Here are some small but important habits to get into – inshallah we can all benefit from these and grow as Muslims.
Here are some small but important habits to get into – inshallah we can all benefit from these and grow as Muslims.
Jannah is the place we want to be at the end of our long journey in this life and the hereafter.
There’s nothing after it. Allah says we will stay in Jannah forever with our loved ones, the Prophets peace be upon them all and all the muslimeen who have succeeded in dedicating their lives to pleasing Allah.
But they who believe and do righteous deeds – those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally. (Al-Baqarah 2:82)
So how do we have this ultimate goal in life while going through our daily lives? We must develop habits that bring us the pleasure of Allah, of course.
1. Perform Salah On Time
Salah is the 5 obligatory prayers every Muslim must perform at specific times of the day.
We bow our heads to the ground, humbling ourselves in front of our Creator. We acknowledge and remind ourselves throughout the day that we are first and foremost slaves of Allah. No matter where and what we’re doing in any time of the day, we can stop what we’re doing and prioritize our Maker.
To me, that is just the most beautiful thing about being Muslims.
“Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater.” (Al-Ankabut 29:45)
2. Read The Quran Daily
“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (Al-Baqarah 2:152)
Your Creator, Allah, gave you His full guidelines on how to live your best life on this earth in the form of a book. Every single solution to every human nature problem you can think of, ie. greed, arrogance, heedlessness etc is in the Quran. Imagine that.
So if you don’t get hold of the Quran, it’s your loss. Make sure you read the Holy Quran verses in English as well if you don’t understand the Arabic verses. You can also pick one Quran verse of the day to ponder on it.
InsyaAllah, take the first baby steps and you’ll be able to go through the whole Quran one day.
3. Wake Up Every Day With Purpose
What is the purpose of life in the Quran?
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Ad-Dhariyat 51:56)
Our purpose in life is to worship Allah, be a slave to Him and a Khalifah who serve others and make this world a better place.
If you wake up every morning with this purpose, insyaAllah your life will be full of meaning and and you will be fulfilling your life purpose as a Muslim.
“And it is He who has made you successors (Khalifahs) upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you…” (Al-Ana’m 6:165)
4. Practice The Sunnah In Your Life
“Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins…'” (Al-Imran 3:31)
Sunnah is everything we can follow from the life of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. The way he talks, walks, sleep and most of his lifestyle is the way of the Sunnah.
Since he is our prophet and the best role model, we should learn to live our lives as closely as he has lived his life insyaAllah.
5. Tell Loved Ones You Love Them
The Prophet SAW said: If any of you loves his brother then he should inform him. (At-Tirmidhi)
Do you know that verbally telling someone that you love them is a Sunnah? Yes. Tell them “I love you for the sake of Allah.” It’s Sunnah.
You make them feel loved and it instantly increases your love for each other and as you do this often enough, it will become second nature to you.
6. Complain Only To Allah
The only One we can truly complain to is Allah. He has given us an open invitation to run to Him and vent to Him at any moment in our lives no matter night or day.
And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.”… (Ghafir 40:60)
We can’t complain to His creations because they can’t do much either. It’s okay to seek advice and get solutions to your problems. But complaining to others about something just for the sheer satisfaction of it is a complete waste of time.
So whenever you feel like you need a shoulder to cry on, seek Allah first. He should be your number one confidanté, just like Yusuf As and all the other Prophets peace be upon them all.
Prophet Yusuf As said, “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah… (Yusuf 12:86)
7. Practice Gratitude Daily
As a Muslimah, our gratitude shows in the way we worship Allah. Do we pray our 5 prayers? Treat Allah’s creations kindly? Take care of all the blessings and things He has provided for us in our lives?
It’s easy to write a daily gratitude list, but are we truly doing the things that bring in Allah’s pleasure on a daily basis? Let’s practice gratitude mindfully by being the best slave we can be for Allah each day insyaAllah.
“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]…'” (Ibrahim 14:7)
8. Celebrate Your Success
“… remember Allah often that you may succeed.” (Al-Jumuah 62:10)
Our successes in life like getting a new job, getting married and starting a family happens by the permission of Allah. We should celebrate the wins because it is a sign of gratefulness. You thank Allah for what He has given you and you celebrate it by doing something nice for yourself and others.
For example, when you get that new job that you’ve been wanting for so long, say Alhamdulillah, make shukr sujood for it, tell your best friend and treat her to something nice. That’s a sign of gratitude. When you are thankful to Allah and celebrate even the smallest things in life, Allah will increase every other thing for you insyaAllah.
9. Slow Down
Life can go by so quickly that we don’t even realize what we’re doing. This is called the ‘auto-pilot mode’. It is a dangerous state to be in. We must learn to be conscious in everything we do. Slow down and actually enjoy your life. Who says we can’t enjoy life while being Muslims? You can certainly enjoy life within the boundaries of Islam.
Since Islam is the perfect way of life, it actually allows you to enjoy life more without letting you fall into the traps of this temporary world.
People think drinking, clubbing and sleeping around are some of the ways to enjoy life when in reality they are very detrimental to your overall wellbeing. Islam protects you from that and allows you to live life on a much deeper and holistic sense of satisfaction.
“And you see many of them hastening into sin and aggression and the devouring of [what is] unlawful. How wretched is what they have been doing.” (Al-Ma’idah 5:62)
10. Balance Your Time For Everything
“By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” (Al-A’sr 103: 1-3)
Keeping a balanced life shows in the way you balance your time for everything. You have to remember that everything has a right to your time. If you are a mother, your children have a right over you. If you are a daughter, your parents have a right over you.
Even your body has a right over you, you need to let it rest, sleep and give it nutrients from healthy meals. So how do you meet all of these rights? The answer lies in how wisely you use your time.
11. Process Your Emotions
Our emotions are what makes us completely unique from other species. We are able to feel and process every single emotion we face in our lives – happiness, sadness, sorrow, love etc.
“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” (Al-Baqarah 2:153)
But since understanding and navigating our emotions can be difficult most of the time, one of the ways we can also process it is by writing them down.
Take an old notebook and just start writing. Our emotions can give us insight into our deepest desires, yearnings and discoveries. It is one of the best ways for self-growth and self-discovery.
12. Cultivate Proper Hygiene
“… Allah loves those who purify themselves.” (At-Tawbah 9:108)
Proper hygiene is something we must all observe no matter male or female. Islam also emphasizes the importance of proper hygiene because shaytaan loves the opposite which is filth. We don’t want to be a friend of the shaytaan so let’s practice proper hygiene.
13. Drink And Eat Healthy
“O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.” (Al-Baqarah 2:172)
When you eat healthy, your body becomes healthy. When your body is healthy, you’ll have more energy to have a productive day, a healthier mind to solve complex problems and the list goes on.
You will gain so much more when you eat healthy and stay healthy. Make sure you nourish your body with the right nutrients and hydration that it needs. Drink adequate amounts of water each day, your skin will look younger down the line.
14. Clean Your Heart With Tawbah
Tawbah cleans the heart like nothing else. When you acknowledge your sins and repent for them, not only will Allah love you but you will also feel much better about yourself.
“And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” (An-nur 24:31)
It takes a humble heart to truly have the self-awareness to repent sincerely. Unfortunately, not many people have that. And it needs to be cultivated. Ask Allah that He grants you a sound and humble heart to truly clean your heart with Tawbah.
15. Take Care Of Your Body
“O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous, Who created you, proportioned you, and balanced you?” (Al-Infitar 82:6-8)
Our body is a gift from Allah. One of the best ways to maintain our body’s health and fitness is through regular exercise. Unfortunately, working out 3 times a week can be quite a challenge for most people.
Thankfully, you don’t have to start all at once. If you can do even just 10 minutes a week, do just that and then build from there. It’s important to not compare ourselves to people who are already working out consistently throughout the week. We’d just get demotivated. Instead, follow your own flow.
If you can do just 10 minutes a week, try doing that consistently every week and then maybe increase it to 30 minutes a week and so on until your body gets its own rhythm.
16. Eliminate Suspicions Or Negative Assumptions About Others
“O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin.” (Al-Hujurat 49:12)
Most of the time, we can’t help it, we make assumptions about others based on our reasoning on a daily basis. But we must be mindful not to create negative assumptions about others because it can cause serious harm to our relationships.
Always assume the best of others. That way our relationships can blossom further insyaAllah.
17. Work Smart Not Hard
“So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it…” (Al-Zalzala 99:7)
One of the ways to work smart is to create systems around your tasks. Have a checklist for your daily tasks. Use a planner to plan out your weekly, monthly and yearly activities to reach your goals.
You don’t have to think big and visionary to accomplish your goals, just look at what you need to do this week, next week and the next and just follow through with small commitments each week. InsyaAllah, you’ll accomplish your goals without even realizing it.
18. Work On Bettering Yourself Daily
Be a self-improvement junkie. Lately, I’ve been hooked on understanding myself through the MBTI personality test. I’m an ENFP. In short, it says that I’m a cheerleader who likes to inspire people to be at their best. Sounds about right. Alhamdulillah.
The test gives you a quite comprehensive description of what your personality entails. See if it resonates with you. Find out your strengths and weaknesses and see how you can leverage on your strengths and overcome your weaknesses.
Read books that improve yourself everyday and get to know yourself better. It’s a never-ending journey, but it’s worth it.
19. Give Back To Others
“… do good as Allah has done good to you…” (Al-Qasas 28:77)
It’s easy to give back to others when our hearts are full, when we take care of our own needs and constantly improve our wellbeing. That’s why Islam loves strong Muslims. Muslims who have the means and resources to give back more to others. We need to be strong Muslims.
20. Spend Time With People Who Want The Best For Your Akhirah
I have many people in my life who are rooting for me, Alhamdulillah. May Allah bless them with more in this world and the next. Ameen. These people almost have special powers that can truly bring the best out of you.
They make you feel good about yourself, show you how you can be a better version of yourself and help you reach your goals in deen and dunya. Stay close to them because they are a gift from Allah.
21. Increase Your Knowledge Of The Deen
…”My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Ta Ha 20:114)
Seeking knowledge in Islam is a major part of faith, but seeking knowledge about the deen, in particular, is especially important.
This is because everything about our next life, our living purpose and the solutions to every human nature problem like greed, sadness and anger lies in the pages of the Quran and stories from the Seerah. We need to be constant seekers of knowledge and embrace them as our way of life.
22. Always Think Good Of Allah
Allah is our Lord who created us from nothing. Isn’t that fascinating? He created you and me and the entire universe when there was nothing! SubhanAllah. Surely, He loves us to bits.
Even mothers who carry their child for 9 months without even creating the child themselves love the child to bits. Surely Allah loves us more.
Therefore, we must always think good of Allah. Even if circumstances may reflect His absence or sometimes we feel empty and alone, never lose hope in Allah because He is always right there with you. You just have to be patient, the reward in akhirah is much better. He promised.
23. Avoid Shaytaan’s Traps
“And never let Satan avert you. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (Az-Zukhruf 43:62)
Shaytaan is our biggest enemy in this world and the next. His only job in this dunya is to distract us and deter us from our purpose to worship Allah and be a khalifah on earth.
We must always seek Allah’s protection from him and fight the enemy by being aware of his traps. If you feel lost, or distant from Allah, get back to the Quran and find your answers there. Allah will help you soon enough insyaAllah.
24. Stay Humble
“And lower your wing to those who follow you of the believers.” (Ash-Shuara 26:215)
Being humble takes a beautiful clean heart. A heart that is very aware of its own faults, shortcomings and life-long fallibility. When you are able to achieve your goals and dreams and still have a beautiful humble heart, it means you have mastered yourself and nothing can stop you. InsyaAllah. Always be humble and kind.
25. Forgive Everyone Before Bed
Forgiving someone is not the same as giving them a second chance. When you forgive someone who has hurt you, it just means that you’ve let go of the hurt, wish them well and move on.
You don’t have to give them a second chance if they haven’t earned your trust back. So you can definitely forgive someone without letting them continue hurting you. Let go of the pain and make dua for them.
Having said that, forgiveness is a very hard thing to do, but if you truly know the rewards of forgiving everyone who has wronged you, you’d be doing it every night before bed insyaAllah.
“… and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (An-Nur 24:22)
Conclusion
Striving for Jannah needs to be a conscious effort day in and day out. Even though we can’t see the reward today and there’s no indication that we’re getting closer to Jannah whatsoever, we need to remember that Allah will never break his promises. The reward in the hereafter is real. Jannah is real.
“So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth…” (Ar-Rum 30:60)
Let’s strive for Jannah and keep reminding each other to never give up! May Allah grant us all Jannatul Firdaus insyaAllah. Ameen.
