I was pondering over a famous Dua (supplication) that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to say at times of anxiety or sorrow, and I realised how wonderful this dua is for Productive Muslims everywhere.
The dua is:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الْهَمِّ وَالْحُزْنِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ
‘O Allaah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being over powered by men.’
If we look at all the six elements that the Dua above is asking Allah for refuge from, we would realise that all of them are anti-Productivity elements that if removed from our lives we can move forward much quicker and be more productive.
Anxiety & Sorrow:
When you’re sad, bothered, or anxious about something, you cannot be productive as your mind is taken over by what’s bothering you. Your thought process is not devoted to anything else except how to get rid of your anxiety or sorrow. Sometimes these anxieties are small, sometimes they are big, but however big/small they are, the moment these anxieties take over your life and blur your thoughts, then you need to make this dua.
Imagine the feeling of looking at the man who murdered your uncle, who cut out his organs and gave it to someone to eat- and forgiving him. Imagine being abused and taunted, and when given the chance to retaliate, instead you forgive. This was the Messenger of Allah Ta’ala (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), a man described as “an excellent exemplar for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day” [Quran, Chapter 33, Surat al-Ahzab, 33:21].
Believe it or not, there was a time when Mr. ProductiveMuslim, wasn’t that productive! My biggest weakness was video games – I was insanely addicted to them, and alhamdulillah I managed to rid myself of them when I went to university and had to live without them for 4-5 years.
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