Who is God? Does He exist? And can you really be practising your religion in the 21st century?

This is for all of you to answer but in today’s article, I will be sharing a few of my personal tips that have helped me to practise my religion Islam in the 21st century despite having other responsibilities such as school, social life, podcasting and even blogging on this website.

In Sha Allah, you will be able to incorporate some of this advice in your life.

Find out the ‘why’

Without knowing the ‘why’, you will never feel the motivation to get started. So before you jump into the complexities of Islam, you need to start off simple by doing your research. What are the core values of Islam? What are the five pillars that really makes a practising Muslim? Is it really that hard? Write a list of questions down and then try finding the answer. Islam is a way of life so you will find it. 

You need to research but one thing I must say is that please try to get verified sources when researching such as the actual translation of the Qur’an, the six books of Hadith, YouTube channels like FreeQuranEducation, Bayyinah Institute, Mufti Menk and even Shaykh Hasan Ali. 

It may feel overwhelming but do 5-10 minutes research every day and it will unravel the beauty of Islam.

Do not make it seem as a chore

When you are researching, please do not make it feel like a chore. This is why I advise you to research at your own pace and try to understand everything carefully. If you see something you disagree with, ask questions. ‘Seeking knowledge is a compulsion on every Muslim.’

Get involved with people

If you do have people around you who are practising Muslims, then do go and speak to them. Again, please take into mind that a practising Muslim is NOT equal to Islam or perfection. You need to figure out what you believe in because everyone has their own way of following the religion.

Know your priorities

A lot of young people neglect their religion because they believe that they don’t have enough time. However, recently I watched a TED talk and the speaker said that it’s not about not having enough time, it’s just that that activity is not a priority. So, many young people don’t pray because praying is not a priority to them, and not because they don’t have enough time. Praying is powerful because it helps you in your hard times, it structures your routine and makes you feel like someone is always there for you, so make it a priority.

Incorporate it into your to do lists

If you keep forgetting to pray, start small. Write the prayers in your to do lists and use the MuslimPro app to alert you when it is Adhan time. So, your to do list which is essentially your list of priorities of the day will have your Salahs on it and you will be reminded to pray.

What to do if you don’t feel like to practise it:

If you start your journey of practising Islam, you may have obstacles. But you would have had obstacles anyways even if you didn’t practise Islam. So I would advise you to carry on and go for it. Remember, Satan is trying to make you feel like it’s so hard to practise Islam when in reality, it is surely achievable and will transform your life for the better. Just believe in it. 

Please do not give up. It is a sign that you received this article, whether it’s because you are feeling upset, want to know who God is or you just want to practise your religion more. 

Allah knows best.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

So what’s the solution? One is that you need to manage your time more effectively. So, in today’s article, I wanted to share a few tips on how I manage my time more effectively to make the most out of it. I hope it helps :).

Figure out whether you are a morning person or a night owl.

Do you prefer waking up really early and completing your work before leaving the house or do you prefer working in the evenings with a mug of hot tea? After finding out, incorporate this into your routine.

Plan a routine.

Now after figuring out when you like to work best, and when you have free time, you can plan a weekly overview of how your week should look like. Take into account your work time, free time and even extracurriculars. You can choose how detailed you want this routine to be.

Have a planning system that will track all your tasks.

Whether it is bullet-journaling, an academic diary, a digital app or even a simple notebook, find a place to jot down your to-do lists and keep track of your past, present and future. As said in the quote “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” make sure to plan daily.

Prioritise your tasks. 

This will help you to know which tasks you should do when and set out the day in order of tasks importance.

Practise good, consistent habits.

It can then take quite some time to get used to this routine but have the self-discipline to keep striving to do your best. You may see the long-term effects of feeling more put-together and may even have more time in your hands. One healthy habit I would suggest for students is to always pack your backpack and tidy up your uniform for school the night before.

Set timers for each task.

To manage your time, you need to keep track of it. The simplest way to do this is by setting timers for each task. If your phone, however, distracts you while doing so, then it is best to buy a timer which alerts you (optional). This will help you to put you in a time constraint and make sure you are not spending too long on one task. By setting timers, you also challenge yourself to complete the task quicker.

Remove distractions.

When performing tasks, especially important ones, it is crucial to remove distractions so that you can focus on your task and get it done quicker. For example, if you keep using your phone while doing your Math homework, it will probably take you longer than doing it without any distractions. 

Be in the present moment.

This may contradict what I said earlier about planning, but it really isn’t. Being in the present moment means that when you are doing a task put all your focus, energy and concentration on that task. For instance, when you study, try not to fade away thinking about something unrelated to it.

Take care of your sleep, diet and organisation.

As much as these three things can be forgotten, they do still play a huge role in your time management. A bad diet and lack of sleep can lead to low concentration levels and high-stress levels which can be wasting your time. Get enough sleep and take time off to have your regular meals too as health is important.

Allocate different spaces for different tasks. 

Your desk should be for work-related tasks whilst your dining room should be to relax. That way, your brain knows which places are for what and can act upon it. 

These were some of my easy time-management tips. I hope this helps (try it out if you want) and for me, it works better the more I practise them. Please share it with your family and friends. 

Please also check out my other articles:

http://surobiscribbles.com/category/lifestyle/l-i-f-e-l-e-s-s-o-n-s/

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!