5 Ways to Save Your Day!

Allah, the Most High, says: “O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the messenger, and make not vain your deeds!” [Quran, 47:3]

In all His Mercy, Allah, Glorified is He, offers us chances to make up for the mistakes we make every day again and again. Here are five common daily shortcomings paired with five ways to save your day.

1. Wasting your time (with others)

We all waste time and a lot of it is wasted when we gather with others. How often do our conversations contain useless or excessive speech? Allah, the Most High, gave us a way to have the shortcomings and sins in our get-togethers forgiven and it’s called: Kaffara-tul-Majlis; expiation of the sitting. Use it daily after you talk with someone, whether in person or on the phone, even if it’s only one friend or family member.

The Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever sits in a gathering which indulges in useless talk and before getting up supplicates:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلهَ إِلَاَّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ

Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bihamdika, ‘ash-hadu ‘an laa ‘ilaaha ‘illaa ‘Anta, ‘astaghfiruka wa ‘atoobu ‘ilayka.

Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise is to You. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You – he will be forgiven for the sins he (intentionally and unintentionally) committed in that assembly. [At-Tirmidhi]

Be inspired by this beautiful metaphor: “He who says it in a gathering of Remembrance (of Allah), it will be like a seal to stamp it with, and he who says it in a gathering of vain talk, it will be an expiation for it”. [Al-Haakim and At-Tabarani]

2. Backbiting: the day-breaker

How many days have passed by without us saying disliked things about people behind their backs? Backbiting (Gheebah) has huge consequences for our life in this world and the next. Whether backbiting takes up a large part of our day or we talk about others occasionally; we must do all we can to show Allah, the Most High, we regret it and ask Him to guide us in staying away from this destructive habit because it’s a real day-breaker! Use this supplication for those you’ve insulted:

اللَّهُمَّ فأَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ سَبَبْتُهُ فَاجْعَلْ ذَلِكَ لَهُ قُرْبَةً إِلَيْكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

Allaahumma fa ayyumaa mu’minin sababtuhu faj‛al dhaalika lahu qurbatan ilayka yawm-al-qiyaamah.

O Allah, any believer whom I have insulted, let that be cause to draw him near to You on the Day of Resurrection. [Al Bukhari, Muslim]

3. Complaining, complaining, complaining!

The food, the weather, our family, our work, our looks. How much have you complained just today and all the days before? Even though we know complaining to others doesn’t make things better, we do. A lot. The interesting thing about complaining is that it psychologically only causes us to be more negative and stressed, less able to be thankful.

The Prophet ﷺ said that each day “Charity is due from every joint bone”. As explained in Riyadh-us Saaliheen, this means that when a person gets up in the morning, it is obligatory for him to thank Allah for having every joint of his intact. Therefore, one must praise and glorify Allah. If one performs two Rak`ah of the Duha prayer, it will serve for Sadaqah for all the joints of the body.

If we already fill our days with complaining, how many days did we give thanks for the 360 joints in our body? It’s time to realize the importance and see the absolute beauty of the Duha prayer; a voluntarily prayer you can pray 15 or 20 minutes after sunrise until just before the Duhr prayer. Make it a conscious habit of thankfulness (Shukr) from now on and see its effects on your day!

The Prophet ﷺ said: “In the morning, charity is due on every joint bone of the body of everyone of you. Every utterance of Allah’s Glorification is an act of charity, and every utterance of His Praise is an act of charity and every utterance of declaration of His Greatness is an act of charity; and enjoining Ma`aruf (good) is an act of charity, and forbidding Munkar (evil) is an act of charity, and two Rak`ah Duha prayers which one performs in the forenoon is equal to all this (in reward).”  [Muslim]

4. Neglecting your relationship with Allah

Allah, the Most Wise, guided us to a beautiful daily routine, by following our five obligatory prayers. They provide a moment of spiritual calm, a break from the hustle and bustle of the day and to remember the Creator. But how would you rate your daily prayer? How many days did your prayer feel empty and robotic, along with your daily struggle to be grateful?

On a daily basis, many feel like they are not remembering, giving thanks nor worshipping Allah in the way they hoped to. You can save your day, by Allah’s will, in five seconds by using below supplication from the bottom of your heart.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (RA) by the hand and said: “O Mu‘aadh, by Allah verily I love you, by Allah verily I love you.” Then he said: “I urge you, O Mu‘aadh, never to stop saying at the end of every prayer:”

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ، وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

Allaahumma a‘innee ‘alaa dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaadatika 

(O Allah, help me to remember You, give You thanks and to worship You in the best of manners).” [Abu Dawud]

Make this a daily habit after the end of prayer, after the final Tashahud and before the salaam and get Allah’s help in your Dhikr (remembrance of Him), Shukr (gratefulness) and ‘Ibaadah (acts of worship).

5. Losing control of your emotions

Are you often losing it with others, are you shouting, being unkind and do you do injustice to others and even yourself? Losing control or being overcome by emotions and desires happens on a daily basis to many, sometimes even resulting in causing harm to others and ourselves.
Save your day by supplicating for guidance in your behaviour, manners, deeds and desires:

‏اللَّهمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِن منْكَرَاتِ الأَخلاقِ، والأعْمَالِ، والأَهْواءِ‏

Allaahumma ‘innee a’oothu bika min munkaraatil-akhlaaqi, wal-a’maali, wal– ‘ahwaa.

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from reprehensible conduct, deeds and desires. [Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban, Al-Haakim and At-Tabarani]

To protect others and yourself say this supplication, which is part of the morning and evening remembrance, with conviction:

اللَّهُمَّ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، فَاطِرَ السَّماوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَمَلِيكَهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَشِرْكِهِ، وَأَنْ أَقْتَرِفَ عَلَى نَفْسِي سُوءاً أَوْ أَجُرَّهُ إِلَى مُسْلِمٍ

– Allaahumma ‘Aalimal-ghaybi wash-shahaadati faatiras-samaawaati wal’ardhi, Rabba kulli shay’in wa maleekahu, ‘ash-hadu ‘an laa ‘ilaaha ‘illaa ‘Anta, ‘a’oothu bika min sharri nafsee, wa min sharrish-shaytaani wa shirkihi, wa ‘an ‘aqtarifa ‘alaa nafsee soo’an, ‘aw ‘ajurrahu ‘ilaa Muslimin.

O Allah, Knower of the unseen and the evident, Maker of the heavens and the earth, Lord of everything and its Possessor, I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul and from the evil of Satan and his helpers. (I seek refuge in You) from bringing evil upon my soul and from harming any Muslim. [At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud]

Ask Allah, the Most High, to enable you to make above habits part of your daily routine, teach others and make it an ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jaariyah) for you by Allah’s will.

Finally, here’s a treasure to save your day before it starts! Supplicate in the morning to safeguard your knowledge, provisions and deeds:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْماً نَافِعاً، وَ رِزْقاً طَيِّباً، وَ عَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً

Allaahumma ‘innee ‘as’aluka ‘ilman naafi’an, wa rizqan tayyiban, wa ‘amalan mutaqabbalan.

O Allah, I ask You for knowledge that is of benefit, a good provision, and deeds that will be accepted. [Ibn As-Sunni, Ibn Majah]

Praying you will benefit,

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Khawlah b. Yahya – United Kingdom

Khawlah b. Yahya founded SISTERS’ PROJECT in 2008, a United Kingdom based women’s support organization, the creative community lead in an art gallery and is a writer for different Islamic organizations and academies. She authored the renown How to Live by the Names of Allah Series, published by the Understand Qur’an Academy, as well as the internationally shared Revive a Sunnah Series. She focuses most of her work on how to translate classic Islamic Knowledge to daily life action. She recently released Personal Lessons from the Qur’an, in which daily life action points are based on Qur’anic Ayaat in a way that’s never seen before. You can purchase the E-book on: understandquran.com/product/personal-lessons-from-the-quran/