Living on Purpose and with Purpose

Alhamdullilah, as Muslims, we are given the gift of understanding our purpose on earth, which people will spend a lifetime searching for, in the Quran in the following verses:

“I have not created mankind and jinn except to worship Me” (51:56)

“When your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing on the earth a caliph” (2:30)

These two verses would need pages and chapters written to reveal their full depth and meaning.  Very briefly though, ‘worship’ in the first verse is not limited to our prayers and fasting for example but can truly encompass everything we do in our lives when we do it with the intention of drawing nearer to Allah.  So it can include our eating, sleeping, spending time with our loved ones, studying, working, etc.

As for the meaning of ‘caliph’ – this term is used to define the one who will take care of this earth, help build it, make a positive difference and fulfill the role of leadership that Allah (Swt) has placed them in – whatever that role may be – from a Head of State that is responsible for the well being of a country and its people to a parent that is responsible for the well being of their children to a student or an employee that is responsible for succeeding in their studies and work to every single human being who has a unique role to fulfill.

So the question that lies ahead is – are we living with this sense of purpose everyday of our lives? Do we wake up each morning, prepared to take on anything, because we know that we have an ultimate purpose to fulfill and a legacy to deliver?

Once again, although as Muslims, we may know our ultimate purpose, the question is how does that translate it into our everyday actions?  How does it translate into our faith, our relationships, our professional lives, our health, and our ultimate contribution to make this world a better place?

Many of us will cite preferences or wishes for what we would like to accomplish but if we really want to step up, then one of the first things we can do is write down our goals.

You can start off with writing your short term goals (1-3 years), mid-term goals (3-5 years), and long term goals (5-10 years).  And to re-emphasize and confirm, at the end of this document write down in 10 years what you will have accomplished in sha Allah, by the grace of Allah (Swt).  Seeing that last part by itself will in sha Allah give you tremendous enthusiasm and determination because now you’ve written it, you’ve read it, and you’ll begin to internalize it and truly start to experience the joy and gratitude that will come as a result of accomplishing it in sha Allah.

Remember you should dream big, but start small.  So, would you like your children to love Allah, understand and appreciate the the faith and live by it each day and be well rounded individuals who are confident and successful?   Then it starts with having simple conversations from the time they’re toddlers about how Allah created everything beautiful for us – and having them participate in our prayers and in our Quran reading and sharing stories from the sunnah with them.   It starts with providing them with an Islamic environment, with teaching them the beauty of the Arabic language, with involving them in different extra-curricular activities, with allowing them to make decisions appropriate for their age – it ultimately starts with giving our time and thought to how we raise a human being that can in sha Allah be an amazing well-rounded compassionate, responsible Muslim member of society.

Many of us have many ‘dreams’ and ‘wishes’ but once they are on paper and they’re reviewed regularly then they become ‘goals’ and then you will truly experience in sha Allah the beauty of living on purpose and with purpose.  We only have one lifetime and yes of course there should be time for rest and relaxation to rejuvenate ourselves with the intention that even this time we take to rest is to enable us to continue living our ultimate purpose of drawing nearer to Allah (Swt).  Ultimately though, let us live the beauty of feeling empowered, optimistic, and determined as we strive to always be in a state of living on purpose and with purpose.