Working on implementation

The purpose of learning about Islam is not just to increase one’s knowledge but to act on that knowledge as well. As Shaykh Kamal El Mekki said, “Knowledge is just a tool for application, if you spend your whole life preparing the tool, then when are you going to use it?” So even though we all love talks and lectures on Islam, still very few of us are able to practically apply Islam in our lives. So here is an attempt to In shaa Allah follow some steps which can help us incorporate Islam into our everyday lives.

The first and foremost step before doing any and everything is to have the right intention. If you are even doing something as simple as switching off the lights before leaving a room, do it with a “niyyat” that Allah does not like extravagance. One thing that can help here is to make a habit of saying Bismillah before starting any and everything. Doing this also helps keep one in check because you can obviously not say Bismillah before listening to, watching or doing anything inappropriate.

Secondly don’t undervalue any good deed, even the smallest of deeds done with a pure intention carry a lot of weight. Also the best of actions in the eyes of Allah are those that are consistent. So be consistent.

Furthermore, our “ikhlaq” i.e. our behavior towards others is of immense importance as well, Muslims cannot and should not have pride and thus should be humble and loving towards one and other. Smiling is a sunnah and a good character is essential to being a good Muslim.

Find beauty in sunnah, observe the sunnah and give sunnah its due importance. Shaykh Kamaludin said in one of his lectures that sunnah is not sunnat in its importance. Meaning that in order to become good Muslims, we NEED to follow sunnah. So value sunnah and strive to follow as many sunnats as you possibly can. Start with the basic ones like always saying salam when you meet someone and also when you bid farewell, don’t drink water right after finishing a meal, sit on the floor while eating, smile at your brother/sister etc.

We should also always remember Allah and remember the fact that this life is temporary and that all things in this life will be left behind except our deeds. We should remember that Allah is always present and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing and this should In shaa Allah keep us away from sins.

One more thing we need to do is that we need to be regular in salah and we should not just “pray” salah but rather we should “establish” it. Because when Allah Ta’ala mentions salah, He doesn’t use the words “pray salah”, but instead He says “aqeem-us-salat” that is establish salah. How is establishing salah different from just praying it? When we establish salah then our actions and deeds outside our salah start becoming better as well because salah then acts as a reminder rather than just a ritual.

And the last and the final step: keep praying to Allah for guidance because whomsoever Allah guides, no one can misguide and whomsoever He misguides, no one can set aright. May Allah guide all of us! Aameen!