bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
assalamualaikum wrb,
alhamdulillah thumma alhamdulillah, all praises and thanks belong to Allah, al Ghafur al Wadud, astaghfirullah.. and greetings and salutations upon Rasulullah SAW.
you know how many times we have heard people say "you know i wanna be a good, better person... but... it's just I don't know..." better yet how many times have we heard ourselves say the same thing? i get it, you know, it's hard... mostly because we know we need to be better, knowing that what we are just not good enough, that's what is especially hard isn't it... knowing that we have to do or change something yet we find ourselves stagnant.
something that has come to my attention whilst I was doing some reading for dissertation, which has nothing to do with you know islam or the deen at least not directly, but subhanAllah..i found the message to be quite staggering so let me share it please.
A state's first priority will define its essence... for more than 50 years the Japanese state has given its first priority to economic development. Some of the Japanese state's priorities for economic development, such as the imperialism of the Pacific War, were disastrous, but that does not alter the fact that its priorities have been consistent (Johnson 1982:305-6)
what came into mind was that... the reason why Japan grew tremendously well at that period (of course by the will of Allah first n foremost) was because that was the state's priority.. and no matter some failures they might have endured, didn't change their priorities... n it got me thinking further about life in general, and for instance... why have we passed our exams is because we have made it a priority to pass so we attend classes, revise til late hours, etc, etc... basically by making something as a priority, we have not only identified its importance but also the need or urgency for us to achieve it. so we make that effort and then the results obviously Allah gives.
so... why do we find ourselves so stagnant in bettering ourselves? simply because we haven't made it as a priority! astaghfirullah... we know we want to, we know we need to... but somehow we haven't made it as a priority... think about it... think about half the things in your life... your achievements, big and small... we have made it a priority to be in University so here we are in University.. or else, let's face it, we wouldn't be. we wouldn't make it a point to spend time with our family and friends if we do not see them as priority, as something that is worth of our time.
i'll provide a somewhat of a parallel example. you and an old friend, whom you have sort of lost contact... but you kinda want to reconnect... because you know old memories, and just because she's an old friend... but then you find that even though both parties have always said about wanting to meet up and finally catch up... it never actually happens... because we haven't made it a priority to see her... getting the point here?
what i want to convey is that... the road to becoming a better person, being more committed and devoted to the deen, and a better slave of Allah... may not be easy, as our surroundings are filled with temptations and various kinds of lusts. we want to change so badly but maybe the environment is so toxic. and obviously syaitan's always whispering evils... always crushing our intentions of wanting to go on the straight path... may Allah protect us from all evils ameen... but you see.. if we make it a priority.. if only we really instill the need and urgency to commit to become someone better in the eyes of Allah.. He's only going to guide you onto a path that is extremely rewarding insyaAllah.
And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good (al-ankabut:69)
and going back to the early extract about Japan and their priorities, and how they failed on certain agendas too.. shows that yes we may also hit some roadbumps along the way of trying to become better but doesn't mean our priorities have to change that way, right? just keep consistent and make sure we are always on the path of trying insyaAllah.
Sya'ban is here and Ramadan is approaching insyaAllah... make doa that Allah gives us the opportunities and blessings of Ramadan to become close to Him... make the intention... we must know that despite the difficulties we may face... Allah always intends ease for His slaves... tell me we are not going to stand to simply wait to become someone better, and that we are going to try harder instead. whatever it means to become someone better in Allah's eyes, everyone has different struggles, maybe it's about improving our solat, our relationship with the Quran, our conduct with people, our mannerism and the kind of language that we speak, whatever it is... Allah knows.
as for I... I am aware of my incompetence... but i know that it shouldn't stop me from trying to call others to good. isn't that what Allah demands from His slaves? as it shouldn't you, too... stop thinking excessively about what others may think, and start thinking about how Allah sees us.
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-asr:1-3)
so yes my dearest brothers and sisters... let us make it a priority to please Allah. make Him your first priority. once we do that... ahhh... I can't even say but definitely there will be ease and definitely life-changing, insyaAllah. trust Allah.
may Allah accept this from me, may He protect me from any evil intentions of this reminder (which is definitely first and foremost for myself), may He always guide us to things that bring us closer to Him, and away from things that distance us from Him. please make doa for me and my family.. and i pray that Allah guides us and our families to the straight path til the end ameen.
alhamdulillah wa astaghfirullah. all good is completely from Allah SWT. all errors are due to my incompetence. please forgive me if i erred you here or elsewhere :)
wassalam.
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