MATALAM, North Cotabato (MindaNews / 08 April). Do you ever imagine what four things you can do to change your life forever?
More often, we imagine what would make us a better person in terms of what we think, say, or do. We would imagine, too, that we only get the best out of life depending on how much we struggle or make efforts towards achieving them.
The truth is, it is not really that hard. It is just a matter of determination, perseverance, and the thought that when you do them you will be much better in terms of your life in this mundane world and the Hereafter..
Here are four acts that will change your life forever:
1. Salah (Prayer).
Allah (swt) clearly defined His purpose for creating Jinns and Mankind when He said: “I did not create Jinn and humans except to worship Me (Quran 51:56).
The act of worship separates the Creator and the creature. It should be clear to us, though, that the purpose of “creation” is not because there was a lonely God. Or, because in addition to the Angels, Allah needed more to worship Him. No. The point is He wanted to share LIFE because it is so beautiful and nothing compares to it. He then gives us free air to breathe, makes the plants and animals our food, gives the vastness of the earth for us to walk on, decorated the earth with the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees. The discerning mind would realize outright that we had such tremendous and beautiful gifts from the Lord, our Creator.
These are some of the infinite reasons why we need to be grateful to Allah (swt) by worshipping Him, adoring Him, and giving our most profound devotion.
Allah (swt) assures us that we become better persons when we practice patience and prayer: “O you believers. Strengthen yourselves through patience and prayer (2:153).
2. Dua (Supplication)
Another beautiful gift Allah (swt) gave us is the power of DUA (supplication). God then gives the assurance that He listens to everyone who asks of Him when He said: “And your Lord says: make Dua before Me. I will accept for you” (40:60).
Dua is an Arabic word which literally means to call someone in the context of Islamic worship. Dua is the term used when a person seeks anything from Almighty Allah. In this sense Dua is very important in the life of Muslims because it is a way of making conversation with his Creator.
In one of the Hadith (sayings of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him) it was mentioned that Dua is the essence of worship.
Again, in the Quran, 2:186, Allah says: “O Mohammad, when my servants ask thee concerning me (tell them) I am very near. I respond to every Dua of the supplicants whenever he calls on Me.”
Muslims should not be shy in seeking the help and guidance of Almighty Allah in every problem they face in life.
3. Zik’r (Remembrance of Allah, swt)
Constant remembrance of Allah, swt, proves to be very useful in our lives in this world and in the Hereafter. The Prophet of Islam (pbuh) emphasized in no small way that if a Muslim remembers Allah, swt, in good times and plenty, He will remember him in times of difficulty and disaster. In another Hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) says: “Be mindful of Allah (swt) and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah (swt) and you will find him in front of you.”
With Allah, swt, we should know that victory comes with patience, relief comes after affliction, and we conquer hardships with ease.
4. Keep the End in Mind.
When you constantly keep in your mind that your final destination is your grave, you will realize that the only thing you can do is to be prepared when your time comes. There is no way you can prevent it from happening.
There are generally three things by which we can prepare and avoid the “torment of the grave”. These are: 1. Doing what Allah, swt, has prescribed for us; 2. Avoiding what He has forbidden; and, 3. Doing good deeds or being good to all His creations. In the Holy Quran, belief (Eeman) and doing good deeds (amal salih) were mentioned together several times. In Ch. 2, v. 82, Allah, swt, says: “And those who believe and do good deeds, they are the dwellers of Paradise; they will dwell therein forever”.
Several other verses in the Quran mentioned about Paradise as the ultimate reward for those who believed and did good deeds. Some of these are found in 5:9, 2:82, 4:122, 42:22, and 45:30. Paradise has been described as “beautiful garden beneath which rivers flow”.
When we know our purpose in life, understand the beauty of creation, and strive to be successful in this world and in the Hereafter, there can only be positive changes in the way we conduct our everyday lives in terms of our relations with our fellow human being, and more importantly, our relations with Almighty God.
The true measure of success in this world is when it translates to success in the Heareafter. The ultimate success in the Hereafter is when we are rewarded in Paradise (Jannah), and the greatest loss or failure is when one is thrown into the Hellfire (Jahannam).
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Maugan P. Mosaid holds a doctorate degree in rural development. He is a planning consultant and teaches Statistics and Methods of Research in the graduate school. He can be contacted at mauganmosaid6@gmail.com).
