What are your priorities?

What are your priorities?  

Prophet Muhammad said “Whoever’s greatest concern is this world then Allah will scatter his affairs…”

You will never be satisfied, the grass will always seem greener somewhere else….that is life and a predicament of the human race.

Why would Bill Gates keep making money when he already is one of the richest men in the world? Why would someone with enough money to last a few life times still desire more and more. No matter how much greater of this world you have you will always feel poor because it does not give you happiness or consoles you completely; look at wall street, some of the biggest richest guys in the worlds, look at their condition, Are they happy?  

In 2009, a 74 year-old German industrialist, the 47^th richest man in the world, lost 9 billion dollars in one week. He went home and killed himself. All of the years of experience didn’t teach him to handle this crisis. His fortune of 15 billion dollars was reduced to 5 billion dollars. In order to spend this much money, you would have to spend 20,000 dollars a day for 80 years. This man even after this great loss, was still so rich but felt so poor. The focus is on this world, when it can be with you today but gone tomorrow.

“but who makes the next world his goal, Allah will bring his affairs together…”

True wealth is not in an accumulation in this life, truth wealth is the wealth of the soul. Only in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. There are only two options, you either prioritize and care for this life more than the next or you care for the world to come.  When you forget Allah, what do you remember? We need to judge ourselves before we will be judged.

So ask yourself, what are your priorities?

For a few seconds, I want you to not think about anyone else but yourself and think about what you believe to be your priorities? And do not lie to yourself; give proofs to what you claim to be your priority. Don’t say getting to jannah is your priority and you don’t pray your five prayers. Be honest.

How often do we pray? Recite Quran? How fast do we pray? How many people truly consider the small thing in Islam to be important? How many of us strive for the bare minimum?

Most Muslims will claim that Islam, praying, and striving to jannah is their priority.  But our words do not match our actions. Our actions prove where our priorities are; Generally we work for this life more than the hereafter. The money, the jewel, everything is in front of us, easy temptation and easy satisfaction.

Everything here is temporary when we die, do you take you home? Your car? Your watch? We don’t even take our children? But we love these things more than the hereafter….Why? why do we treasure things that last only as long as we live than a place that will last forever?

We are blind, not blind like the disbelievers because we know who Allah is, we know that we have to die, we know what heave is and we sure do know what hell is but our priorities still remain in the dunya. We are blinded by the temporary because we cannot see the eternal gifts of Jannah. Someone once said,

“Dunya is like a shadow. If you try to catch it, you will never be able to do so. If you turn your back towards it, it has no choice but to follow it”

There are people who will watch TV, and pray after the show but if you are a good “Muslim” you will pray between the 90 minute commercial break. (chicken pray) what are their priorities?

There are people who will go to work all day and combine all five prayers at night. What are their priorities?

There are people who know everything about science, history, math but when you ask them to recite Al-Fatiha or ask them any Islamic question, they know nothing, what are their priorities?

Allah does not force people to pray, read Quran, or to be good. It is haram to compel people to do anything is Islam. You are that which you work for. And you work for that which you love. If you love the hereafter, you will prioritize it. If we love this religion will prioritize it.

Allah has not made this hard. You can be a doctor and be Muslim. You can be lawyer and be Muslim. You can be smart, funny, a business man, anything you want to be and BE MUSLIMS. In Islam, having an education is important, making money is halal, culture is respected but these “Dunya things” cannot be prioritized over your deen, which will lead you to an eternal prize, a prize that will last, FORVEVER.

- Destination: Jannah