Assalamualaikum Dear Brothers & Sisters,

HABITS are the autopilots of our body. When any set of actions are done regularly, they form as habits. When an action is done out of habit, we do NOT get tired of doing it.

But how to develop the habits? Repeating an action on regular basis turns it into a habit. Good habits will give you success effortlessly while bad habits land you nowhere but to failure and disappointment. Good habits can turn a personality to any greatness while bad habits will make him fall and lose.

12 Habits We Must Adopt from Surah Al-Fatihah

We have derived 12 habits from Surah Al-Fatihaha which will help us to succeed in this life and hereafter, insha Allah. Since this great Surah is repeated at least 17 times in our daily Salah, it will help us develop and adopt these habits easily.

Habit # 1: Seek protection, Safety First!

اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطٰنِ الرَّجِيْمِ   

Imagine in the winter, getting up for Fajr is challenging because of cold. You feel like sleeping more in the warm bed. If you have a habit of getting up for the Fajr, you will overcome the comfort and be courageous to defeat the laziness and weakness.Safety first! Recite Ta’awwuz whenever Shaitan whispers to you. Realize that we are under constant attack from Shaitan and we always need protection. We must recite Ta’awwuz even before reciting the Qur’an so that we can ponder over its verses without any distraction and misunderstanding and receive guidance.

Habit # 2: Say Bismillah before You Start Anything!

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ 

Say Bismillah before you start or do any act like eating, sleeping, reading, writing etc. Be confident and hopeful that Ar-Rahmaan is always with you. He will help you.

Remember, the more we ponder upon and believe in the attributes of Allah the more we will feel the power and effect of reciting Bismillah. الرحمن and الرحیم means extremely merciful and continuously merciful. Allah is Rahman as well as Raheem, i.e., He is blessing us with a heavy and continuous rain of mercy.

Don’t forget Allah at happy occasions. Have good opinion and hope in Allah at the time of trial. Just say, my Rabb has always blessed me extensively and there must be something good for me in this trial.

 Habit # 3: Always have Positive Outlook towards Allah

الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Always think positive about Allah because, He is الرحمن and الرحیم. He takes care of us and fulfills all our needs with love and kindness. He has created us and given us eyes, ears, brain, hands, feet and all the organs inside and out. He has blessed us with parents, relatives, and friends. He has made all arrangements for our comfortable living in this world.

There are many benefits of having positive thoughts about Allah, like peaceful life, happiness, success, health, tranquility, satisfaction, better relationships, etc. This is million times better than the western concept of mere positive thinking.

Have positive mindset that things will work out together for good and it will.

Habit # 4: Always be Grateful to Allah in every Situation

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ
Thanks Allah in every moment and in any situation whether you are eating, drinking, travelling, sleeping, waking up or getting blessings at different occasions.Allah says: ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ ” (14:7).

No wonder, we all want happiness, success and tranquility in life and in order to attain this Allah has already revealed books, scriptures, verses, and we already have a complete way of guidance i.e. the Qur’an. It is up to us to go through it and adapt it in our lives to leave a content and happy life.

Habit # 5: Seek knowledge and ponder upon the Universe

لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ 
The Universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. While the spatial size of the entire Universe is unknown, it is possible to measure the size of the observable universe, which is currently estimated to be 93 billion light-years in diameter. In various multiverse hypotheses, a universe is one of many causally disconnected constituent parts of a larger multiverse, which itself comprises all of space and time and its contents; as a consequence, ‘the Universe’ and ‘the multiverse’ are synonymous in such theories.Seek intensive knowledge and ponder upon the Universe. A serious study of science, mathematics and history will make you realize How Great is our Rabb! The creator and sustainer of the Universe. This way, you will praise Him from the depth of your heart.

Subhan Allah! How many times did I get influenced by this world and forget to praise Allah?

Habit # 6: Be Kind and Merciful towards Others

الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

Cycle of deeds always gives us back what we give to others. If we do good to others, good will happen, if we do bad to others, our turn will also come.

Rahmah (mercy) means to take care of someone with extreme care and love, and his/her needs. See how Allah is continuously showering His mercy on us. Just take one example. To change the weathers, Allah is making earth to rotate around Sun at the whopping speed of 20 kilometers per second. We don’t even feel a small jerk. Allah is controlling it otherwise the earthquakes would have tuned our earth to dust and debris.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid: “He who does not show mercy to others will not be shown mercy (by Allah).” [Bukhari]. Therefore, be merciful to others on this day, this time or after this Salah in which you heard or read this verse. Take care of them with love.

Habit # 7: Plan Each Day Keeping Your Aakhirah in Mind

 مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ 
Plan for everyday keeping Aakhirah in front of you. Remember the death, the grave, the resurrection, and the judgment day. Pray Salah on time and don’t miss Tilawah and Adhkaar. Keep healthy and make sure to not use eyes, ears, tongue, hands, and feet in wrongdoings. Use your life, your youth, your money, and knowledge the right way. If you fail to plan you plan to fail!

Be focused, be determined, have self – confidence. Hold on tenaciously to your goal. Walk the talk and take action. Be unshakeable with your thought.

Take actions! Release your life from self-limiting thoughts. You are here to achieve and make the best of both the worlds and yes, you can. Work on purpose.

Habit # 8: Have the Niyyah of Ibadah for every Good Task You Do

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ

We should have niyyah (intention) of Ibadah for every good task. Real peace of mind and true success can be achieved by Ibadah only.

Without the help of Allah, we cannot even quench our thirst, then how can we worship Him without His help?

Therefore, beg Allah! I beg for Your help in this Salah and in doing every task after this Salah. Please help me whenever I am in trouble.

People hate you if you constantly ask them for help, but Allah loves that we ask Him; again, and again; and for everything! He loves to accept the Du’aas. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid: Du’aa is worship! [Abu Dawud, Hadith 1465].

Habit # 9: Ask for Allah’s help in everything

وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

‘The sweetness of this life lies in remembering Him, the sweetness of the next life lies in seeing Him!’

Ask for Allah’s help in everything. How? The way Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلمand other Prophets asked! Their Du’aas are described in the Qur’an and in Ahadeeth.

An Important Suggestion:

Try to remember this Hadith Qudsi every time you recite Al-Fatihah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid that Allah said: I have divided the Salah between Me and My slave. Half is for Me and half for him and I give him what he asks for. (Sahih Muslim 395 a)

• ‘[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds

Allah says, ‘My slave has praised Me’

• When he says, ‘The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful’.

Allah says, ‘My slave has glorified Me’

• When he says, ‘Sovereign of the Day of Recompense’.

Allah says, ‘he has related all matters to Me’

• When he says, ‘it is You we worship and You we ask for help’.

Allah says, ‘This is between Me and My slave and My slave shall have what he requested’

• When he says, ‘Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray’.

Allah says, ‘This is for My slave and My slave shall have what he asked for’. (Sahih Muslim 395)

Habit # 10: Ask for Allah’s guidance to know and follow the right path

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Becoming a Muslim is the first step of the guidance. We need Allah’s guidance in performing Salah, after Salah, during work, at home, in the office or classroom, while interacting with friends, in the market, at the instigation of Shaitan, and while looking or facing anyone. So, we must continuously ask for Allah’s guidance.“Guide us to the straight path” means show and guide us the right way in every aspect of our life.

Source of Guidance is the Qur’an and the Sunnah (sayings and teachings of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Therefore, we need to understand the Qur’an as well as Ahadeeth.

The verses of the Qur’an that are recited in the Salah, are a piece of guidance from Allah at that time. We must try to understand them. If not, then are we sincere in asking for guidance in our Salah? Every Salah is a reminder that understanding the Qur’an is not only a necessity but also an emergency!

Allah helps us get the guidance from the Qur’an, Hadith, and from different signs in the universe if we keep reviving our faith by being regular for Salah, Tilawah, studying Seerah, staying with pious people, and staying away from Shirk, bid’ah, and evil thoughts and deeds.

Habit # 11: Follow Good Role Models

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ

Always follow good models. Read about them, check your deeds keeping in mind their example, make a plan to act like them and try to implement it.

Allah favored Prophets, truthful people, martyrs, and righteous people.

Let us take the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. It consisted of mainly these four tasks:

(1) Actions: Actions of heart such as belief, sincerity, love for Allah and His fear alone.

Physical actions such as Salah, fasting, charity, Zakah, and Hajj, alms and good attitude and behavior etc.;

(2) Da’wah or inviting others towards Islam;

(3) Tazkiah, i.e., Purification of people’s beliefs, and actions. Purification of bad things and enforcement of good. The Qur’an is full of such examples.

(4) Implementing Islam in families and society, ordering good and prohibiting evil.

If we want to be among the favored people then we must do these things: believe (Imaan), do good things, give Da’wah, do purification of self and friends from wrong things and cultivation of good habits, ordering good and prohibiting evil to the extent possible, Insha Allah.

Habit # 12: Keep away from “bad models

غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

Basically, there are two group of people who are astray.

First Group (those who earned wrath):

• Those who know but do not act upon earn the wrath of Allah. Just imagine their terrible end in this world and in the hereafter. May Allah save us from becoming like them.
• Most of us want to live like a hero or leader. So, we imitate them the way they talk, wear clothes in their style and even walk like them. We must check if these heroes or leaders are following

the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith?

Second Group (those who go astray):

• Those who don’t know and/or don’t want to know. They act without knowing the truth. They don’t bother about the purpose of their creation and life. They do not try and spend time to seek the true knowledge.
• Let us not be among those who are lost even after having the Qur’an with us. Are we away from the Qur’an only because we do not know the Arabic language? Ask Allah to give us Tawfeeq to learn and understand the Qur’an. Make a plan for it and invest time. Resolve today that we shall not abandon learning these lessons of Qur’anic Arabic.

So, always keep away from “bad models”.

Evaluate: Do I have any bad habits that are pulling me down towards failure?

Plan: Let us make a list of good habits and remind ourselves and others around us about them.

May Allah help us achieve the success of this world and the next, aameen ya Rabb!

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JazakAllahu Khairan

Muneer bint Fayaz