Welcome to the very first Jumuah Productivity Special, dedicated to Quran & Productivity!

Each week we will give you valuable daily life lessons based on ayaat of the Qur’an, completely focussed on how YOU can be more productive through the Quran.

Before we start; a question for you:  Do you want to be of the Sabiqoon?

Now you might think; who are the Sabiqoon?

Take a look at this ayah from Surah Faatir:
“and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah. That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty.” (Quran, 35:32)

3 levels of people in the Quran

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala describes three levels of people:
1. The sabiqoon bi al-khayraat: he who is first, foremost in doing good deeds.
2.  The muqtasid: he who is balanced, he does what is obligatory, but may not do the recommended deeds.
3. The dhalimoon li nafsih: he who wrongs his own soul.

For example; someone of the sabiqoon takes every opportunity to be with the Quran, he recites and ponders it every given opportunity. A muqtasid says: ‘ later, insha’Allah’ and might forget. And the one who wrongs himself wouldn’t even care to open it. You can apply this 3 level strategy to everything you do in your life!

Your Relationship with Allah

Imagine being with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Experiencing the indescribable feeling of feeling the presence of Allah, standing before Allah, seeing Allah, your Most Beloved, The One who was with you always, al Awwal.

In our relationship with Allah, we should always want to be of the sabiqoon, first and foremost in doing good deeds. When is the perfect opportunity for us to try to be of the sabiqoon? Right now! Ask yourself: how can I be the first and in what? How can I be among the top ranks of Muslims? How can I be of those who are most loved by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala?

In your life you have many obligations and duties towards others and sometimes you don’t feel like doing them. That is the moment you tell yourself: “ I do it for Allah’s pleasure.”  Nothing you do for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will ever be lost. Every drop of sweat is recorded with Allah and would never ever go to waste.

For our effort, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will tell us in Paradise,
”This is for you a reward, and your effort has been appreciated.” (Quran,76:22)

So our goal in life is to worship Allah but not only this, to be of the sabiqoon!

Excellent Advice

The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are coming up, deemed to be the best days of the year and days of action!
So make sure you make a plan for your days beforehand.

Help yourself with this amazing productivity advice from Ibn ul Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him.
Enjoy and see you next week insha’Allah!

“…They say that the best worship is to do what will please the Lord at every time in accordance with what that particular time calls for.

The best thing to do during the early morning hours is to be preoccupied with prayer, Quran, supplication, remembrance of Allah, and asking His Forgiveness.

The best thing to do when teaching a student or ignorant person is to completely turn your attention towards teaching him.

The best thing to do during the call to prayer is to leave whatever rituals you are engaged in and to occupy yourself with repeating after the one making the call.

And the best thing to do when you have a guest, for example, is to see to his rights as a guest and to preoccupy yourself with that instead of the recommended rituals you would usually engage in at the time. Such is also the case in fulfilling the rights of your wife and family.

The best thing to do during the five prayers is to try your best in carrying them out in the best possible manner and to rush to perform them right away, and to go out to the mosque – even if it is far – is better.

The best thing to do when someone needs help physically or financially is to busy yourself with helping that person, relieving his distress, and to place this as a priority over your private worship that you’d usually be engaged in.

The best thing to do when reciting the Quran is to have your heart and mind present in order to reflect over and understand it as if Allah is personally addressing you with it. So, to have your heart present to understand and reflect over it and to have the zeal to implement its commands is greater than the attentiveness of the heart of one who has received a message from the ruler to that message.

The best thing to do when standing at ‘Arafah is to exert yourself in being humble before Allah, supplicating, and remembering Him instead of fasting.

The best thing to do during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah is to increase in worship, especially saying ‘Allahu Akbar,’ ‘La ilaha illa Allah,’ and ‘al-hamdu lil-Lah.’ This is better here than the Jihad that is not an individual obligation.

The best thing to do during the last ten nights of Ramadan is to stay in the mosque and to seclude yourself in it without mixing with others and being distracted by them. This is to the point that it is better than teaching them and practicing the Quran with them according to many of the scholars.

The best thing to do when you have a brother who is sick or dying is to visit him, attend his funeral, and to prefer this over your private worship or social activities.

And the best thing to do when a disaster befalls you or people hurt you is to fulfil the obligation of having patience while continuing to interact with them and not running from them, since the believer who mixes with people and is patient despite their harm to him is better than the believer who doesn’t mix with them and isn’t harmed by them.

And the best thing you can interact with them in is whatever is good, and this is better than to seclude yourself from them in such a case. As for bad things, it is better to seclude yourself from them in such a case. However, if you know that mixing with in this case will help remove or reduce the bad, it is better to mix with them than to abandon them.

So, the best thing to do in every time and situation is whatever will please Allah at that particular time and situation and to focus on the foremost obligation at that particular time and whatever it necessitates and requires…”

Allahu Akbar.

When it comes to the learning, the best is to study the Quran because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.’ [Al-Bukhari]

When it comes to the teaching, the best is to teach the Quran because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said:

“The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.’

So, let this be your wake-up call and start understanding the Quran!

Get started now!

~Khawlah bint Yahya

THE AYAH JOURNAL, Qur’an & Productivity is a global project with the exciting goal to inspire every Muslim worldwide to open the Qur’an every day, pick one ayah and apply it to your own life by making acting on the ayah your mission for the day. Let’s bring back the message of the Qur’an to our daily life! Check www.ayahjournal.com and follow us on www.facebook.com/ayahjournal for vibrant Qur’an & Productivity tips.