It’s been a long time since I have written anything here. I always strive to write things that are useful to people. So, in this article, I will be writing about how to live a purposeful and meaningful Islamic life. And get full benefits and rewards both in this world and hereafter. Before I write anything else, let me reiterate that Islam is always for peace. And Muslims should strive to achieve the same. That is, they should be at peace first of all with themselves, their family members, neighbors and everyone else and nature too!
Achieve Maximum with Minimum
What I will be covering in this article is how to achieve maximum rewards with minimal effort via Islam. A life without a purpose is like a lost ship in the vast ocean. A Muslim’s purpose should be to live life to the fullest without hurting anyone. His/her life should be useful to him, fellow human beings, nature, and ALMIGHTY ALLAH Himself.
Of course, the ALMIGHTY has no use for our prayers or offerings or anything else. But HE states in the Holy Quran that the sole purpose of creating human beings and jinns is that they worship HIM. Jinns are spirits which like human beings have free will – to do good or bad.
Two Islamic Sources – Quran and Sunnah
A Muslim’s day begins with the pre-dawn prayer, Tahajjud. This is ideally done in the last part of the night. ALLAH comes down to the seventh heaven every night and asks, “Is there anyone who wants from my bounty?” So, the time of Tahajjud is to ask ALLAH for all your lawful desires and wishes. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) used to lie down after Tahajjud until he heard the Adhaan (call) for the Fajr (dawn) prayer.
We Muslims have two sources to follow – the Holy Quran and the Sunnah {the Hadith [sayings of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him)] and his lifestyle (seerah)}. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) has promised that as long as Muslims follow these two sources, they will never get lost in their lives. And this applies until the Judgement day (Qayamat).
So, a Muslim should wake up for Tahajjud if possible and then do the Fajr prayer [in a mosque congregation (jamaat) for the males and the house for females]. There is nearly 25-27 times more reward for the five compulsory prayers [Fajr (dawn), Zohar (afternoon), Asr (mid-evening), Maghrib (dusk), and Ishaan (night)] if prayed in a congregation than being done alone.
A Hadith states that if Muslims knew the enormous benefits and rewards that they would get if they prayed in a congregation, they would have gone to the Mosques crawling like insects! Another Hadith says that if Muslims knew the benefits they would be accorded if they stand in the first row of prayer of a congregation, they would have resorted to putting lots as to who would stand in the first line.
Two prayers of dawn and night in congregation
If a Muslim prays Fajr prayer in congregation, it is as if he has been in the worship of ALLAH the whole night. Similarly, if he prays Ishaan prayer in congregation, it is as if he has been in the worship of ALLAH the whole day. So, there you go. The 24 hours of a day are covered and counted as if he was in ALLAH’s worship if he attends the two prayers in congregation in a Mosque/Musallah (literally ‘a place of prayer’).
Now, it is better if he sits in the same place he performed Fajr prayer and remained in the worship of ALLAH by doing Dhikr (remembrance of ALLAH), reading Quran, etc. He should do this until he finishes two the rakaats of Ishraq (about 20 minutes after sunrise) prayer. ALLAH willing, he will get the benefit of Hajj and Umrah on doing the two rakaats of Ishraq.
After the Ishraq prayer, one gets involved in the business of the day. But every act a Muslim performs becomes worship of ALLAH if done in the right manner. And with the sole intention of pleasing ALLAH. This will enable a Muslim to earn Halal (permissible) source of income and food.
The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said, “Guarantee for me six things and I will guarantee Paradise for you: tell the truth when you speak, fulfill your promises, be faithful when you are trusted, safeguard your private parts, lower your gaze, and withhold your hands (from harming others).”
Easy Islamic ways of earning rewards
Some very easy ways of earning rewards for Muslims are as follows. If there is a Janazah (funeral) prayer of a Muslim, one should participate in it. This prayer takes just about 4-5 minutes but it has such an immense reward of reading the entire Quran. And similarly, if a Muslim follows the corpse and stays until it is buried, he will get the reward of reading another Quran. Also, another Hadith states, “Whoever digs a grave for a deceased person and buries him, will receive the reward of giving him a place to reside in until the Day of Judgment.”
Another Hadith states, “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent.” Let us love each other for the sake of ALLAH and remain at peace with everyone. Give peace a chance and see how it changes your life as well as that of others. And the world and probably the whole universe will be a better place to live.