The Boat of Life

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• A boat floats on water. The water is needed by the boat to fulfill its purpose. But if it takes in too much water it will sink.

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• Life is the boat; the dunya is the water.

(Shaikh Sadullah Khan)

Use Time Appropriately

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There are four considerations to take into account:

• The question: if you want to know your future, look at your present.

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• The choice: accept conditions as they are or accept the responsibility for change.

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• The realisation: we have limited time and don’t know when it will end.

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• The need: live in the world as if you are going to die tomorrow.

(Shaikh Sadullah Khan)

Live Life

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• Live a wakened life; be not awakened by death.

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• ‘Ali radiyallahu ‘anhu said, “an Naasu niyaamun, fa idhaa maatoo intabahoo – People are asleep; when they die, they awaken.“

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• Live the depth of life (i.e. don’t just exist).

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• The Prophet sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam encouraged us to plant a tree, even if it is on the Last Day.

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• Act; act right; act right now.

(Shaikh Sadullah Khan)

Time

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• There are two Surahs in the Qur’an named after time: al-‘Asr and al-Dahr.

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• Neither accuse nor abuse time. Imam al-Shafi’i said in one of his poems: “Na’eebu zamaananaa wal ‘aibu feenaa; wa laisa li zamaaninaa ‘aibun siwaanaa – We blame our era, whereas the fault lies within us; and there is no fault in our era, except us.“

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• Every second we have is an amaanah.

(Shaikh Sadullah Khan)