8 Ways to Spring-clean your Life

Gham-e-Madinah · 16 ستمبر 2008

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Asalaamalaikum Wa'rahmatulaahi Wabarakaatuhu,

This time of year has always been the time for the traditional ‘spring cleaning’ – the de-cluttering, the mending and the dusting. But what about the rest of our lives? This month, let us try to ‘spring clean’ our daily lives and our relationships with those around us.

1. Be a grateful servant of Allah

Take a new look at all that Allah has blessed you with: your iman, your health, your family, and thank Him for His bounties. You will never be able to count all of Allah’s favours but reminding yourself of them will increase your gratitude and humility – and make you see your life with new eyes.

2. Get to know your deen again

Look at your religious habits. Has your salah become mechanical? Is your recitation routine? Has it been months since you read an Islamic book? Make a change now: schedule some time for your own Islamic development and concentrate on perfecting your current acts of worship and adding a new one, however small, every week or two.

3. Guard your time

Been watching too much TV? Reading trashy magazines? Talking idly on the phone? Now is the time to realise how precious your time is and start using it effectively. You only get each day once – write down what you need to achieve in a day, make a list and tick off as you go along. Try to incorporate more acts of ibaadah that bring you closer to Allah and minimise acts that are displeasing to Allah or take you away from something better.

4. Cultivate your relationship

Look at the state of your marriage. Could you be trying harder to keep the lines of communication open, to keep your hubby smiling. If so, brush up on your wifely skills: anticipate your husband’s needs, give freely of your time and energy and aim to be the wife who is the coolness of her husband’s eyes, all for the sake of Allah.

5. Cherish your little ones

If your relationship with your children consists of feeding, bathing, nagging, shouting and ‘the naughty step’, you need to take some time out. Remember how much you really love them and how you wouldn’t change them for the world – then go and do something fun: bake a cake (never mind the mess!), do an art project together, build a giant castle, go to the park and let them run free, whatever takes your fancy. They are only young once: enjoy them while you can.

6. Reach out to family

Have you been so busy that you haven’t had a chance to connect with relatives? Write your granny a letter, send your mum a gift, invite your sister-in-law for lunch, throw a party for your kids and their cousins, anything that builds those ties of kinship.

7. Tend your relationships

Have you been neglecting your relationship with your sisters in Islam lately? Or perhaps you have been developing some bad habits together, like back-biting or time-wasting. Take the time to look at the state of your friendships and address any problems that have arisen.

8. Do some good

Give away things that you don’t use, volunteer some time in your local school, hold a charity dinner – anything that focuses your attention on others for the sake of Allah will boost your iman and make you feel better about yourself and your life, whatever your own situation may be.

this article was taken from the sisters magazine

Fi Aminillah