How to start a day

اعوذ باللہ من الشیطٰن الرجیم بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم الحمد لله رب العالمين ، أرسل رسوله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله و كفي بالله شهيدا ، و أشهد ألا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ؛ له الملك و له الحمد ، يحيى و يميت و هو على كل شئ قدير و إليه المرجع و المصير ..و أشهد أن محمدا عبده و رسوله ، و صفيه من خلقه و حبيبه.رب اشرح لي صدري و يسر لى أمري و احلل عقدة من لساني يفقهوا قولي…

In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful, majestic and all powerful, master of this world and everything that is contained herein. Salutations be upon prophet Mohammad SAW, who was sent as a guide to this mankind.

Dear Respected Brothers, Sisters and Elders in Islam,

Assalam o allaikum Wr. Wb.

Almighty Allah SWT says to us in Quran al Kareem:

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

39:42) It is Allâh Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply.

The meaning of which is when a person sleeps at night, Allah SWT takes away the souls of the people that are asleep and those people for whom death is decreed, it is not meant for them to live in the future, Allah SWT keeps those souls permanently and those souls for whom an extended life is decreed, Allah SWT releases those souls so that they can go back into the world and continue on with their lives.

So Allah SWT has made us from those people for whom life is decreed. We slept last night, Allah SWT kept our souls by him and when we woke up, Allah SWT released our souls back into our body. For this we should make shukr to Allah SWT. He has given us an opportunity to live our life another day where we could see a day, we could breath, we could see, we could hear and speak. This is why when we wake up in the morning, we make a dua to Allah SWT

الحَمْدُ لِلّھِ الّذي أَحْیانا بَعْدَ ما أَماتَنا وَإلیھ النُّشور.

The meaning of which is that we praise Allah SWT where he has given us life after he has given us death and whilst we are praising Allah SWT for giving us life, we are not unmindful of death. We are still saying ‘Wa Ileyhin Nushur’, and towards Allah SWT will be our return. So we should say shukr to Allah SWT that he has given life to and now it is upto us of what we do with our lives.

Mujahid RA is a great alim of his time and a student of Abdullah bin Umar RA. He says that Abdullah bin Umar RA used to say:

Izaa Amsayta fala tantiziris Sabah,
wa izaa asba7ta fala tantaziril Masa7,
Wa Khuz Min Si7atik Li Mardik,
Wa min Hayaatika Limautiki.

The meaning of which is, when you spend the nigh, when the night comes in, then don’t wait for the morning and when the morning comes in then don’t wait for the evening. It is possible whilst you spending the morning, death could come in, and while you spending the evening before the morning, death could come in.

Abdullah bin Umar RA also said that make use of your good health before sickness overcomes you and make use of your life before death comes.

That is why a wise man says that in the morning when the person wakes up, before he engages himself in the activities of the day, he should make intention of 4 things.

The first thing is that how will be obedient to Allah SWT? What are the orders of Allah SWT regarding my life? What Allah SWT wants me to do today? Make a firm intention before approaching the day, that today to the best of my ability; I will be obedient to Allah SWT in everything I do.

The second intention is that a person should make is that those things that Allah SWT has prohibited me from, I will abstain from them. I will not go close to them.

The third intention is straighten our dealings. How we deal with people? How we conduct our business? How we earn our income? We should make intention to carry all this our according to the shareea’.

And the fourth intention is that we will make sure if there is any wasiyyat to make, or request to make to someone, we will do that by the end of the day.

And when the day ends, and you are preparing to go to sleep, ponder over 4 things. As we know,

النوم اخت الموت

Sleep is the sister of death.

When a person is sleep, there is no control over the body of the person and there is a possibility, death is imminent. So before sleeping at night, think about a few things.

The first is, Did I fulfil all the Huqooq and the rights of Allah SWT? And if one didn’t do it, then one should make firm intention at once that he will fulfil the rights of Allah SWT.

The second is, Did any human being claimed any Haq from me? Did anyone ask his rights from me? And if you didn’t do that then make intention to do that before death overcomes you.

The third thing that a person should think and ponder is, Did I make tawba? What would happen if I die before making tawba to Allah SWT for all my sins.

And lastly, a person should ponder upon that If Allah SWT gives me another opportunity in life, then what am I going to do?

Faqeeh Abul Layth al Samarqani says that when the morning dawns you get 3 kinds of people.

There are those who go out to search Halal income. There is nothing with that and that is the correct thing to do.

The second is that there are some people who go out and search for Haram and Allah’s punishment will befall upon those.

The third group of people are those people who go out in the search to find out, ‘What is the right thing to do in this life for me’; Allah SWT will grant His rahmah for this group of people for their effort to know the truth.

A person should make both intentions, go out to earn Halal and to search for what is it required of him in life.

A person asked Malik bin Dinar RA, a great scholar of his time, that ‘ Kayfa Asba7ta?’ How do you spend your morning? So Malik ibn Dinar answers, ‘How can I be peaceful when I wake up in the morning because I keep pondering about my long journey from Duniya to the Akhira and then when I reach the akhira, I do not know what judgement is going to be made for me? Will I be going to Jannah or the Hellfire? With this thought and frame of mind, how can my morning be peaceful?

Isa AS was once asked that O Nabi of Allah SWT, ‘How do you spend your morning?’

Isa AS said, those things that I aspire for, those things are not in my control. Those things that I am afraid of, they are not in my control to remove them. All khair and all goodness, and all sharr and all evil, everything is in the control of Allah SWT.

And that should be our approach that when we wake up in the morning, we realize that everything is in the control of Allah SWT. We should make commitment to ourself that those things that we want, we will work for it to the best of our ability. Those things that we wish to remove from our life, we will work to remove them to the best of our ability as well. In the end, its Allah SWT who will put the effect in what we do.

When a person approaches his day, he should focus on 10 things.

1) As soon as the person wakes up in the morning, as soon as he opens his eyes he should say the zikr of Allah SWT, tasbeeh of Allah SWT. Allah has given us another day to live, another moment to be in this duniya, another day to be in his obedience, shouldn’t we be thankful to him?

Allah SWT says in the quran:

وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ

“…and glorify the Praises of your Lord when you get up from sleep.”

2) The second thing a person should do is that he should cover up his body, particularly his private parts, and he should approach the day in a modest way.

Allah SWT says in the Quran:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ

O Mankind, O Son of Adam. Take your beauty when you go to the masjid.

3) When you wake up, make wudu

Allah SWT says in Quran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ…

Which means that O you who believe, when you wake up, make your wudu.

4) After you make your wudu, then make your salaah;

Allah SWT says:

إِنَّ الصَّلاَةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا

That there is prescribed times for each salaah

5) After performing the salaah, now the day has dawned and you will go into the duniya and you will go your jobs and for that you must have conviction that Allah is the raziq. It is not the job or business that will provide the rizq but it is Allah that has made your job and your business as the means of getting the rizq.

Our focus in this case is on the ayah of the Quran:

وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ إِلاَّ عَلَى اللّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

There is not a thing on the face of the earth whose sustenance is not provided by Allah SWT. We adopt the means but the effect is from Allah SWT.

6) The next thing one should do that whatever Allah SWT has blessed us with, we accept it with qanaa’ and satisfaction. Be content, Be Happy. Don’t look at others as to why Allah has given them so much, and why Allah SWT didn’t give us much, No! Be content with what Allah SWT has given you.

Allah SWT says in the Quran:

نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ

That Allah SWT has distributed with wisdom. To some He has given more to some He has given less. A person should be content with what has been ordained by Allah SWT.

7) The next thing a person should keep in mind when entering the day is that to have complete tawakkul and trust in Allah SWT. Allah SWT says:

وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ

Place the trust in the being who is alive from ever and ever and who will never ever die.

8) The person should make Sabr on the orders of Allah SWT. He should be patient for what he will face in the day.

Allah SWT says:

وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ

That make sabr, exercise restraint on the orders of Allah SWT.

9) The next thing a person should keep in mind that he should make thank and shukr to Allah SWT in different moments of the day. Allah SWT says:

وَاشْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ

Make shukr upon the favours of Allah SWT.

10) The last thing a person should keep in mind is that we must engage ourself in Halal income and keep ourselves away from the Haram income. This is such an order that Allah SWT has given these to the anbiya AS and the same order applies to all the muslimeen.

If a person approaches his day with these 10 points then inshallah he will be from among the people who are saaleh and obedient to Allah SWT.

May Allah SWT give us the taufeeq to mould our lives according the commandments of Allah SWT so that we become successful in the akhirah.

Wa akhiru daawana anil hamdulillahi rabbilaalimeen.

Special thanks to Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Delivered at Fredericton Islamic Association, Masjid on April 11, 2008