Maintaining Discipline in Worship

'Abdullaah would rise before Fajr (dawn) each morning and rush tothe
Mosque to offer the prayer. He would return to the Mosque for Maghrib
(sunset) and 'Ishaa' (evening) prayers as well. He readthe Quran
daily. He studied other Islamic books in his spare time. He spent much
of his free time with his family and took his role as the spiritual
leader in his home quite seriously .
Five years later, he found that he would go days, sometimes a whole
week without performing a single prayer. He no longer attends
congregational prayer at the Mosque—he didn't have time with his new
job. This new job involved his working closely in nightclub
establishments with people of questionable backgrounds. This resulted
in his becoming very secretive about many of his work activities; he
didn't even talk to his wife about them because he knew she would
disapprove. Work kept him busy all night and throughout the entire
weekend. Many of his new friends also worked with him and he began to
spend a great deal of his free time with them. Because of this, he
spent less time with his family. He had to sleep during theday in
order to be able to work each night.
His wife noticed a great change inhis demeanor. They had several
discussions about his work and how it was affecting him and his
relationship with Allaah Almighty. He agreed, and would begin the
process of searching for new work, but inevitably, chose to stay in
his current job. He soon found himself feeling very distanced from his
wife and children. Even though the money was abundant when he first
began, it was now barely paying the bills.
He felt his marriage crumbling beneath the years of neglect. He found
himself succumbing to depression over his circumstances, unmotivated
to initiate the things he knew he would have to do in order for his
life to change .
It is interesting to note that 'Abdullaah's life seemed much more
peaceful and balanced when he engaged in his regular religious duties,
and began to suffer significantly when he abandoned them .
Could this simply be a coincidence? Imaam Mohammad Baianouni of the
Islamic Center inRaleigh, North Carolina accuratelysums up situations
like this stating: "The regulation of a man's conduct within one
systemof life is one of the most important reasons of success
andstability. The absence of this regulation is one of the greatest
crises a man suffers from in his life. This happens when man is left
without guidance from Allaah, The Most High, or without proper
upbringing based on the Divine Guidance. Under these circumstances,
man's life becomes miserable on this earth and he will be amongst the
losers in the Hereafter".
A religion of discipline
It is only from the infinite wisdom and mercy of Allaah that we have
been given a system of belief that instructs and assists inguiding our
actions and behavior.By participating in the daily obligations of our
faith outlined in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad we
are more likely to enjoy Allaah's bounty in this life, and reap the
rewards in the Hereafter. Allaah Almighty ordered all believers to be
disciplined in their worship, and not to disobey Him. In the Quran,
Allaah Says (what means) " So remain on a right course as you have
been commanded, [you]and those who have turned back with you [to
Allaah], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do. "
[Quran 11: 112]
The intensity of our faith changesthroughout our lives. There are
times when we are of strong faith, and times when we struggle. Many
brothers and sisters who proudly claim Islam as their religion
unintentionally find themselves "slipping" in their religious duties.
Seemingly overnight their lives go from pleasurable and carefree to
darkness and confusion. You maybegin to acknowledge that you have
landed in such a state because of the choices you made,but you are
lost as to how to go about changing things.
Being steadfast in our duties to Allaah Almighty is what keeps you
from languishing during yourdarker moments. Remember thatyour ultimate
return is to Him Almighty, so you must develop discipline and a
consistency in your daily routine to keep your faith from sinking.
Developing discipline
Recognizing your shortcomings isthe first step towards becoming more
disciplined. Allaah AlmightySays (what means): "…Indeed, Allaah will
not change the condition of a people until they change what is in
themselves..." [Quran 13: 11] When you decide to change for the sake
of Allaah Almighty, Allaah will help you change. Each one is
responsible for oneself and will be questioned accordingly on the Day
of Judgment, with no one to intercede on your behalf. You must make
the choice to live yourlife according to Allaah's Will on your own.
You will not benefit from being told about what you need to do and how
you need to change in order to have a more fulfilling life. You must
take an interest in making those changesfor yourself. Only then can
you reap the rewards. Think about the wives of the Prophets Noah and
Loot, may Allaah exalt their mention. Each Prophet tried
unsuccessfully to offer the best guidance to his wife, but
becausethere was no real interest on their part, it was said to each
of women (what means): "…Enter the Fire with those who enter!" [Quran
66: 10]
I have a good friend who was going through a very rough time.Her faith
was at an all time low. During several of our conversations, she
lamented thatAllaah Almighty was punishing her for not being a "good
Muslim." I asked her: "Why must Allaah be punishing you? Allaah puts
us through many tests and trials in this life to give us the chance to
know Him better." We debated back and forth about this for some time.
She was reallystuck in the debts of despair, andfound my comments
annoyingly optimistic. I reminded her that Allaah Almighty is also
Merciful and that this trial for her could be the wake up call she
needed to have an opportunity to renew and redeem her faith and become
closer to Him Almighty. Perhaps Allaah had to put her through such
difficulty to get her attention and give her a chance to make changes
.
There are many things you can doto establish discipline in your daily
life. Such consistency not only balances our faith, but all other
aspects of our lives as well :
Evaluate yourself regularly to make certain you are doing all that you
can spiritually.
Perform your daily prayers punctually each day.
Read the Quran regularly, with aneffort to truly understand what you
are reading.
Seek knowledge regularly, religious and other, through books,
CDs/tapes, classes and lectures.
Keep company with righteous people.
Have confidence in your faith and,more importantly, in Allaah Almighty.
Regularly spend some time alone in contemplation and worship.
Islam is a complete way of life. Asbelievers, we should desire the
discipline that allows us to regulate our lives and keep chaosaway. In
choosing this way of life,peace and contentment are your right.
Discipline comes as a resultof performing certain duties consistently.
Ask Allaah to help you to establish discipline in yourreligious
commitment and to be able to submit to all that pleases Him Almighty.