Ways to Serve Allah, The Most High
Blog Post 32
July 27, 2020
Much of Islamic teaching is about good behaviour and morality. We hear about it all the time – adab and akhlaq.
Some of us don’t know how to implement this besides being kind to others.
That is a blog post for another day.
If a person’s life doesn’t revolve around the worship of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala with their family and community, seeking help from Allah, having a sound relationship with Allah, having relationships with their family, the local community and the global community, seeking knowledge, exercising, relaxing, mediating, working, teaching their children, eating together, doing chores, listening to the news, connecting with others, socializing, attending the masjid, helping others, etc., they will not have the opportunity to practice adab and akhlaq.
What some people are missing is the understanding of how to organize their lives to serve Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala in the best fashion. They don’t know how to organize their day to day life. They have difficulty finding time to do the actions. What they may need is a daily schedule.
If we look at the day to day life of a pious individual,
for example an Islamic scholar, it could look like this:
4:00 am – Night prayers, recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, fajr salat in jamaat in the masjid, dhikr, duas
6:00 am – Nap
7:00 am – Breakfast and time with family, chores
9:00 am – Teach in the masjid and have discussions
11:00 am – Snack and time with family
11:15 am – Writing of lectures, preparing for next day’s classes, listening to/reading the news, meeting visitors and advising and helping them
12:30 pm - Salat in jamaat in the masjid, dhikr, duas
1:00 pm – Lunch and time with family, chores, meeting visitors and advising and helping them
3:00 pm - Nap
4:30 pm – Snack and time with family
5:00 pm – Reading, studying
5:45 pm – Exercise, walking outdoors
6:30 pm – Salat in jamaat in the masjid, dhikr, duas
7:00 pm – Meditation outdoors
7:30 pm – Supper and time with family, chores, listening to/reading the news
10:00 pm – Recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, duas in the masjid
11:00 pm – Reading, studying
1:00 am – Sleep
(Of course, this will be modified depending on salat times throughout the year. And of course, there has to be time in the schedule for personal hygiene and intimacy and talking with one’s spouse.)
What does time with family mean?
It could include talking about Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his family (a.s.), the Prophets (a.s.) and the lovers of Allah (a.s.), eating together, having conversations, hugging and cuddling, relaxing, playing, solving problems, sharing news, reading, writing, cooking, doing chores, studying, working on a hobby, crafts, art, home repairs, learning something new, etc.
What does reading and studying mean?
It could include reading Islamic, non-fiction and/or Islamic fiction books and articles, listening to Islamic lectures, podcasts and/or uplifting lectures and information, researching, writing, etc.
What does exercise and recreation mean?
It could include playing a sport, working out, swimming, gardening, walking, yoga, playing games, etc., with an emphasis on being physically active.
What does meditation mean?
It could include thinking and contemplating about Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his family (a.s.), the Prophets (a.s.) and the lovers (a.s.) of Allah, dhikr, awareness of Allah’s Presence, peace, well-being, mindfulness, awareness of your thoughts, emotions and inner states, goals, decisions, how to assist others, solving problems, next steps, nature, review of one’s day, relaxation, quietness, stillness, death, good deeds, seeking protection from shaitanic whisperings, introspection, self-purification, etc.
And when you do all these things seeking the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, to be closer to Him, we will, inshallah, receive blessings for being in Allah's Service.
While, most of us aren’t Islamic scholars and don’t and can’t have a daily schedule like this, and many of us are students, work outside the home or are a stay-at-home parent, we can still incorporate many Islamic practices into our daily life.
A daily schedule for someone
who is in school may look like this:
5:00 am – Night prayers, recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, fajr salat in jamaat with family, dhikr, duas
7:00 am – Breakfast and time with family, listening to news, travel/walk to school while listening to the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, duas, lectures, etc.
9:00 am – School/Study
10:30 am – Snack, time with family/friends
10:45 am – School/Study
12:00 noon – Lunch
12:30 - Salat, dhikr, duas, recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an
1:00 pm – School/Study
3:00 pm – Snack, time with family/friends
3:15 pm – School/Study
5:00 pm – Travel/walk home from school while listening to the Holy Qur’an, duas, dhikr, lectures, news, etc.
5:30 pm – Time with family, chores, salat in jamaat with family, dhikr, duas
6:30 pm – Supper, time with family, listening to/reading the news
7:30 pm - Exercise, recreation, walking outdoors
8:15 pm – Reading, studying, hobby, Islamic project for the community
9:15 pm – Meditation outdoors
10:00 pm – Recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, duas
10:15 – Sleep
(Of course, this will be modified depending on salat times throughout the year. It can be modified depending on whether you’re in high school, college or university. If you’re also involved in after-school activities, volunteering and/or working while in school, you’ll need to rearrange the schedule as well. And of course, there has to be time in the schedule for personal hygiene and intimacy and talking with one’s spouse.)
A daily schedule for someone
who works outside the home may look like this:
5:00 am – Night prayers, recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, fajr salat in jamaat with family, dhikr, duas
7:00 am – Breakfast and time with family, listening to news, travel to work while listening to the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, duas, lectures, etc.
9:00 am – Work
10:30 am – Snack, reading
10:45 am - Work
12:00 noon – Lunch
12:30 - Salat, dhikr, duas, recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an
1:00 pm – Work
3:00 pm – Snack, reading
3:15 pm - Work
5:00 pm – Travel home from work while listening to the Holy Qur’an, duas, dhikr, lectures, news, etc.
5:30 pm – Time with family, chores, salat in jamaat with family, dhikr, duas
6:30 pm – Supper, time with family, listening to/reading the news
7:30 pm - Exercise, recreation, walking outdoors
8:15 pm – Reading, studying, hobby, Islamic project for the community
9:15 pm – Meditation outdoors
10:00 pm – Recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, duas
10:15 – Sleep
(Of course, this will be modified depending on salat times throughout the year. And of course, there has to be time in the schedule for personal hygiene and intimacy and talking with one’s spouse.)
A typical schedule for
a stay-at-home parent may look like this:
5:00 am – Night prayers, recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, fajr salat in jamaat with family, dhikr, duas
7:00 am – Breakfast and time with family, listening to/reading the news, chores
8:30 am – Time with children, reading, learning, field trip, children’s program
10:30 am – Snack
10:45 am – Outdoor activity with children, reading with children
12:00 noon – Lunch with children
12:30 pm - Salat, dhikr, duas, recitation and reading the Holy Qur’an with children
1:00 pm – Nap, chores, reading, studying, hobby, Islamic project for community
3:00 pm – Snack, reading
3:15 pm - Time with children, reading, learning, crafts, playing games
5:00 pm – Begin supper preparation, listening to the Holy Qur’an and/or news
5:30 pm – Time with family, chores, salat in jamaat with family, dhikr, duas
6:30 pm – Supper, time with family, listening to/reading the news, chores
7:30 pm - Exercise, recreation, walking outdoors with children
8:15 pm – Children’s bedtime, reading, studying
9:00 pm – Meditation outdoors
9:45 pm – Recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, duas
10:15 – Sleep
(Of course, this will be modified depending on salat times throughout the year. As well, it may look different if there are school-aged children who have homework and after-school activities. And of course, there has to be time in the schedule for personal hygiene and intimacy and talking with one’s spouse.)
A weekly schedule should include:
Children’s classes, such as learning to read the Qur’an, swimming, art, martial arts, sports teams, etc.
Visiting the sick
Getting together with extended family and friends
Attending the masjid for Jumah and religious days
Attending political events like demonstrations, lectures
Madrassah
Volunteering, charity work, religious, social and/or political work
Visiting museums, outdoor events, historical places, natural sites
Shopping as required
Children’s play days
Time away from home with your spouse
Assisting others
Going to the library
Home repairs
These schedules and lists are not exhaustive. You can modify them to meet your individual and family preferences and circumstances.
What’s important is what is included
and what’s missing in these schedules.
Included:
Salat and dhikr and duas, especially with family and/or at the masjid if possible
Recitation and reading of the Holy Qur’an
Reading and studying
Family time
Eating together
Chores and work
Islamic projects for the community
Listening to/reading news
Exercise, recreation, walking
Meditation, preferably outdoors
Can you see what’s left out of these schedules?
Missing:
TV
Video games
Social media
Surfing the web
Music
Movies
Hanging out with friends a lot
Shopping as a habit
Wasting time
We are in the days of Hajj and so as we approach
Eid al-Adha we should make a sincere commitment
to reschedule our days and nights so we serve
Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
in the best ways possible, inshallah.
Reference
A Day in the Life of Imam Khomeini. Youtube. Accessed from www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aai5Wwm7idQ.