.Islam- the religion of peace, love, and intense gratification is the fastest growing religion in the world. The Last Messenger of Islam is still considered the most dignified personality of the world after 1400 years ago. So, the followers of Islam are obliged to act according to the teaching of their beloved prophet and the HOLY QURAN i.e the teachings of prevailing love, peace, and dignity in the society. None of the matter here exists in which Islam has not guided its followers whether it is the event of birth or death, marriage or separation, joy or sorrow, or its the occasion of business or trade, in each and every field you will find guidance. It is the religion of equality. It has been clearly narrated by Our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him):
“Not a white man is superior to a black man, no Arab is superior to non-Arab. All are equal in the eyes of God but the most righteous is the most superior among all”.
A Muslim’s life must ideally be akin to a continuous uphill journey; always struggling to reach the top with regard to improving oneself in each and every step of Islamic living, be it as seemingly mundane as choosing what time to wake up each day in line with Islamic teachings, or as significant as trying to amend prayers with the inner aim of improvement in mind only can make a Muslim be worthy of being given the beautiful title of Muslim. Yet the lives of Muslims in today’s society tell an entirely distressingly different story.
The Imperfect Situation.
There are hundreds of Muslims present who used to recite Quran diligently in the morning, but at the same time, they are misbehaving with their parents on commonly just after the five minutes of recitation. An hour ago when they left for their duties out of their homes if they met with an accident, it is quite evident to see a messy conflict with tons abusive words granted to one and others and ready to kill the front one. Most of us perform all of our five prayers regularly but still find contentment in late night movie sessions with cousins or friends. All of us in this era are quite aware of the dilemmas of backbiting but can’t help without doing it.
All these conditions, sadly, will have applied in our lives at more than one point. Now, someone reading these words may well be thinking: so? What does it matters if our lifestyles have become this way? The answer is: does it make sense to read the Quran day after day, which is brimming with instructions to speak kindly, be gentle and only tell the truth, to carry out the opposite of these teachings later? Does that behavior of our reflect a serious gap between learning and action? It does, and therein lies the problem.
Factors That Leads To This Situation.
These imperfections in today’s Muslim arise from different factors. Our sorry lack of faith and dedication to Allah and our sheer tardiness in trying to better our own selves are two of the major ones. All the knowledge of the world is useless without practical application; just studying biology and never working in a lab will be of no use to a doctor or a scientist. The same applies to Islamic teachings, as the fourth Khalifa of Islam, Sayyidna Ali (R.A) said: “Knowledge is action “. It is here, thus, the greatest flaw lies; in the age of widespread connectivity, technology and learning, we are adrift in a sea of knowledge about every kind of Islamic tenet that exists. Discussion and Forums of Islamic teaching exists and are thriving in each and every part of the world. in the form of publications, centers, madrassas, Internet, lectures and so forth.
Steps To Implementing Islam In Real Life
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Heartfelt Supplication
As our beloved Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) said:
“Dua is the core of all worship”
Possibly, it is the most effective and important measure. Dua is the most important weapon of a believer. The ability to carry out a purely Islam based life is something we persistently asked for. You are not just hande a Diamond in your hand! are you? The gift of Hidaya, Faith is something that ALLAH wants his slaves to supplicates for that as ALLAH said in Quran:
“call upon me, I shall answer your prayers”
For, ALLAH is free of any need; our worship or righteousness doesn’t make any difference to his self and it will only benefit ourselves and others around us. If we focus on self-improvement. That, in turn, will be a groundbreaking step towards firmly fixing the root of Islamic values in modern societies and letting them grow and flourish. Pray, pray intensely and sincerely for ALLAH to give you the capacity to follow the footsteps of our beloved Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
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Conscious Efforts
Unless we are mindfully trying to improve, nothing else will help, for ALLAH helps those who help themselves. The Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) once asked by his Companions:
” O Messenger of ALLAH! who is the excellent of men?” His reply was:” The one who strives hard in the way of ALLAH! with his person and his property”.
This clearly manifests that the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) was referring not just the Physical Jihad on the battlefield. The mental and spiritual wars we are supposed to wage internally against all evils inclinations, impious desires, and defiance towards religion. This, in fact, is Jihad-e-Akbar, also called Tazkiya e Nafs, i.e. the fight the Muslim put up against his nafs to keep temptations and wrong inclination at bay.
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Alter Your Environment.
Why were the Sahaba, the disciples of the Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) so pious? It was because they lived, felt and breathed in the glorious company of Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him). Some of them would not leave his side for anything, e.g Sayyidina Abu Hurairah (R.A) and Sayyindina Zaid Bin Haris such was their devotion and love for him.
The personality of the Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him), left an indelible mark on even his enemies which form the basis of many important conversations to Islam, e.g. Abu Sufyan.
The unfortunate reality of our era is that the youth has taken Western Ideals as their role models rather than take pride in or be inspired by its own ancestry.
Become the security guard of your heart. Consciously avoid the company of frivolous friends or people at your place of work. Become a regular and eager attendant of any Religious events that occur near your residences, such as lectures or gathering.
May Almighty Allah guide us to the right path. Aameen