New Muslims: Talk less and listen more (II)

Learning to listen and to be quiet, to ponder on existence and wait patiently for God’s guidance – is one of Islam’s many gifts to humanity. Do this and your heart will begin to feel at ease in a way you have not experienced before.

Learning to be quiet and to live without music playing in the background of my life took me a while. Again, no fatwas on this page about music being haram or halal! Just a sisterly suggestion that now can be the perfect time to take a break from time wasting. There I said it. Stop wasting your time! Ibn Al Qayyim says:

“Wasting time is worse than death because death separates you from this world whereas wasting time separates you from Allah”.

So much on TV is foul and demeaning. Sarcastic people, doing mean things to one another. Women being denigrated to little more than a jumble of body parts – like is existence really best summarized as ‘it’s all about the Hair!’?

Not easy to stay spiritually connected when allowing ourselves to be bombarded with images of strangers’ body parts, harsh language and of course the unending pursuit of material goods and wealth. Please, turn off the TV and radio. Find a recording of the Quran and allow your ears to attune to its inspirational ebb and flow. A home where the Quran is recited has angels present. As the ads say – for far lesser things – ‘Try it for a month and notice the difference!’

God the Exalted makes it very clear, when He says:

‘O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the messenger, and make not vain your deeds!’ (Muhammad)

We live in a great age to be Muslims. Never has so much information been available on our faith, so instantly. But we are just far too busy to study right? The companions of the Prophet, used to tend their fields, their market stalls and their businesses by day, following the Prophet memorizing his words in the afternoon and then stay up for hours at night worshipping God. They certainly had blessed time. And that’s what time is when you seek closeness to the One who made you.

So what’s on your iPod or in your car CD player right now? When you’re cooking at home, why not seek out lectures? For working mums, busy students, dads and business people; the car, the kitchen, the bus and the subway are our lecture theatres. And the lessons, in how to live a better way of life in Islam, well they quickly mount up, day by day, Insha Allah.

May Allah SWT be your guide on the straight path now and always.