence of the Merciful Lord.  In other worlds; try to become more God conscious.  Always keep in mind that Allah is looking at you; and if something displeases you don’t react negatively or in a manner that Allah won’t like.

4.       I will practice loving who He loves dearly - the Prophet (pboh) and the pious ones.

If I want to be close to Allah then it would be prudent to love that which He loves.  And Allah loves Prophet Muhammad (pboh) and His sincerely pious servants.

5.       I will avoid what He does not like.

If I wish to gain closeness to Allah then I should abstain from those things that would take me further away from Him.

6.       I will help my brethren as much as possible.

Allah says; except such As have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy (103:3).  Help others, regardless of race or religion, all for the pleasure of Allah.

7.       I will try to maximize the use of my time through proper time management.

I understand that my time here is fixed; therefore I must make best usage of it if I want to return to and have a pleasant meeting with my Lord.

8.       I shall try to increase my dependency on Him, and less on human beings.

Allah sent us here and provided for us; therefore we must to turn to Him.  If we rely on Him, He will never let us down.  We must then work hard to develop a stronger bond with Him.

9.       I shall promote the philosophy of Ihsaan in all matters.

What is the philosophy of Ihsaan?  Not to curse, nor degrade, nor backbite.  To love for another what you’d love for yourself.  To conduct yourself in a refined, exemplary manner.

 

We will all try our best to manage our time, to do righteousness, to please Him, to get close to Him, to demonstrate supreme love for Him. 

Don’t love this world more than Him.  One day we will have to separate from it.  We know that our Lord is All Wise, so whatever He is allowing to happen to us there is wisdom and reason behind it.  Always remember the story if Joseph (as).  All the trials and difficulties he underwent were stepping stones for the achievement of his purpose and mission.

The real basis for successful living is to have total faith in Allah.  The manifestation of success is to put Allah first in all matters.

So as we begin this New Year let us try to increase our faith and dependency on Allah.  Communicate, with Him more, thank Him more and praise Him abundantly.  May Allah bless us and guide us all, insha Allah.

Live a life of no regets

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

 

One of the differences with the life of this world and that of barzakh is that in barzakh you will be able to see your past and your future destination.  Here, in this world you can only see your past and present.  We do not know our destination.  Allah says in Surah Yaseen;

Verily we shall give life to the dead, and we record that which they send before and that which they leave behind, and of all things have we taken account in a Clear Book (of evidence).  (36:12)

Nothing will be left unrecorded regarding the activities of an individual.  One of the meanings of ‘that which they leave behind’ is that of Sadaqatul Jariyah.  If your family prays for your or if you left something behind that people can benefit from; these things would be of great benefit to you.

Never forget one thing, Allah does not only record the good that you do but He also records those things that you did and that you left behind that were of no value to anyone including yourself. 

Allah says;

What is with you must vanish: what is with Allah will endure and We will certainly bestow, on those who patiently persevere, their reward to the best of their actions.  (16:96)

Allah records those things that would be of benefit to us that we send before and that would continue to benefit us after we leave this earth.  He also records those things that we left behind that would have caused harm to others and were valueless.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said on the Day of Judgment the deeds of man would be divided into two, that which was done for Allah and that which was done for the world. 

More importantly of barzakh is regret that some people would experience when they see their destination;

And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say, “O My Lord! Why didst Thou not give me respite for a little while?  I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good”.  (63:10)

When certain people go in Barzakh and they see the benefit and loss suffered they would plead to Allah to go back and only then would they be the most righteous, charitable etc.

This is an important lesson for all of us!  Don’t wait for when reality comes to you to transform your life.  When Pharaoh was drowning and he saw death fast approaching he shouted I believe in the God of Moses.  All the along he paid no heed to the numerous signs Allah sent to him.  Only when he saw his end nearing and he remembered the type of life he lived in the world, and the misery of the stay in barzakh then he believed.  Don’t wait to be like that!

The Message is clear.  This is possibly why the Qur’an is called Kitabal Mubin.  Everyone can understand the dos and don’ts.  You don’t need a scholar to explain to you.

Don’t wait until it’s too late.  That should be out of the question for believers.  Don’t sacrifice everything for this world.  Remember Allah records what is sent before and what is left behind.  Don’t fall into the situation that the unbelievers would find themselves in, as Allah says in Surah Naba;

The Day when man will see (the deeds) which his hands have sent forth, and the unbeliever will say, “Woe unto me!  Would that I was (metre) dust!”  (78:40)

Try to strike an appropriate balance in this world so that when death comes you will be prepared and not be in a state of regret when placed in Barzakh.  We want to be from amongst those who will be happy to meet our Lord and He would be happy to meet us, insha Allah. 

I always say that the time to improve and make amends is now; don’t procrastinate.  None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.  We beg Allah to help us and bless us to be alert to making the best use of our life in this world and to have no regrets when we depart for the next.