An Action for Every Day and Night that will change our Life inshaAllah

• Last Updated on September 21, 2023 @ 1:23 am by Islaminlife Admin

This is an important part collected and translated from a lecture of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Saheb – a simple yet very beneficial practice or prescription for all Muslims. If we do, we will benefit greatly, inshaAllah! The words of the Shaikh have been interpreted in writing. While writing or explaining the exact words in English, few words have been added or deducted without changing the meaning but every effort has been made to keep the meaning same.

The major point is: Whatever I am doing or will do every morning till night is and will be for the pleasure of Allah Almighty. For instance, every Muslim should contemplate: Is the word I am uttering taking me towards Jannah (the Paradise) or Jahannam (the Hell).

I am relating to you an action from a pious. May Allah grant me tawfeeq (ability) to act on it and grant the same to you too. This practice is an easy way to use the time in our life properly. Indeed, so easy that people will say, O really! It’s very easy. But when the time would arrive to act upon it,  shaitan (the devil) will say, let’s start the action from tomorrow. Again the next day he will say: Start from tomorrow, and in this way (the ‘tomorrow’ will never come into our life on which the action will be accomplished, that is)  we will be deprived of the tawfeeq throughout the entire life!

But if there is some thought of death in the heart, and there is some thought of the condition of the grave and standing in front of Allah Taala, then my brother, at least do this! Our life will be spent according to the pleasure of Allah Taala, InshaAllah.

Talk to Allah Taala for five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night.

Muraqba (meditation/contemplation) in the Morning

In the morning, for five minutes after Fajr, rise up the feeling that I am talking to Allah Taala at His Court.

Then say: O Allah! Today has commenced. I don’t know if I will be able to live in the whole day or not. I don’t even know if I will be able to live another day or not (this day could be my last). O Allah! I will at the beginning of the day, I make a firm intention and also I promise in Your court, today I will live according to Your pleasure. Today I will do everything as You have commanded.  When I eat some food, I’ll do it on the Sunnah way and I’ll make it an Ibadat i.e., worship, whenever I meet and talk with the family members I’ll think of achieving Your pleasure. I will rejoice with them for Your sake, because You have given me the permission and command to do so. Thus, whatever I do today, I will do it with the intention of gaining Your pleasure. (In case of a male:) I will pray five times in the Masjid. I will refrain myself from all sins. I will not lie, I will not backbite, I will not slander anyone, I will not hurt anyone, I will not earn by any illegal means, I will not take bribe, I will not get indulged into interest. O Allah, I promise you this. And also say:

إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Meaning: My prayer, my sacrifice and my life and death (all) are for only (the pleasure of) Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

What is the meaning of ‘Life is for You’: (It means) O Allah, all activities in life are only for Your pleasure and this is the primary goal of accomplishing every task.

After making this promise, pray: O Allah! By Your provision, I promise that I will spend today for Your pleasure. I will follow Your orders. I will not commit any sin. But O Allah! I may not become weak in keeping this promise! I will not be able to fulfill this promise until your Tawfeeq, ie., if you do provide the ability. I will make efforts besides my promise. Now, I am asking for Your help to make me successful in this endeavour.

See what supplications have been taught in Sura Fatiha:

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

Meaning: Only You we worship, Only to You we seek assistance.

I will worship you, (means) I will not do anything contrary to Your will. Your command is the most supreme, I will do everything on your path.

(Thus I will seek His support, because) Your worship will not be performed by me rightly. I will not be able to worship you until I get Your support! That is why Allah Almighty has attached إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ with إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ).

So it has been understood, I worship you — is a very big promise, it is a great testimony! Materializing it is not possible without your help and support. So the dua is taught with this testimony: I seek help from You. It is as if Allah Almighty has informed that the witness and the promise will be fulfilled by you, but it will not be fulfilled until you ask for help from Me.

Then the purpose of the help sought has been expressed (therefore, remembering this, we should also pray to Allah Taala):

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

Meaning: Keep us on the path of guidance (i.e., the righteous path).

And thus the Siratul Mustaqeem or the path of guidance has been clarified (therefore, we pray to Allah accordingly):

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ

Meaning: Keep us on the path of those whom You have been rewarded, not on the path of those who have been cursed and misguided.

(So as if Allah is saying, O my bondsman!) You make niyyat (desire), azam (firmly intention) and ahad (promise), but in addition, seek My help.

Thus, every morning after Fajr, we will commit ourselves to talking with Allah Subhanu wa Taala’s Court for some time, asking Him for tawfeeq — His help to walk on the righteous path, to refrain from sins; start the day by surrendering ourselves to Allah Almighty.

Muraqba (meditation/contemplation) at Night

After spending the whole day, when you lie down — intending to sleep at night, you will present yourself in the Court of Allah Taala agian for five minutes. First think: I made a commitment to Allah Taala in the morning.

Now it is time to remember, what you did during the daytime. It may have happened that: I have slandered someone, violated someone’s rights, caused someone pain/annoyonce, earned or spent beyond the commands of Allah Almighty.

In the morning I made a promise to Allah that my worship, life and death are all for Allah and none. To what extent have I fulfilled this promise? Where, by the mercy of Allah, I could accomplish tasks for the pleasure of Allah and where have I made mistakes or violated his commands falling into the hands of my lower self (nafs) and shaitan! We should say to Allah:

O Allah! You have said that if I disobey You, I should immediately focus on You (remember and pay attention towards You) and ask Your forgiveness through repentance. I am (firstly) asking you for forgiveness for all the mistakes and sins I have committed today. Repentance means, I come back to You in shame and ask for forgiveness, and when I start a new day; I will renew my promise, I will try my best to obey Your commands from now on. Besides, I will seek Your help and Tawfeeq (it is best to read the words of repentance mentioned in the Quran and Hadith, although it is not mandetory).*

If death comes that night, InshaAllah, you will be among those who have been forgiven!

Final Word

And if you get a new day in life, InshAllah you will do what you did the previous day, and at night do the same thing that you did last night.
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*The translator considers it necessary to mention one thing here (Mufti Taqi Saheb has made it clear in some other lecture). The one who oppresses any servant of Allah, should fully intend to seek apology to the oppressed or compensate him/her. Otherwise there is no escape from it. It is necessary to seek forgiveness from Allah Taala, as well as from the servant whom I have hurt in some way.