Since we’re already into February, the thrill of the new year has most likely simmered down by now. Unfortunately, February also means that most of us may have already given up on our resolutions, be they religious ones or not.
The mistake most of us make when acting on any resolution is overzealousness. For example, if you decided that you wanted to get into better shape this year, you may have thought that hitting the gym every day, running as hard as you can or greatly curbing what you eat would be sure-fire ways to get into the fast lane to your goal. Such enthusiasm can be a great motivational aid initially but achieving any resolution requires dedication, commitment and most of all, consistency. You must first learn to walk before you can run or else you risk burnout!
It also helps to remember that it takes only 21 days to form a habit. When starting out, especially if you hit early obstacles, just remember to stick it out for at least 3 weeks. You will find that by the end of this period, what seemed like a chore before will simply become routine!
With that said, here are five simple resolutions you can do today to become a better Muslim in 2012! With time and effort, they are wide enough in scope to allow you to keep building and adding to them as the months pass!
1) Pray your five daily prayers and wake up for Fajr:
To truly make great strides towards becoming a better Muslim, it is essential to have your basics covered. This means that if you’re not already praying your five daily prayers, today is a great time to start!
Resolve to wake up for Fajr to the best of your ability. Set an alarm every night to go off during Fajr time. Initially, it may seem daunting to interrupt your sleep to answer the call of prayer but with time, it will become second nature.
The mistake most of us make when acting on any resolution is overzealousness. For example, if you decided that you wanted to get into better shape this year, you may have thought that hitting the gym every day, running as hard as you can or greatly curbing what you eat would be sure-fire ways to get into the fast lane to your goal. Such enthusiasm can be a great motivational aid initially but achieving any resolution requires dedication, commitment and most of all, consistency. You must first learn to walk before you can run or else you risk burnout!
It also helps to remember that it takes only 21 days to form a habit. When starting out, especially if you hit early obstacles, just remember to stick it out for at least 3 weeks. You will find that by the end of this period, what seemed like a chore before will simply become routine!
With that said, here are five simple resolutions you can do today to become a better Muslim in 2012! With time and effort, they are wide enough in scope to allow you to keep building and adding to them as the months pass!
1) Pray your five daily prayers and wake up for Fajr:
To truly make great strides towards becoming a better Muslim, it is essential to have your basics covered. This means that if you’re not already praying your five daily prayers, today is a great time to start!
Resolve to wake up for Fajr to the best of your ability. Set an alarm every night to go off during Fajr time. Initially, it may seem daunting to interrupt your sleep to answer the call of prayer but with time, it will become second nature.
Track the number of times that you have kept your prayers and the number of times you may have missed them.
For the tech geeks amongst you, Qamar Deen is a great app that gives you a prayer chart where you can record your daily prayers including if you’ve prayed them in Jamaat or by yourself with or without Sunnah. For the ladies, Qamar Deen even allows password protection and an option of recording the days that you are excused from prayer.
2) Make “Allah” part of your daily vocabulary:
Remembering Allah doesn’t only have to happen in prayers. You can easily increase your good deed count for the day by saying Insha-Allah whenever you intend to do something in the future. Sprinkling Masha-Allah whenever you compliment someone else or adding Alhamdullillah whenever you have been blessed with good news are other easy ways to remember Allah.
3) Read 30 verses of the Quran and its translation daily:
Many of us have already read the Quran in the original Arabic script at least once. But not many of us can say that we have undertaken a study of the translation and its meaning. Truly understanding the Qu’ran is a laudable but exhaustive endeavor that many of us may not be able to undertake right away. An easy goal to undertake is to read 30 verses of the Qur’an along with the translation every day. You can even track your daily readings in Qamar Deen!
4) Commit to donating anywhere from 2.5-10% of your monthly income as Sadaqah:
Sadaqah or charity Is a laudable effort but one that can be easily forgotten unless one makes a conscious effort. No matter what your position in life, committing to donating anywhere from 2.5-10% of your monthly income will go a long way in becoming a better Muslim as well as making a difference.
Even if you’re just a student working part-time jobs, assuming you earn about $400.00 per month, 2.5% of that amount is a mere $10.00. With just one less trip to Starbucks or to the movies – a change that you’ll barely notice – you will be making a difference in someone else’s life and reaping tremendous rewards for your efforts.
For the tech geeks amongst you, Qamar Deen is a great app that gives you a prayer chart where you can record your daily prayers including if you’ve prayed them in Jamaat or by yourself with or without Sunnah. For the ladies, Qamar Deen even allows password protection and an option of recording the days that you are excused from prayer.
2) Make “Allah” part of your daily vocabulary:
Remembering Allah doesn’t only have to happen in prayers. You can easily increase your good deed count for the day by saying Insha-Allah whenever you intend to do something in the future. Sprinkling Masha-Allah whenever you compliment someone else or adding Alhamdullillah whenever you have been blessed with good news are other easy ways to remember Allah.
3) Read 30 verses of the Quran and its translation daily:
Many of us have already read the Quran in the original Arabic script at least once. But not many of us can say that we have undertaken a study of the translation and its meaning. Truly understanding the Qu’ran is a laudable but exhaustive endeavor that many of us may not be able to undertake right away. An easy goal to undertake is to read 30 verses of the Qur’an along with the translation every day. You can even track your daily readings in Qamar Deen!
4) Commit to donating anywhere from 2.5-10% of your monthly income as Sadaqah:
Sadaqah or charity Is a laudable effort but one that can be easily forgotten unless one makes a conscious effort. No matter what your position in life, committing to donating anywhere from 2.5-10% of your monthly income will go a long way in becoming a better Muslim as well as making a difference.
Even if you’re just a student working part-time jobs, assuming you earn about $400.00 per month, 2.5% of that amount is a mere $10.00. With just one less trip to Starbucks or to the movies – a change that you’ll barely notice – you will be making a difference in someone else’s life and reaping tremendous rewards for your efforts.
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