Ihsaan Magazine June 2018 Issue - Sunnah Revival | Page 27

Sunnah Revival and subscribe to these scholars’ feeds. To go deeper into the topic, read books that are based on the authentic sources and find qualified teachers to explain what you read in order to confirm your understanding. Seek Good Friends Our Prophet (SAW) taught us that your company contributes tremendously to the very course your life will take – he (SAW) said: “Man is on the religion of his friend, so let every one of you examine whom he befriends.” [Tirmidhi] Try to surround yourself with good people who will remind you of the Sunnah. It’s good to be around those who verbally remind you, but it’s even better to be around those who actively practice the Sunnah themselves. Humans are imitative creatures by nature, so merely being in the company of such good influences is bound to inspire you to follow their example. Make It a Habit Actively think of how you can turn your selected Sunnahs into everyday habits. Such as: • identifying the Sunnah: i.e. the action itself • knowing what the reward for following the Sunnah is • finding an effective trigger that will remind you to do the action. Say you want to implement the Sunnah of making wudu before sleeping every night. The cycle could look like this: Action: Making wudu before sleeping each night. Identify the reward: Forgiveness will be sought for you by an angel (wow!) – as per the hadith: “…Whenever a slave spends his night in a state of purification, an angel spends his night within his (slave’s) hair and he does not turn over during the night except that he [the angel] says: ‘O Allah, forgive Your slave, for he went to sleep in a state of purification.’” [Reported by at- Tabaranee. See Saheeh al-Jamee (3831)] Trigger: Identify the last thing you do before getting into bed – for example, brushing your teeth. Make that the trigger, telling yourself that from now on after you brush your teeth, you’ll make wudu. Identify and Relate the Sunnah to Your Roles There have been many great people in the history of humanity, and many of them have been taken as examples and role models by the people of their time and future generations. However, our Prophet (SAW) is unique in that he is a flawless, timeless, universal role model: every other human had some flaws and negative sides to their character, but he (SAW) is the only one whose every aspect of life can be taken as a positive example. He fulfilled a number of different roles in his life: he was the leader of the Muslim community, a husband, a father, a teacher, an army commander, a statesman and much more. Look at all his roles and find one those that relate to your own life – for example, if you’re a teacher, study the aspects of his seerah relating to his teaching methods. Take him as your ultimate role model in your job – learn his Sunnahs as a teacher and try to incorporate that into your own teaching style. By making the Sunnah very specific – instead of letting the whole body of it overwhelm you – you can find in our Prophet (SAW) your ultimate role model for any important role you play in life. Set Visual Reminders “And Remind, for verily a reminder benefits the believer.” [Qur’an: Chapter, Verse 55] We, humans, are visual creatures, but in our modern societies, more often than not, what we see in the outside world calls us to vice and. One way of countering this is to use your sight in a beneficial way – by looking at that which reminds you of goodness, such as Sunnahs you can implement. In your home or workplace, stick up visual reminders of the Sunnahs you want to follow. These could be as simple as post-it notes, or as complex as Islamic infographics. May Allah (SWT) help us all to incorporate the Sunnah into our lives so that we may earn His love, forgiveness, and ultimately, success in both this life and the next, Aameen! WRITTTEN BY: Yacoob Manjoo Ihsaan | Issue 3 | 25