10 things to improve your deen inshAllah
1.Read Qur’an and its translation everyday – The source of the Shariah, the basis and foundation of Islam; those who turn away from the Qur’an are like lost sheep and those who seek its knowledge are the Abrar, righteous and guided.
2.Implement one ayah and one hadith every week – The Sahaba (ra) would recite and learn 10 ayah, memorize them, implement them and continue to the next 10 ayah. Islamic scholars would travel the lengths of the world to gather and learn hadith, yet we are so ungracious for the complete collections gathering dust upon our shelves. An excellent starting point is to memorize one hadith per week and one ayah per week and simply implementing them in our daily lives.
3.Read one Islam-related book per month – “O Allah, advance me in knowledge” (20:114). The importance of this activity is to gain Islamic knowledge. Do not be afraid to read, because the Ummah has experience similar downfalls in the past, but without reading, we do not learn from our mistakes and are doomed to repeating them.
4.Sponsor an orphan – Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “I will be like this in Jannah (Paradise) with the person who takes care of an orphan.” Messenger of Allah (saws) raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration. This is very vital since sponsoring an orphan costs but a fragment of our income, and the reward for taking care of orphans is beyond what we can imagine in this life. MSU-UCI has a monthly orphan sponsorship program.
5.Get involved – Get involved in a project such as MSA/MSU, UMMA Clinic, Al-Kalima, MuslimBasketball.com, recitor.com or any similar project or endeavors that seeks to help humanity at large by implementing Islam, unifying Muslims, or spreading knowledge for the sake of Allah.
6.Choose good company – Prophet Muhammad (saws) said: “The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk, and the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows. So as for the seller of musk, either he will grant you some, or you buy some from him, or at least you enjoy a pleasant smell from him. As for the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows then either he will burn your clothes or you will get an offensive smell from him.” It is encouraged by the Prophet to accompany those who do good, who have noble manners, piety, knowledge and good culture (the muskseller) and he (saws) forbade us to sit with those who do evil, commit a lot of sins and other bad deeds, as well as those who innovate, backbite, and so forth (the blacksmith).
7.Attend one major Islamic conference per year – This solidifies the Islamic brotherhood/sisterhood, and again exposes us to ideas and current Muslim affairs. MSA-West is a popular destination for excellent speakers and strong bonding.
8.Become an “expert”– Seeking knowledge is important, but if you specialization based on your area of interest allows a strong focus of your resources towards topic. Your efforts are continually fruitful because people will recognize your specialization and you can thus spread this knowledge.
9.Learn Arabic – The importance of learning the language of the Qur’an is a long and demanding journey, but do not wait to start when in Egypt or Syria. Start learning by attending classes, whether at a local or college/university campus
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10.Make du’a seeking Allah’s help – “When our Messengers (the angels) come to them to take their souls, they will say: ‘Where are those whom you used to invoke and worship besides Allah,’they will reply, ‘They have vanished and deserted us.’ And they will bear witness against themselves, that they were disbelievers” (7:37). The importance of asking Allah for guidance and help is tantamount to the success of the believers, in this life and in the hereafter. We are powerless and Allah is the Powerful, He knows what we know not, and He plans for things that we know not. Without His mercy, we have nothing; thus only from Allah do we seek guidance.
P.S I didn't write this, thought it was very nice though
