Striving to continuously improve ourselves is a goal that all Muslims should pursue in life. We all know that it is difficult to get over bad habits, but once we replace them with better habits, it will get easier and easier. The key is to discover better choices that interest you. For example, if you like to watch random shows on TV that do not benefit you, you can replace them with shows that can educate you on a topic that you’re interested in such as how to write more efficiently, learning to cook a certain dish, or perhaps learning a new language. We have some steps that will help make the transition easier for you, in shaa Allah. May Allah help you on your journey!
1. Make your intentions clear
First and foremost, making our intention clear is the most important aspect in anything that we do in life. We should remember Allah SWT by first saying Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem, which translates to “In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” After we do this, we should place in our hearts and our minds the intention for the specific habit we would like to remove from our lives, and the intention for the habit we would like to start performing in our lives.
2. Make duaa
Then, making duaa is the next step in our intention. Asking Allah SWT to help you on your journey is an important facet in making any goal come to life. Therefore, ask Allah SWT to guide you on your path and make it easy for you to learn new habits, be specific in your duaa, and Allah will facilitate it for you, in shaa Allah.
3. Identify why you do those unhealthy habits
Determining why you have specific unhealthy habits will help you discover yourself better. For example, if you procrastinate on important tasks, you may ask yourself, what is around you when you procrastinate? Is technology nearby? Do you have an environment set up?
4. Get closer to Allah SWT
Praying on time, praying sunnah prayers, making duaa, reciting dhikr, doing things that will please Allah SWT will all help you become closer to Him and put barakah in your life, so take every opportunity to increase these small but important acts of worship.
5. Seek refuge from Shaytan
Asking Allah SWT for protection from Shaytan is a key element to ensuring you are protected from bad thoughts against you, so make sure you do it ad you do it often by saying “a’oodhu bi-(A)llahi mina (a)sh-shayTaani (a)r-rajeem”, which we translate as “I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Shaytaan”.
6. Make good friends
When one has good influential people that they can go to and get advice from, it can encourage good habits to be created and maintained. Therefore having the right group of friends can make all the difference in your life. Good friends will love and support you on the path of Allah SWT.
May Allah SWT reward your intention, make this journey easy for you and give you success, ameen!
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This article was originally published in our Studio Arabiya Times magazine (Winter 2023-24). CLICK HERE to read the whole magazine!
