Purpose of Life

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Purpose of Life

Purpose of Life

-Nasreen Shah

We have been told from the time we are young: our purpose in life is to worship Allah (God).

That we were created for this purpose alone. While we can understand this concept in the literal

sense, there is still a disconnect between handling our worldly affairs and incorporating our life’s

mission; preparation for the hereafter.

I could quote Quran or remind you of things you already know and are trying to do, however, I

thought it would be more helpful to share some insight on possible ways we can incorporate our

purpose in life, which is to serve the creator, into our daily affairs.

Here are some practical tips:

Plug in

Do you have a smart phone? I find that even in walking around campus, just 5-10

minutes of listening to Quran consistently not only makes memorization easier, but will also

keep you in the remembrance of Allah throughout the day. This is especially important for those

of us who work long hours and miss prayers as we often don’t have the facilities or means to

preform the Salah on time.

Tune out

In regards to attempting the salah on time during the work week, finding a quiet place,

even going to your car for a quick break to pray or make dua’a is especially calming when you

are under stress. Giving yourself breaks to turn inward and reflect on our purpose in life will

keep you grounded when your work and school goals are causing you tremendous stress.

Look for every day opportunities

Opportunities to do good deeds are ever present, yet we fail to recognize them as we are

wrapped up in our lives. I remember being taught to do good deeds often, but I didn’t know what

that meant. After all, when is the last time daily life presented you with the chance to free a slave

or feed an orphan? Here is what you can do:

-Call your parents, or siblings or loved ones regularly and when you do this, listen, be kind and

supportive. Give them your best self. What do I mean by that? Treat your family like gold, every

day. Especially if they are worried or angry or struggling; be there, be loving, remind them of

what is good by giving them the best of yourself. The same applies to friends.

-Smile, hold the door open, compliment someone. Give a friend a ride when it’s raining. Help

someone carry their things, help them with a work project, visit your neighbor, even if it’s just

chatting for a few minutes. Kindness, connection and compassion are core ideals of the human

existence; regardless of race, religion or anything else.

-When you do any act of good, no matter how small, do it with the intention of pleasing Allah

(Swt) that it may be recorded for you. By doing this, every day acts become acts of worship.

Set small attainable goals

In counseling we support our clients by helping them create small, manageable goals. This is

especially important for increasing our imaan. Here is an example:

Instead of beating yourself up for making mistakes, or being angry because you never have time

to pray or read Quran, set small goals to get better at creating new habits.

So instead of making yourself do extra salah every night…which would be really difficult when

you are already tired and busy and have other things do to….try this instead: I am going to take

10 minutes on my lunch break, or in between classes, find a quiet spot and just pray fard. Or, 5

minutes, once a day, first thing when I wake up, I will read dua’a every morning. Pretty soon,

you will have that duaa memorized with little effort. The key is, make ibadah easy for yourself.

Allah (Swt) means ease and comfort for you in your deen.

Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.