Islam As A Lifestyle 


 What is Islam death in Islam, desires in Islam, God in Islam Esraa Mohammad

     Many want to know more about Muslims’ life and how Islam affects their life. Today I decided to take you on a small journey to see how Islam makes you strong in everything psychological and spiritual.

I will take you to some stations from our life to see the real effect of Islam in our life. You will see that Islam is not only a religion that tells us how to deal with God, but it is also a lifestyle for the ideal life.

Station of God:


     Islam not only teaches you that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And you should believe in all prophets before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and their books, angels, the hereafter and good and evil distinction.

But it also teaches you how to see God by your heart and mind through His actions in this life. Islam teaches you how to talk to God and how to listen to Him. For instance, when you pray 5 times per day, you talk to God and tell Him what you are suffering from and ask His help.

It is a very beautiful feeling that you have One who really knows you and sees your heart. One supports you in your steps toward good and right things, and closes that lead you toward evil or wrong things. That’s only for he who is sincere with Him. So Islam teaches you that sincerity for God is the secret for the best relationship with God and the peace of your soul.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

Allah the Exalted has said: ‘I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (prayer or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks (something) from Me, I give him, and if he asks My Protection (refuge), I protect him”. [Al- Bukhari](1)

Station of Life:


     Islam as a lifestyle teaches you that this life is not everything. But it is just your seed for the garden of the hereafter. This life is a difficult test you will pass through it if you forgot God through your passing. But it will be an easy test if you are looking for God every time.

For instance, when you are suffering from problems and difficulties, you feel that you want to end this life hoping to find your peace.  Remember that your real life is not these problems and difficulties. Rather, your real life is there in the hereafter where there is no suffering or difficulties but only happiness and paradise, only if you are patient and depend on God in solving your problems and difficulties. In short, the important thing to you is learning how to answer the difficult question and don’t ask why there is a difficult question! 

Islam teaches you that everything that happens to you is good.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

“How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him” [Muslim] (2)

Station of Desires:


     Islam as a lifestyle teaches you that humans have many desires. God gives us the right way to use them and take rewards on them. For instance, for our sexual desire, God gives us the right way for it through marriage.

     There are many desires in the nature of humans that make them selfish and pushy. Thus, God gives us the key to control our material nature through fasting Ramadan. Fasting Ramadan is like a course that teaches you how to give up your bad habits and control your desires. Although they are normal desires like eating and drinking, at the same time God teaches you that controlling these desires makes you happier. Actually, that will increase your spiritual nature to material nature. So you will feel more advanced in your humanity degree. 

God said: 

“Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire – of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return.” [Qur’an, 3: 14] (3)

Station of Money:


     Islam as a lifestyle teaches you that money is important but not everything. Money is one type of provision but not all types of provision.

We see many rich people but most of them are not happy. God gives some of them all provision in money but they don’t have a provision in health sons, families, or inner peace. All that and more are types of provision but the material nature of humans makes them not see anything but money.

Islam teaches you that money is from God only. If God sees it’s important for you He will give you. He’s the only One who can extend your provision. And what you should do is just seeking money in the right ways. In addition, you should ask God to extend to you what it’s useful for you. 

God said:

“Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. And they rejoice in the worldly life, while the worldly life is not, compared to the Hereafter, except [brief] enjoyment.”[Qur’an13-26] (4)

 

“And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives. And that his effort is going to be seen – Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense. And that to your Lord is the finality.” [Qur’an 53: 39, 40, 41, 42] (5)

Station of Health:


     Islam as a lifestyle teaches you that your body is honored. God will ask you about how you use it. Eating and drinking in Islam are considered worshipping if you do it to save your body and strengthen it to enable you to worship God.

O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.” [Quran, 7: 31] (6)

And there’s another thing Islam teaches you to keep on your health through fasting. Besides keeping health well, fasting is a great act of worship.

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous – [Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] – then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.” [Quran, 2:183-184] (7)

Station of People:


     The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

“O people, exchange greetings of peace (i.e., say: As-Salamu ‘Alaikum to one another), feed people, strengthen the ties of kinship, and be in prayer when others are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace.” [Riyad as-Salihin] (8)

     Islam as a lifestyle teaches you how to deal with people by ethical manners. Moreover,  it tells you how to avoid the pain that may come to you from the bad manners of the people with your faith.

The Messenger of Allah said : “Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.” [Tirmidhi] (9)

Station of Death:


    Even for the station of death, Islam as a lifestyle teaches you that death is not the final thing for you but it is the beginning of a new life. After death, there is the barrier life, i.e. the life between this life on earth and the hereafter life. The life after death or the barrier life is the result of what you farm in all your life here in this world.  If you farm good, you will find it good. If you farm bad, you will collect bad. So this world life is not the final station for us. In fact, it is the life depending on it the two lives for us.

Conclusion


To wrap up, in our life we go through seven major stations; station of God, life, desires, money, health, people, and finally that of death. Islam as a lifestyle helps us how to consider these stations and deal with them well so that we pass the life test happily to the hereafter. What is the most attractive station for you to know more about? Start your one to one conversation right now!