By Naseerah Nanabhai

06:06:2019

Moulana Suliman Ravat spoke on the topic, knowing your worth and living a life of purpose. He mentioned that “Ramadan has come and gone like many other Ramadan’s came and went. We need to ask ourselves how do we make this Ramadaan different, how do we change our mindsets after this Ramadaan”.

One of the objectives of Ramadaan is to recalibrate us so that we can reconnect with the true purpose of our lives. To help us understand our role on earth and to inject a new purpose into our lives. Ramadaan has given us this platform to understand who we are and our role on this earth. It is meant to revitalise the sense of purpose in our lives.

In the midst of depression and oppression, it is critical that we remind ourselves who we are, how special we are, how much Allah (SWT) loves us and has blessed us. In the Quran Allah (SWT) says, “you are the best of nations”, these are profound words. Today we have to remind ourselves that we are the best, if we don’t do so, we won’t be able to remind ourselves to play the role of being the best. We’ll get too overwhelmed by the collective pain of the ummah. Hence it is time for us to remind ourselves who we are.

Nabi (SAW) tells us, “you have completed 70 ummahs and nations, and out of these you are the best and most honoured in the eyes of Allah (SWT)”. Muslims need to know that they are the best so that they can live as the best and achieve for that that is the best. Nabi (SAW) said “ on the day of Qayamat my followers will be larger than any other Nabi ( may Allah (SWT) be pleased with them). The Ummah of Nabi (SAW) will be the last nation on earth, but the first nation to enter paradise. Not only are they the best in this world and best in the akhirah, but in Jannah, the occupants will make up 120 rows, and 80 rows will be from the followers of Nabi (SAW).

These facts need to settle into our hearts, “know your worth o’ Muslim, live a life of purpose”. This entire discussion can be summarized in these two sentences. This is the message to be conveyed to all Muslims.

Today we live in modern society, modern society has driven this Ummah into two extremes. On the one hand, we have those Muslims that are lethargic, passive an go with the flow, the world has left them behind. They have made themselves irrelevant. On the other hand, we have those Muslims who are working hard and push themselves, but they don’t have any purpose they are too materialistic. They are working hard, but only for Dunya, they are the ones that are caught in the rat race of life. This has consequences of stress, their health relationships suffer and often feel hollow inside. We need to bring ourselves back to the middle part of these two extremes. This can only be done by rediscovering ourselves and our sense of purpose. We need to ask ourselves, why did Allah (SWT) put us on this earth.

The materialistic and consumerist society that we live in focuses only on the functions of the body. Islam emphasizes the spiritual needs as well as the needs of the body, their spiritual needs are more important. Islam says to be productive, but your soul is more productive in your approach. Your spiritual needs are your foundation and this should guide your materialistic endeavours. Our purpose in life is to worship Allah (SWT).

There is a difference between a casual worshipper and a slave, a casual worshipper will worship once a week or now and then, but a slave is obliged to worship all the time. Every second of your life, you must be in the obedience of Allah (SWT). In English, the word slave has bad connotations of being oppressed, but in Arabic, it denotes beautiful slavery. It denotes the type of slavery, of devoting yourself to Allah (SWT) and liberate yourself from becoming a slave to the world and everyone else. If you don’t become the slave of Allah (SWT) you will become a slave to someone or something else. When you become the slave of Allah (SWT) you are intrinsically motivated, there is a balance in our lives, you hold yourself to a higher moral purpose, to a different set of standards, because you know that one day you have to stand and be accountable to Allah (SWT). Know your worth o’ Muslim, live a life of purpose.

Islam offers us this balance system of feeding the needs of the body and feeding in the needs of the soul. In ramadaan, we feed our soul. Feeding your soul is living a life of purpose. To live a life of purpose you need three things. First being, spiritual energy, you get spiritual energy by bonding with Allah (SWT). The primary source of this is taqwa, staying away from sin. This will give you spiritual energy.

Second, have a positive attitude, your inside world creates your outside world. How you thinking on the inside comes out to the outside. A negative attitude wastes energy a positive attitude creates energy. Many of us are negative when it comes to Dunya, we think that Dunya stands condemned. The worldly life should not become your only objective, but this Dunya is the farmland of the akhirah. Hence we need unleash to a generation of Muslims who will pursue Dunya for the sake of akhirah.

The third thing you require to live a life of purpose is social energy. you are the best you are service minded and community-centric. We should not confine righteousness to certain acts of ibaadah only. You are a righteous slave of Allah (SWT) when you are a productive slave. Not spiritually but physically and socially as well. The world will be inherited by pious Muslims. To inherit the earth it means, that we are Allah (SWT)’s trustees on this earth. This is not a passive responsibility but an active role.

The difficulties that afflict any human are distressing to Nabi (SAW). Do we care about our Muslim brothers and sisters in this way. In order to exist as believers, we need to be merciful and forgiving to one another. Make the earth a better place even if it is on the verge of Qayamat. Allah (SWT) loves that when you do something you do it with perfection.

To live a life of purpose, you need spiritual energy, a positive attitude and social energy. To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people just exist. We need to live in Islam. We need to take the Noor of our Iman and spread it among us and around us.

We need to know our worth and live a life of purpose. Allah (SWT) wants you to lead an easy life, not a difficult life. No one can harm us unless Allah (SWT) wants them to harm us, no one can benefit us unless Allah (SWT) wants them to benefit us. We have the Quran, the Sunnah, Allah (SWT) has made it so easy for us to attain Jannah. This Ummah makes less effort and gets more reward, Allah (SWT) wants us to succeed and attain Jannah. There will always be better in this Ummah, we need to find the goodness we need to be the goodness. This is an Ummah of goodness. No matter how bad the times are, there will always be someone who will hold up the commands of Allah (SWT). We need to seek them and be the best of them.

Ramadaan has given us a platform to rediscover our purpose, we need to become the slaves of Allah (SWT). When you become the slave of Allah (SWT) you liberate yourself from the slavery of anyone else. We need to know our worth and live a life of purpose. You need to attain spiritual energy by abstaining from sin and getting closer to Allah (SWT). You a positive attitude, to pursue Dunya for the sake of akhirah. You need social energy, by making the earth a better place and not living for ourselves only. All of this is possible even in the worst of times. You will prevail if you become true Muslims. You will become a true Muslim if know your worth, realise your worth and let it lead you to live a life of purpose.

Know your o’ Muslim. Live a life of purpose.