Time is spent earning money, education, status and health. Yet how much time do we give towards the Deen of Allah? The five daily prayers take up approximately 20 minutes in the entire 24 hours Allah has blessed us with every single day. Yet how many of us have it in us to complete the basics of Deen and bow down before our Creator, knowing that one day we’ll be made to stand before Him for Judgment? Allah has blessed us with the ability to read, see, hear and speak. Yet how many of us utilise this basic blessing Allah has given us, to read His Words, to take knowledge from the life of His Beloved Messenger Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, to speak a little good and give Dawah, or to sit and listen to the speeches and words about Allah and His Beautiful, Most Perfect and Just Shariah?

Money has been given to us, alhamdulillah, much more than we need to survive a very basic lifestyle. Yet how many of us have the hearts to give openly towards His Deen, when Abdullah ibn Mas’ood reminded us, “Everyone is in the world as a guest, and his money is but a loan. The guest must go sooner or later and the loan must be returned”? How many of us keep going and keep trying to seek Allah, knowing that it’s difficult, the path is thorny, and shaytaan lies awaiting us. Yet we keep going, regardless of what may come, because Allah has said, “..And remember your Lord when you forget..” (18:24)?

We give up with Deen so easily, whereas with everything else we keep striving and keep going. How many of us will study for a 3 year degree day in and day out, but we give up waking up in the morning for Fajr to pray for 5 minutes, after we’ve tried it a few times and failed, or begin to think that it ‘ruins our routine’ and we lose sleep? When Allah has stated in the Quran, (with regards to the inmates of the Hell-Fire) “What has caused you to fall into Hell? They will reply: ‘We were not of those who offered the salaah. Nor did we feed the needy. And we used to indulge in [vain] discussions with those who used to indulge therein.” (74:42-45)

How many of us reach the stages from time to time where we feel distanced from Allah, and keep trying to get back on track? Or how many of us try to do good and feel we still keep failing and aren’t doing anything productive? Yet we don’t realise that if we feel we’re not achieving what we set out to, and don’t see great things happening before our very eyes, that actions are according to intentions, and even if nothing happens as a result of our efforts – that the reward and judgment from Allah to us will only be about our efforts. All this - only because we know that in sincerity, there is no motive, no desire, no want, no pleasure, no displeasure, no fulfilment, no disappointment, no requirement, no recognition, no glory, no failure, no loss and no profit, but with Allah.

How many of us fear Allah when we see someone who is haraam for us, and lower our heads to protect us from the sin of the adultery of the eye? How many of us remember the Hadeeth Qudsi where Allah said, “Looking at the ghair mahram is one of the poisoned arrows of Shaytaan. Whomsoever will stop it (i.e. looking at ghair mahram) because of Fearing Me, I will bless them with such imaan, the sweetness of which they will feel in their heart.” ? (Tabarani, Mustadrak al Haakim).

How many of us fear Allah when we see someone calling us to commit sin, and remember that He is Watching us, and lower our heads and walk away from that very sin? How can we not, when Ali ibn abi Taalib reminded us by saying, “Remember that enjoyment passes, while consequences remain” and that Allah has stated: “Verily those who are pious, when an evil thought comes to them from Shaytaan, they remember (Allah) and indeed they then see (aright).” (7:201)

How many of us see somebody committing a sin, and remember that the worst enemy of a person is the tongue, and remain silent, not telling anybody about what the other has done, for fear that Allah may bring that sin on us, or that despite committing that sin, in the Eyes of Allah, that certain individual may still be better than us? Remembering that Abu Hurayrah reminded us, “One of you sees the filth in his fellow brother’s eye, but he does not see the calamity in his own eye.”

How many of us know that the grave awaits us and that death is inevitable. Even the atheists and great professors and scientists of every time who deny the very existence of Allah know that death will overtake you, I, and them. Yet how many of us prepare for the day we’ll breathe our last, have our bodies washed, shrouded, and placed in a dark pit that others will call our grave. How many of us can actually comprehend the reality of this event taking place, so much so that we can cry in fear and awe in front of Allah that He protects us from the calamities that follow the soul leaving the body?

How many of us think of Allah and be weary of what we do, day and night, in public and private, knowing that our soul could leave our body any second, and that Allah may just make the Angel of Death take our soul at a moment where we could be committing a sin? How many of us realise, that if we leave repentance too late, it could be that we become one of those who become regretful, as Allah swt states, “Till death reaches one of them, he shall say: ‘O my Sustainer! Send me back so that I might do some good deed in that which I left behind.’ ” (23:99-100)

May Allah have mercy on us sinners, and protect us from the works and evil thoughts of the shaytaan and our ownselves – for death will take us all.

“He (Shaytaan) makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytaans promises are nothing but deception.” (Al-Nisa: 120)