My dear respected brothers and sisters! The new Islamic lunar calendar of 1442 and the new Gregorian solar calendar of 2021 have recently been ushered in. Another year has passed. Minutes move into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. It seems that time is moving faster than ever before. Yet, every moment is precious and every moment counts.
It is good time to revive ourselves, especially while making resolutions for the New Year. This is what I intend to talk about in my khutbah today. What is to be done? We all have our own priorities and our own choices to make when it comes to self-revival. Our lives are continually being shaped by the choices we make. I would like to share some tips with you on self-revival in light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. We have in Surat an-Najm:
وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى () وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَى
“And that a human being attains only what he strives for, and that his striving will be seen.” (an-Najm, 39-40)
And we have in Surat ar-Ra’ad,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
“Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves.” (ar-Ra’ad, 13:11)
We are being told in these verses that we need to strive. We also need to take the initiative of changing ourselves for the better rather than blaming others for our state of affairs. So the bottom-line is that we have to work real hard and we have to change ourselves for positive change to occur.
It is reported that the companion Abdullah Ibn Omar (RA) used to say, “When the evening comes, do not wait for the morning; and when the morning comes, do not wait for the evening.” This simply means that we should not procrastinate. We should not keep postponing matters; rather we should start from this moment.
Another useful tip is to start with baby steps and achievable goals. The Prophet (SAW) said to his companions, “Is it difficult for any of you to recite one third of the Quran in one night?” This suggestion was difficult for them; so they said, “Who among us has the power to do so, Ya Rasulullah?” The Prophet (SAW) told them that Surat Al-Ikhlas (Surah # 112) is equal to one third of the Quran.”
The Prophet (SAW) is also reported to have asked, “Is one amongst you powerless to get one thousand virtues every day.” Amongst those who had been sitting there, one asked, “How one amongst us can get one thousand virtues every day?” The Prophet replied, “Recite Sub-hana Allah” one hundred times for (by reciting them) one thousand virtues are recorded for you and one thousand vices are removed.” So, this is like starting with baby steps and heading for goals that are achievable.
It’s also very important to be consistent. According to a hadith, “The acts most pleasing to Allah are those which are done continuously even if they are small.”
We should also make sure that we are changing towards the right direction, and that we have a support group for our change, and at the same time we should be patient. These tips are mentioned in Surat Al-A’sr, which says:
وَالْعَصْرِ () إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ () إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
“By the passage of time, surely man is in loss, except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance.” (a-‘Asr, 1-3)
Also if we falter or trip, we should start again. Ayah 17 of Surat an-Nisa tells us:
إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ فَأُولَئِكَ يَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا
“Allah only accepts repentance from those that do evil out of ignorance and then repent soon after. It is they whom Allah will forgive; He is all-knowing, all wise. (an-Nisa, 4:17)
So, there is nothing wrong with making a mistake provided that we learn from errors and setbacks, so that our past serves as a lesson to us and we get better and wiser each and every day. The Prophet (SAW) said, “All children of Adam are sinners and the best sinners are those who repent.” We should always keep our eyes on the ultimate success – attaining the pleasure of Allah and finding a place in Jannah.
إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ () لِمِثْلِ هَذَا فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُونَ
“Truly, this is the ultimate success. This is what everyone should strive to attain.” (as-Saffat, 37:60-61)
It goes without saying that in our struggle to do good and turn away from evil, we should never ever lose hope from the mercy of Allah. Ayah 53 of Surat a-Zumar tells us:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
“Say, O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (az-Zumar, 39:53)
Last but not least, we should always ask Allah for His help. The Prophet (SAW) used to say, “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from incapacity, laziness, cowardice, senility, and miserliness. And I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave. And I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death.” Another narration adds: “….and from the burden of heavy debt and the tyranny of men.”
With these small tips and there are so many each one of us may have, let us make resolutions in the New Year for resolutions are like stepping stones to transformation. We are commanded in the Qur’an to carefully consider what we are sending forth for the future. This introspective question should evoke critical self-evaluation in each individual.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
“O you who believe, be conscious of Allah, and let every soul consider carefully what it sends ahead for tomorrow; be conscious of Allah, for Allah is well aware of everything you do” (al-Hashr, 59:18).
A companion of Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said: “When going to sleep do not assume you will live to see the dawn, when waking up do not assume you will live to see the sunset; take precaution from your health against sickness, take from your life what will benefit you in death.”
Meaningful living comes from honoring each moment and making every action count.That is why the Qur’an urges us again and again to value the time given to each one of us before that time is finished, and we move to the realm of the hereafter. Time is the measure of life, a trust – an amanah. We’ve got to be conscious that what we do with time is what we do with our lives. May Allah bless each one of us with a deep understanding of the deen. Ameen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Humanity is undergoing the most radical, far-reaching, and challenging transformation in history. The stakes are high. There are options: we could tread the path of either chaos or the way of creative transformation leading to the birth of a new consciousness. For a meaningful resolution, there needs to be pre-resolution questions…Where am I, where could I be?
Also, while making resolutions for the New Year and beyond, we should reflect on what excites us, what are we committed to, what would make us happy, what are we proud of, and what are we most grateful for. How do our excitement, commitment, joy, honor and gratitude fit into our resolution? What is our role in a troubled world at a difficult time? Are we ready to break away from the shackles of the past to chart a positive future? Are we ready to rise above the limitations of where we are to the potential of where we could be? Part of reality is to hope for the best but to be prepared for the worst.
Learn to recognize the purpose of your existence, and realize the value of what you could offer. No person is insignificant and no good deed is too small. The quest for excellence is not a quest for perfection, for only Allah is perfect. The quest for excellence is actually a willingness and determination to maximize the potential which Allah has granted to us in spite of our weaknesses and limitations. As fallible human beings with limitations, there is yet the potential to do remarkable things, if there is firm resolve to do so. Let each one of us make a resolution to be the best that we can be, and that is a stepping stone towards an improved self and hopefully a better world.
We have with us the noble deen of Islam and the exemplary model of the Prophet (SAW) to guide us. What more could we ask for to make our resolutions for the New Year and beyond?
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Adapted and paraphrased from 2 articles of lamiCity’s website: (1) “Resolutions: Stepping Stone to Transformation” by Sadullah Khan, and (2) “New Year: 10 Tips for Self-Revival by (author’s name not mentioned)
