You come back late and tired, and all you want to do is relax and crash, to gear yourself up for the next day. You make no provisional time for additional prayers, reciting Qur’an, seeking knowledge, doing da’wah, you compromise on a thing or two, you focus on the few “priority” tasks (family, prayers) to convince yourself that ‘at least you fulfil that’; and the ‘additional stuff’ just have to take a backseat, since “you’re too busy”.
You subconsciously get carried away, with Shaytan beautifying your deeds, and making you complacent as you justify to yourself that work is “ibadah” and hence you shake off the thoughts of guilt, fooling yourself that things will be OK “tomorrow”.
And before you know it, you’re descending a slippery slope that gets gradually harder to come back up.
SubhanAllah! May Allah save us from these pitfalls and may He grant us the iman to resist completency and ignorance, we seek refuge in Him against laziness and forging excuses, and not to be distracted from the “big picture” of our purpose in Life – to prepare the moment we will meet Him.
And may He protect us from making our investment of this dunya overlook or neglect our investment of the Hereafter, and in a meaningful existence of seeking His Pleasure.
اعْلَمُوا
أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ
بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا ۖ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّـهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ ۚ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion, and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children –
like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the farmers; then it (eventually) dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris (and worthless in your eye).
And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and His Good Pleasure (for the believers).
And this world is nothing, except a deceiving enjoyment.
سَابِقُوا
إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ
السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّـهِ
وَرُسُلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّـهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
(So) Race one with another in hastening towards Forgiveness from your Lord (Allah),
and towards Paradise, the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth,
prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers.
That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He Pleases. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.”
(Surah Al-Hadid 57:20-21)
