By Asma bint Shameem
Never forget that Allaah is forever watching you
Always remember that Allaah is watching whatever you do. He sees what you do in the middle of the day and He sees what you do in the deepest part of the night. . He sees all. He hears all. There is nothing that escapes Him. If you are alone, He is the second and if you are two, He is the third.
And He is with you (by His Knowledge) where soever you may be. And Allaah is the All-Seer of what you do.” (al-Hadeed:4)
“Not a word does he utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).” (Qaf:18)
Remind yourself of this as often as you can and throughout the day and before you sleep….every time you do something….and every time you speak. In fact, aim to make it your thought with every breath you breathe.
Never forget that it is Allah Who has given you everything.
Take a look around you; everything you see, all that you have and all that there is……in you….on you….
and around you….comes from Allaah, alone. Remember it is Allah Who has given you all the possessions and everything you own, and that He is the true Owner of them all. He allots what He wills to whomever He wills, however He wills.
“The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things.” (al-Ma’ida:120)
So reflect on the uncountable blessings He has given you and thank Him for His favors upon you. If nothing else, thank him for the blessing of Islaam that He gave you. Praise Him and thank Him…in the morning and at the end of the day, in good times and bad times…in all times. Praise Him and thank Him until He is truly pleased with you. For, by Allaah, no matter how much you thank Him and how much you praise Him, it will never be enough.
Never forget that nothing happens except by His Command and Permission
Everything lies in the Hands of Allaah. No harm can befall you and no benefit can reach you except by the Will of Allaah and know that it is surely ordained for a purpose. Even though you may carefully plan your day, your week, your life…. you can never know what awaits you later on. Surrounded by such uncertainty, you will only find relief through the acknowledgement that every incident you come upon is ordained by Allah especially for you, and for your betterment. You have no recourse other than taking refuge in Him, trusting in Him, and submitting to Him.
In fact, it is not just you; rather, there is no place or moment in the universe that is independent of Allah. Nothing can remain out of His Sovereignty.
Say:
“Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust.” (Surah at-Tawba: 51)
Keep the prayer of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) fresh in your heart;
“O Allaah no one can prevent anyone from whatever You have granted and no one can grant what You have prevented.” (Tabaraani)
Never forget that any good that you do is only ‘Taufeeq’ from Allaah, alone.
Know that any act of kindness, any good that you do is from Him alone. It is Allah that sent guidance from above the seven heavens into your heart. And didn’t allow anyone to remove that guidance from your heart. It is He that enabled you to do that goodness, and you have to be humble and remember that.
Don’t let the Shaytaan bloat your head and think that it is from you, make you arrogant and ruin the reward for you. A person has to be aware of this, otherwise for days, weeks or even years, a person could be doing actions, thinking that he is righteous, whereas in fact he is not getting an ounce of reward.
“…and they (people of Jannah) shall say: All praise is due to Allah Who guided us to this, and we would not have found the way had it not been that Allah had guided us…” (Surah al-‘Aaraaf:43)
Remember that the heart of the believer is in between the fingers of Allaah and He can flip it whenever He pleases. So make dua to Allaah to keep you steadfast on His Religion and bear in mind that no matter how much you try, it is Allah who gives the ultimate will. Therefore with every good action, your love for Allah should increase because you have now witnessed Allah’s Grace upon you.
Never forget that you are going to return to Allaah one day and that day could be….no, not tomorrow, but TODAY.
Remember that you are destined to meet Him. The invitation for that may come any time….today, tomorrow, any day…..any moment. Your whole life is nothing but a preparation for that Meeting that day….when no one will avail anyone.
“Fear the Day when you shall be returned to Allah. And every soul shall be paid in full what it has earned; and they shall not be harmed.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 281)
Never forget that each act of yours will be presented before Allaah for His Judgment one day. Also bear in mind that you will have to stand in front of the Lord Almighty that day ALL ALONE and give account for each and every single thing you said or did.
“O you who believe! Fear Allaah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.” (Surah Hashr:18)
So keep this meeting in mind, and spend every remaining moment of your life in the devotion and submission to Allaah. Remember it is a gift from Him. So use it to your advantage, spend it in His obedience…before it is too late and the invitation is issued for you.
“Has not the time yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And ~that) they should not be like those who were given the Book before, but the time became prolonged to them, so their hearts hardened, and most of them are transgressors.” (Surah al-Hadeed: 16)