This article builds upon a previous entry: Inspiration From Coronavirus. The thought of staying at home for months on end might seem daunting to some; however, it would be wise to remember that every cloud has a silver lining. As students, our routines often mean we struggle to find time to do other than the obligatory. However, we now have a fantastic opportunity for us to pick up habits, that we can maintain and build upon for the rest of our lives. If Allah wills, and we have the right mindset over these next few weeks, we could build ourselves palaces in Jannah!
Here are 5 suggestions of actions we can start to implement over the next few weeks and months to make the most of the opportunity presented to us.
1. HOLD YOURSELF TO ACCOUNT
“Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account, weigh your deeds before they are weighed.”
Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA)
- The nature of our society is fast-paced. It is common for people to go through life without spending any time reflecting on ourselves. Pick a date and set aside a few hours to evaluate your life. Categorise yourself in aspects such as the following:1 – My duty as a Muslim2 – My duty as a student3 – My duty as a sibling/daughter/son/spouse4 – My duty as a member of my community/society etc5 – My duty towards myselfList how you’re doing in each category. You may be an excellent student, achieving high grades in all your modules – but does this come at the expense of friends, family, and worship? On the contrary, you may be the most social person in your friendship group – up for every motive. Does this come at the expense of your studies, or other commitments? Only by regularly taking the time to critically analyse each aspect of your life will you be able to identify strengths and shortcomings. From here – make small goals to improve certain aspects. By holding yourself to account regularly, you can take strides towards success in this life and the next.
2. MAKE AN ACTION PLAN TO BUILD UP SMALL HABITS
“Good habits formed in youth make all the difference”
– Aristotle
Once we have established aspects of our lives that need improving, we must now make changes. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. We’ve all had a sudden burst of energy and decided to pick up several habits in one go. How many times have we attempted to start eating healthily, or waking up early in the morning, or memorizing Qur’an. At most, this lasts for a couple of days before the novelty wears off and we fall back into our normal routines. Picking up too many habits in one go is a recipe for failure.
A 2010 study states that it takes between 18-254 days to form a new habit (depending on the difficulty). This may sound off-putting, but there is a simple solution. We can form habits by making them so simple we cannot fail. Taking salah as an example:
- If we already pray 5 times a day – add one sunnah salah, and increase this number once a month. In only a few months, we will be praying them all.
- If we struggle to focus in salah, memorize the meaning/reflect upon one verse of Surat al Fatiha a week. In 7 weeks, we will be reciting Surat al Fatiha in a completely different light.
Or – taking the example of writing:
- Write one article/blog post a month. If we stick to this, in 3 years – we will have written 36 articles. The more you write the better you get, so in reality, over time the number could be far greater than 36!
The lesson here is clear – small and consistent habits have life changing consequences. Imagine the number of skills/good deeds we will have accumulated over the years by following this simple formula! Use the free time you have right now and start.
3. IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE QURAN
“I regret not spending more time studying the explanations and meanings of the Qur’an”
– Ibn Taymiyyah
“Oh mankind, there has come to your instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers” 10:57
We are all aware of the status of the Quran in Islam – countless books and khutbahs have been dedicated to this topic. And yet, how would we rank our own status with the Book of Allah? Are we able to recite it fluently, or do we stumble over verses? Do we reflect over the verses we recite, or are we content with reading passively? No doubt – there is reward in both. The person who struggles to read the Quran fluently receives double reward; and reading passively is better than no reading at all. However, we can probably all admit that we have room for improvement with regards to the Qur’an.
In the weeks preceding Ramadan, identify your shortcomings in relation to the Qur’an; and then focus on improving. Here are a few suggestions of actions we can take:
- If you struggle to read, find a buddy or an online class for you to learn
- If you can read, spend more time reciting with tarteel; that is, beautifying your voice as instructed in the fourth verse of Surat Al Muzzamil
- Spend time pondering over the verses of Allah. Ensure you do this whilst consulting with a book of tafsir (online editions can also be found)
Finally, in a hadith recorded in Tirmidhi, and narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr the Prophet ﷺ said:
“It will be said to the companion of the Quran: Recite and ascend as you recited in the world. Verily, your rank is determined by the last verse you recite.”
May Allah make us all companions of the Quran – and elevate our ranks in Jannah!
4. SPEND MORE TIME LISTENING TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD
The amount of time we spend consuming forms of entertainment is substantial. On average, each Netflix subscriber watches 2 hours a day of content. More alarmingly, a recent article claims that people now spend more time on Netflix than they do with their own families.
Whilst it is very tempting to binge watch films and TV series, we want to be doing as many good actions as we can in the run up to Ramadan. Here are a few replacements that will earn you and your family reward, strengthen your Imaan and increase your Islamic knowledge.
ILMFEED PODCASTS/VIDEOS
SH. YASIR QADHI SEERAH SERIES
STORIES OF THE PROPHETS (AS)
PEOPLE OF THE QU’RAN
5. READ, READ AND READ
“ You can learn from the pages of the book in a month, that which you cannot learn from the tongues of men in a century”
Al- Jāḥiẓ
As university students, we struggle to read for pleasure in the midst of our deadlines and exams. However, reading is a vitally important pastime that should not be overlooked. Malcolm X used his time in prison to read profusely on a range of topics stretching from history to philosophy and genetics. Books were his “alma-matter” as he was quoted saying, and with Allah’s permission, gave him the knowledge required to become one of the greatest orators and activists of the 20th century. In his own words, until he started reading, he had “never had been so truly free”. The irony of this reflection of his time in prison should not be lost.
The benefits of reading are numerous. To list the most relevant; reading increases our knowledge, allows us to learn from legends of the past, expands our vocabulary and improves our eloquence. We should therefore use the time we have wisely to read about topics that are of benefit and interest to us. This can and should include a combination of Islamic, and general topics.
Make a schedule to read for a portion of time every day and stick to it! If you do not have access to books at home – UCL Explore allows us to access thousands of books, journals and articles for free.
Free time is not something that is guaranteed and before we know it, life as normal will resume. This could be a golden opportunity for believers if we act smart. In a hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas RA and recorded by Al Hakim, the Prophet SAW advises us to “Take benefit of five before five: Your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied, and your life before your death”. In light of this Hadith, we must utilise the golden opportunity presented to us, so that we may be pleased on the day of judgement. May Allah grant us and our families good health, and the opportunity to make the most of our time. Ameen.
