More and more on happiness and purpose

A brother who reads his memorised portions of the Qur'an to me weekly came today. As usual, he sat before me in the masjid. After he did the isti'aadha, he started smiling.

He told me he didn't memorise anything throughout the week. Now, this is someone who reads more than a hizb sometimes.

"What kept you busy throughout the week?" I asked.

"Football. I was playing football."

I couldn't control my laughter. The thing is; it's practically impossible to spend the whole week playing football under normal circumstances, it's even more weird coming from someone with his level of seriousness.

Immediately he told me what he was doing, I remembered a similar incident that occurred to a friend of mine while he was memorising the Quran.

He started watching a movie, so he was unable to memorise the Quran for two days. On the third night, he complained to me and I advised him to do istighfaar, but his shaytaan was not done with him so he went ahead and finished watching the movie. In the end, he paid for it with a week of being unproductive. He was unable to memorize even a single page.

He told me he didn't memorise anything throughout the week. This is someone who reads more than a hizb sometimes.

"What kept you busy throughout the week?" I asked.

"Football. I was playing football."

I couldn't contain my laughter. The thing is; it's practically impossible to spend the whole week playing football under normal circumstances, it's even more strange coming from someone with his level of seriousness.

When this person who reads the Qur'an to me told me this, I told him to do tawbah.

He has read a page to me tonight and he was visibly stunned by the transformation. That's something he couldn't memorise throughout the week.

That brought back a number of memories that made me teary. You'll never have more beautiful times that the one you spend with the book of Allah.

At those times, there's an immediacy in how you get punished for sining to Allah. The sins you'd deem little on a normal day can wreck your day. There's just too much at stake.The remembrance of Allah is constant. The sensitivity to sins is on another level. You're constantly filled with unexplainable joy.

Tonight, I got reminded that there are people who spend their lives in such positions where they immediately get punished for sins. Where anytime their memorisation gets weak, they can point to the exact thing they did wrong.

May Allah make us amongst those who dedicate their lives to his worship. May he make us amongst those he's given the privilege of noticing immediate differences in their lives anytime they sin.

There's no joy anywhere away from this, wallah. It's the peak. We do not realise this until we stop experiencing it for some moments.

Life was actually not meant to be for anything except worship. Nothing else gives it meaning.

• Alhaytham
Sayf Productivity Network

Focus on improving yourself, not proving yourself.

One very important concept that will exponentially increase your productivity is what I am about to discuss with you today.

If you focus on improving this aspect, bi idhnillah, few things will deter your growth.

Most humans love to seek validation from others, and thus, their actions are influenced by what other people think about them. The reality is that those they think are watching them are also busy thinking about people watching them.

Seeking people's validation is a problem, and it becomes a bigger problem when your actions are influenced by what people say or think about you.

Many people have great ideas but are too scared to implement them because they fear criticism. They fear they are not good enough and people will talk down on them, which leads to one of two outcomes:

1. They give up on whatever they are doing due to criticism. For example, Fulan stopped graphic design because his teacher complained that his first few designs were not up to standard, so he believed he was incapable. Similarly, Alanah stopped trying to speak Arabic because someone made fun of her when she said a phrase incorrectly.

2. They turn a deaf ear to every comment. Instead of improving, they try to prove their mistakes are correct and see everyone who tries to correct them as a "hater."

People in these two categories will hardly be successful in their fields.

If you truly want greatness, you should develop a mindset that values growth and sees criticism as a means to get better, not as an attack on your personality.

When you are corrected, avoid the urge to prove yourself. Check if you truly are doing things wrong and work towards improving.

If anyone criticizes your teaching method, marketing skills, or manners, appreciate them, ask them where exactly you are going wrong, how you can improve, and seek to improve sincerely.

This way, you will be better than the vast majority of people, and those who once criticized you will start to marvel at how good you have become.

IbnulArobiy
Sayf Productivity Network

3 Things You Should Know About Muharram

A new lunar year is here; and although you probably won't care about the days of the lunar months until it is Ramadan again, there is something you need to take note of as the year begins.

Remember how you often re-evaluate your steps and review your goals at the beginning of each Gregorian year? The Lunar year is more befitting of that!

It is a more befitting time to review how many times you have finished the Quran since the last Ramadhan and plan on how many times you would want to finish before te next.

The predecessors' lives used to revolve around Ramadhan: they would spend six months pondering over the past Ramadhan and praying for its acceptance, then they would spend the next preparing - (with good deeds, with more acts of worship, with tawbah) for the next Ramadhan.

The begining of the islamic new year is a more befitting time to review your closeness to Allah, to review your preparation for death, and to review your goals in general.

Although we do not attribute any special meaning or preference to the begining of a new year, whether Hijri or Gregorian, and we, as Muslims, should always make new resolutions all the time, the begining of the Islamic new year still has something special about it that makes it worthy of attention.

1. The year commences with the month of Allah - Muharram . One of the four sacred months in the year.

Allah says about the sacred months, [Surah At-Tawbah: 36, MK]
"Verily, the number of months with Allâh is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allâh on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islâmic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein."

Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning the words of Allah “so wrong not yourselves therein” [Surat at-Tawbah 9:36]: (The command not to wrong yourself) applies in all months, then Allah singled out four months and made them sacred, and emphasized their sanctity, and He made sin during these months more grave, and He made righteous deeds and the reward thereof greater."

Muharram is a month where you have to be more mindful of the limits of Allah - for whoever oversteps the limits of Allah in the sacred months is deserving of more severe punishments.

2. Muharram is the best month to fast after Ramadan.

The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The best fast after Ramadan is in the month of Allah al-Muharram .” (Narrated by Muslim, 1982)

3. Allah tagged the month of Muharram specifically as His, as narrated in the previous hadith.

So use this time wisely, re-evaluate your goals, take a break from the internet noise and be in seclusion. Make tawbah, and start making plans towards Ramadhan. If you reach it, it is good for you. If you do not reach it, it is god for you.

Verily, the best of transactions are the ones made with Allah as you're certain of never losing.

U.H
Sayf Network

If his pain increases, he ponders on how his rewards increase, and he hopes that his pain will make an entrance for him into the everlasting bliss and joy of Jannah. If his pain persists, seeming permanent, he patiently awaits his death and what has been prepared for Him with Allah, in a place where there is no pain and no suffering. His body may weaken but his heart remains strong, praying, hoping, pondering on the mercy of his Lord and thanking Him for being merciful to him enough to reward his patience on his trials. 

And because he knows that this world is not his home, he rests. He is only a traveller here on the way home, so all through his trial, he is not lost, totally consumed by the weight of his suffering; he still has to prepare his abode. So he still worships, he prays, he believes. He prepares for His return to his Master and Creator. This is the beauty of the life of a Muslim. 

As for the disbelievers, as soon as a man loses his job, his life is over. As soon as a man falls ill, he is done with. He suffers more in his heart than he suffers outside of his heart. His light dims and he dies before he dies, and he may see no reason to continue to be alive. But for the Muslim, a new phase of worship starts.

Oh Allah, we recognise the favour of Islam and the favour of tawhid, and we recognise your mercy upon us, rewarding us and cleansing our sins with patience over trials that we could never escape with impatience. 

Sobur Adedokun
Sayf Productivity Network

On Trials & The Favors of Allah (repost)

He screamed at the top of his voice. From the distance, he looked like a Christian evangelist preaching at the junction, but on getting closer to him, I realised it was no preaching. He held a bowl and a stick, and beat the bowl with the stick to punctuate every sentence, a man in his 60's.

He screamed, "Leave me alone. Leave my family alone. I didn't sleep with your wives. I didn't steal your money. Look at me, I am not that old, I can't walk again. You have put a stroke in my body. You have put something in my waist, you have put something in my knees, I have lost my job. I left Anambra and came to hide here, all because of you. Leave me alone. There is nothing I have not picked inside my house. You threw coconuts. Leave me alone. All of you are evil."

He was speaking to no one in particular. He just screamed into the air, and at one point, he broke down in tears. And when he broke down, I immediately realised that this was not a mad man, this was a sane person who had snapped under the weight of his trials. One hour later, I would still hear the man's voice in the neighbouring streets. From my home. It was obvious he decided to quickly take our time this morning to beg the ones "doing him". 

Reflecting on what I just observed, I had to give thanks to Allah for the guidance of Islam. As Muslims, we have been favoured with a very comforting way of thinking about trials and suffering, almost impossible for a Muslim who understands the religion and practises it to break so much under the weight of suffering that they would be mistaken for a lunatic. Infact, the Muslim who correctly understands the nature of trials may suffer physically, but his heart remains strong, feeling the joys of worship to Allah through his trials.

This can happen because Allah has guided us to think about trials very differently from non-Muslims. First, we expect trials. We prepare for them. Allah informs us that He will test us. The thought of being tested is not so far away; the idea of a trial is not foreign. We do not wish for trials, but when they come, we can nod our heads and say, “yes, this is it, let’s get to work now.” 

Allah says, “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” Q(2:155).

Beyond our expectation of trials, we know where exactly to turn when they come. A Muslim who worships Allah with tawhid knows that Allah alone has the ability to take away his suffering, so when the trial comes, he is not confused. He can get to work, making du’a, seeking relief from Allah and retracing his steps with tawbah, and seeking from the means that can, by Allah's permission, save him.

Allah says, "If Allah touches you with harm, none can undo it except Him. And if He touches you with a blessing, He is Most Capable of everything." Q(6:17)

This clarity about what we need to do when trials hit may be underrated, but many of those who are broken under the weight of trials are not broken by the trials themselves, but by confusion regarding what to do, where to go, who to cry to. For this man I have just met on the streets, he is here because he is certainly confused. 

Away from expectation and clarity, Islam prepares to weather storms with dignity by the teaching that patience upon trials is always a source of cleansing and rewards with Allah. How much the pain of a Muslim is dulled when he imagines his sins being forgiven and his ranks being raised before his Lord due to his trials. He is in pain, but his heart rejoices at the promise of his Lord, so he faces his trial with a sound mind and an abundance of dignity.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is good for him".
[Muslim].

I Encourage You to Dive Into Rough Waters

The nuniyyah of Qahtani is a collection of about 700 lines of poetry attributed to Imam Qahtani on very delicate issues of creed, the pillars of Islam, some matters of Fiqh and beneficial sermons of adab. One time I was having a discussion with a friend whom I knew had memorized this collection and he told me that he memorized all of it during his walks. 

He had memorized the collection years before our discussion. He memoriszed during his walks to madrasah and back home every day until he finished. He told me that sometimes he'd read or hear a verse from this collection and he'd remember the exact road he was plying, the exact store he was walking by, when he memorized the verse. He said this one with a smile. 

He talked about this time nostalgically and it was clear that he had very good memories of a time he spent so dutifully that even his walks were put to beneficial usage. 

Memorizing is hard; memorizing while walking is harder. Memorizing parts of just one text  constantly for days on end while walking is even harder. But he remembered these days of hardship with a smile, because it is beneficial hardship, it is a type of hardship he needed to achieve something rare, difficult and valuable, and now that he has it, he smiles at the memory of it. 

I encourage you to open yourself to beneficial hardship, to dive into rough waters and swim to the end. I encourage you to seek the hard but rare, the hard but valuable, the hard but important, then devote yourself to it. Soon, you will remember these days of hardship, you will crack a smile from the depth of the fulfillment you feel and you will wish for them again. 

Sobur Adedokun
Sayf Productivity Network

You can not be successful with low aspirations!
Unlike in the olden days, the world of distractions we live in has increased the tendency of the average person to have very low aspirations.

All he thinks about is what fills his tummy, how he looks, and how to satisfy his carnal desires.

In today's world, many youths do not have long-term goals. They want quick gratification. This is why you see youths joining the bandwagon of those mining shitcoins, notcoins, and anything else they think brings wealth easily and quickly.

And when they get this money, they spend it on luxuries, food, etc.

I remember coming across a post where the poster said, "I can spend a whole year in my room without seeing anyone or doing anything as long as I have free access to food, WiFi, and the Internet" (or something like that).

This is the case with many people. As long as they get to eat and drink whatever they wish, use the latest luxuries, and fulfil their carnal desires, that's all that matters to them.

How is this lifestyle different from that of animals?

Allah describes the Kuffar in the Quran as those who eat and enjoy just like animals.

If your priority is what you want to eat and enjoy, there's actually no big difference between you and animals.

As a Muslim, you should be smart enough to develop a strong resistance to the tides of heedlessness, ignorance, and confusion that the world is filled with.

Do not settle for less.

There's nothing stopping you from being very good in academics, perfecting that skill, building your own company, memorizing the Quran and books of Ahadith, learning Arabic, and lots more.

Low aspiration will get you nowhere.

Imam Rafi said: A person with low aspiration is like an animal with no desires except feeding and intimacy.

One of the Salaf used to say: If a person doesn't desire anything except the clothes he wants to wear and the food he wants to eat, know surely that good is far from them.

Stop giving excuses.

Stop complaining about how hard life is.

Get up, seek Allah's aid, and work very hard!

IbnulArobiy
Sayf Productivity Network

Try this experiment tomorrow.

Divide your daytime hours between all that you really should be doing, the things that are important to you. Allot hours and minutes. Give time to worship, to learning, to family, to work obligations, to physical exercise, to the things that matter and by the end of the exercise, you will likely find yourself wishing you had more hours in your day.

But because for many of us, the days just pass by without an account, without this kind of strict mathematical procedure to time allocation, you think you have a lot of time every day. 

Until we sit down and divide our days between all that we have to do, we never actually realise how little productive time we can get every day.

When you waste time, you tend to overestimate how much of it you have. I believe it is one of the punishments for wasting time; you get out of touch with the reality of how much of it you have.

Sayf Network

Small Habits, Big Changes (4)

1. Mosque Revision

Once, I went to visit my parents. I and my brothers went to the mosque together and I was fortunate enough to check the time we spent to get to the mosque: 10 minutes.

I told them they would be spending 20mins every solaat to-and from the mosque.

That's more than 1.5 hours everyday just walking to the mosque. They agreed it made no sense to be wasting that much time.

So, they decided to be doing Muraaja'ah. I haven't asked the result of this particular one, but very probably, they'd be revising at least 3 ajzaa of the Quran everyday while visiting and returning from the mosque.

This is very difficult thing to do. It takes tremendous effort and discipline for 3 brothers to walk together for 10 mins and not chit-chat or gossip or or or...rathed each of them focusing on his Quran recitation.

But it is also difficult to look at your life after one year and realize you burnt 547 hours walking to the mosque everyday and you never used it for anything beneficial.

Look for every little hole in your day, fill it up with something beneficial. Pray to Allah for help!

Sayf Network

Small Habits, Big Changes

1. The Old Walker

About a year ago, I met an elderly man who was in his 50's.

The man was very fit and healthy.

We had a lot of discussions that made me realize that not only was he physically fit, but he was more fit in "other room" affairs than a lot of young people.

So I asked him for the major thing he does.

He told me he would always take a walk of about 20-30 minutes everyday, and be very mindful of what he ate. That simple. But that hard too.

Every single day, for 30+ years, take a walk.

Walking for 30 minutes everday is very easy, until you have money!

For someone who is rich, has a car, and has a job that does not require him to even leave his house, it is commendable.

The beautiful thing about taking walks is that you can do it while engaging in some other productive activities like revising the Quran, calling your parents, listening to an audiobook, saying your adhkaar.

30 minutes daily is the same amount of time a lot of people waste checking statuses everyday.

Someone else is using it in a slightly different way, and by the time they are 60, their lives will probably turn out entirely different.

Build up productive habits today!

LRH
Sayf Network