| By rabdkarim,
on 03-11-2004 07:54
|
Views : 1325  |
Favoured : 64 |
Published in : , Articles |
So often do I talk about how that closeness to Allah SWT is lost and how to get it back. There are different things out there that work for different people. For one person it may be through community service. For another it may be through being an active member of the MSA or other organization. Or maybe its a few minutes of solitary reflection everyday.
Whatever it is, the connection is there. And to get that connection is a real achievement. I am so jealous [in a good way] at the people who have obtained that closeness and are able to hang on to it. Its one thing to get it. But another to be able to keep it with you, to not let it slip through your fingers...
So Ive been seeking for the connection for about a year now. I found it but lost it just as quickly as it came. And its hard finding that balance between the Dunya [this life] and the Aakhirah [the Hereafter]. Sure, we use the Dunya as a means to get to the Aakhirah, but its hard to not get caught up into it. And the more engrossed we become in the Dunya the less connected we are to Allah SWT.
Now that Ramadan is here, we can focus on things we would like to change and feel that we need to work on. This blessed month is a model month. We look at the things we do in this month and try to apply the improvements weve made, the new habits weve formed, to the rest of the year and beyond. We try to break old, bad habits that dont benefit us and try to keep away from them after Ramadan is over.
I think the motivation to try to break bad habits and form good ones lies within the fact that every good deeds reward is multiplied by seventy. So thats where it starts for most people: in Ramadan. Trying to do better, trying not to waste time so that we get more reward in the things that we do. And in trying to do better we leave old habits, InshaAllah.
So Im trying to think...what am I doing this month [that I dont do in other months] that is helping me gain that connection once again? Whats so different about it? I dont think the fact that it is Ramadan has a LOT to do with it. It occurred to me that finding that spiritual connection has a lot has to do with time. When we leave things that take us away from Allah SWT there is more barakah in time and life doesnt seem so rushed anymore.
I decided to stop watching TV for Ramadan. I usually dont watch a lot, but I do watch TV. And think about it. When you watch TV half an hour goes by in a blink of an eye. An hour goes by just as quickly. Using that hour on something better than TV like reading Quran or homework or helping your momma or playing with your little neighbors or going out for a walk or painting or writing makes you feel more satisfied with what you are doing. You feel more complete. Its funny how people at my old high school would talk about soap operas, reality TV shows or some other shows like they personally know the characters. They seem to be so hung up on their lives and dont even know people they know in real life as much as they know the characters.
In this blessed month I try to read more Quran. Sometimes school or work seems to take up so much of your life that its hard to find time for religious stuff. It seems as though our priorities are the work of this Dunya first and then the work of the Aakhirah. I am guilty of this. Its like we have to pencil in time for God. And we shouldnt so that. If I read some Quran everyday and have a lot of homework, I can finish the homework on time and in Ramdan I still have time to go to taraweeh. In the past years when I didnt read Quran, I would not have been able to finish the same workload.
I stopped listening to music in the past couple years but when I first stopped it was a totally different feeling. [I am not going to get into whether music is haraam or not.] If you are addicted to music but at the same time looking for that spirituality then its very hard to get it. I used to be really addicted to music. Every morning, on the way to school, after school, at night I HAD to have music on. And it killed my heart. So its easier to focus on Allah SWT without naaaaasty lyrics going through your mind. But this also helped me get closer to Allah SWT. Replace music with Quran, nasheed [OK some of you think theyre babyish but the Arabic ones for sure are not], or recorded dhikrs.
Speaking of Dhikr, remembering Allah SWT helps a lot, too. I mean, how can you find that closeness to Him if you dont even remember Him? So what I do is I do dhikr while Im about to sleep or driving to school. Whatever works for you, honestly. I like doing Dhikr at night. Some like it in the morning. And MashaAllah there are some people who have dhikr coming out of their lips all the time, but the bottom line is, Remember Allah SWT and He will remember you. And when you remember Him you think about Him more during the day. For me, that sense of Taqwaa is instilled and I fear committing a sin because I know He is watching me. I feel Him SWT watching me.
Another thing thats awesome is tahajjud, the prayer in the last third of the night. Its just you and Allah SWT. At this time Allah SWT decends to the lowest heaven and listens for His servants duas so He SWT can answer them. At this time most people feel really connected to Allah SWT and can concentrate better because there are not as many distractions.
The most important thing to do is keep your deeds consistent. Remember our beloved Muhammad SAW said that the deeds most loved by Allah are the ones that are consistent, even if they are few. So do not overwhelm yourself and try to do as many things as possible at the same time. You will crash and burn. The best thing to do is start off small. Lets say you want to start reading Quran on a daily basis. Do not read a Juz a day if you know you cant handle it. Start with a page, half a page, or even a few lines and then work your way up. Remember that Shaytaan is locked up so it is easier to start forming your habits now. After Ramadan is over he will come out and the whispers will return. Stay strong and InshaAllah with the right niyyah Allah SWT will help you get through this.
InshaAllah this helps you as much as it has helped me in the past. And InshaAllah for those of you who are seeking that connection with Allah SWT, InshaAllah you get it. Those of you who arent, I hope you get it anyways because it is such a unique feeling of peace. No words can describe it. And InshaAllah for myself, I hope this works for me so that I dont keep lose that connection again.
Last update : 03-11-2004 07:54
|
|
|
Users' Comments  |
|
Average user rating
 (0 vote)
|
|
Add your comment
|
