Truly, the main focus of a believer should be the betterment of his or her Akhira and to seek the pleasure of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). However, we as humans have the element of ‘nisyaan’ (forgetfulness) in our nature and we do get overwhelmed by the world and its material contents time and again.
Looking deep within myself and taking account of my day to life, I realize at this point in time in my life my children are very important and could be called the focus of my life.
Their well being and betterment and taking care of them takes up most of my time. My conversations cannot be complete without their mention and my thoughts are always going back to some aspect of their upbringing.
So what does this mean in light of the Verse 148 of Surah Baqarah which speaks of our focus as Believers. The verse prompts us:
وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا ۖ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ ۚ أَيْنَ مَا تَكُونُوا يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللَّـهُ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“For each [religious following] is a direction toward which it faces. So race to [all that is] good. Wherever you may be, Allah will bring you forth [for judgement] all together. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.“
[Al-Baqarah: 148]
First and foremost, it’s good to do an analysis like this time and again to shift gears and focus the ‘wajh’ or the focus back to where it should be for a believer and that is to the Worship and seeking pleasure of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ).
Secondly, the important thing to remember is that any material thing that is the main focus of our lives whether it be our kids, careers or our houses are blessings of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). And by no means should we show ingratitude by being totally negligent of them or abandoning them so to speak.
The real test of human is how we balance our worldly lives as well as our preparation for the next world. So gratitude at the three levels namely of the heart, tongue and the limbs is essential to give the true Haq of all that we have been blessed with by our Creator.
For example recently I have started to refrain from complaining about the hard work I have to put in for my children (especially in the absence of any help). This effort that I put in is a great favor from my Lord and how could I even begin to react negatively to it?
Moreover, often out special directions can become ways of bringing us closer to Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and His Deen too. I ask myself…What way I bring up my children? How much do I focus on their religious education? What effort to I make to raise them as true Muslims and true servants of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) All of this can bring me closer to my true purpose in life. Hence, as per the part two of the verse we can run towards good deeds no matter what our occupation and direction. When we begin doing this the doors to goodness open up to us in ways of seeking opportunities and we are to grab them promptly. Alhumdulillah for the Qur’an!
