Tipping the Scales: Balancing Different Aspects of Life By: Sajeeha Waqar
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rom performing the five daily prayers, to dropping your kids off at soccer practice, to getting in at least five hours of sleep, life can get pretty hectic. In this generation of instantaneous response, we may find it difficult to cope as someone who just wants to pause and take life one step at a time. The world we currently live in is powered by machines, and sometimes, we may feel that we too need to emulate this fast-paced, constantly evolving, never resting ideal. But what we forget sometimes, is that we are not machines; we are human beings. And as human beings, it is important to acknowledge that we require balance. And being Muslims, this balance means finding time for our Creator as well as our family and our life outside of home.
problem we often have is that we think doing small acts of worship is of no use compared to people who pray Tahajjud every night or fast Mondays and Thursdays.
Primarily, what one should first focus on incorporating into one’s routine is the purpose for which one was createdibadah. With so much on our plate, we may find it difficult to incorporate even the five daily prayers into our day, let alone other acts of worship. Of course, salah is a priority above all else, and we should not compromise this for anything, as Allah states in many Qur’anic verses, including the following: “Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient,” (2:238).
Along with this, we need to remember that repentance is also an act of worship that is equally, if not more important than our deeds themselves. This is because, as human beings, we are constantly making mistakes. Best stated by the Prophet SAW himself; “Every son of Adam sins and the best of those who sin are those who repent,” (Tirmithi). Allah SWT is ready to forgive us, we just need to take the first step towards Him and ask for it. And Allah SWT can make it easy for us to come towards Him; we just need to make the time for Him to do so.
However, even if we do pray, it is also important to establish other habits in our lives that bring us closer to Allah SWT, such as reciting Qur’an, making extra dhikr, and even seeking knowledge through Islamic videos and books. The
Just as it is critical to set aside time for Allah, our families have rights over us; such as our time and attention. Our Messenger SAW was exemplary in character, especially to his family, and he himself expresses just how crucial this
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However, this is not the case. The Prophet SAW stated: “The deeds most loved by Allah are those that are those done regularly, even if they are small,” (Sahih Muslim). From this hadith, it is clear that the magnitude of the good we are doing does not make it any less precious to Allah SWT; rather it is the consistency and commitment with which we do the act of worship that Allah SWT loves. Even if we are simply doing dhikr after Maghrib every day, or reading just one page of Qur’an consistently every morning after Fajr, it is beloved to Allah SWT.
