Life is Making Decisions

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

Once, a Muslim American motivator told us: life is making decisions. You and I have met countless choices since the beginning of our consciousness. And, you and I have made countless decisions for every choice that we face. The question is: on what basis should we decide when we face these junctions in life? A more interesting question is: do we really have the choice in making decisions? More after the jump!

Junctions in Life

Everyone needs to decide. I need to decide: to go for tuition today or not to go. You may decide what you shall eat for breakfast. A Standard Six student may decide which school does he want to go for secondary education. A Form Three student may have a hard time deciding whether to go to a tarbiyah-based institution or one based on academic achievement for the upper-secondary level. A fifth former, like my friends and I, may decide: to study or to work, after SPM. To take secular or diniyah courses. To hold tight to the 5 years worth of tarbiyah or get rid of it and return to the darkness of jahiliyah.

The Ultimate Antagonistic Results

I know, to decide is a hard thing, especially for big things. This will lead us to a question: for what do we decide? Surprisingly, the answer is very simple: to obtain the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala. It is known that all of us will return to Allah one day. That is definite. We also know that our deeds will be weighed and judged on the Day of Judgement. And… what happens after we have been judged? We will enter one out of two ultimate places of return: the Garden or the Fire. We decide for ourselves. Those countless decisions that we have made and will make decides our end: live happily in Jannah or live in agony in Jahim. Those are the ultimate goals for our life decisions.

The Prechoice and Predecision

When we are facing choices, we should know: there is a prechoice—a choice before any choices. This prechoice comes with a dyadic option: Islamic or Jahilic. Syari’ah-compliant or incompliant. For Allah or not for Allah. Everytime we are facing choices, the options need to be ‘filtered’ with these dyadic filter. The problem is, we always filter the options with our LUST. Should it be unknown, the only One that will save us from Hell is Allah. Allah Ta’ala said in His Book:

Surely (the only true) faith in Allah’s Sight is Islam—Aali ‘Imran: 19

And He also said,

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers—Aali ‘Imran: 85

When we need to decide, prejudge the choices: does Allah agree with this or does He not? Get rid of all the options that do not agree with Allah’s Law. Only after that that you use your knowledge to make the best decision out of all the syariah-compliant options. As long as we live on Allah’s Earth, breathe in Allah’s oxygen and be Allah’s creation, we have no choice but to abide by His rules.

We don’t have any choice.

Actually, as Believers in Allah, we have no choice. Allah said in the Qur’an:

It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.—Al-Ahzab: 36

As you see, it is not fitting for us to have any choice, if we say that we love Allah and His Messenger. Doesn’t this make our lives easier? We don’t have to think hard to decide… just follow what Allah and the Prophet have decreed!

Everything is in Allah’s Plan

After we get rid of all Jahilic options, and all the options left will trouble us prove difficult to us one way or another, do not fear, as Allah will surely help us, as we are helping His Deen by obeying His rules. He said in His Book:

O ye who believe! If ye help Allah, He will help you and will make your foothold firm—Muhammad: 7

I want to relate to you a story of a man, who fears Allah and made his decision with thy Lord in his heart…

It is reported that Abu Bakr Al-Miski was once asked, “We always find a good odour emanating from you—why or how?”

He answered, “By Allah, for years now I have not used any perfume, but the reason for the good smell has to do with an ordeal that I passed through.

“A woman once tricked me into entering her home. Then she closed (and locked) the door behind her, after which she began to seduce me. I became utterly bewildered as to what I should do, for I had no options before me. I said to her, ‘I need to go and purify myself.’

“She ordered her servant to take me to the bathroom, and when I entered it, I took feaces in my hand and wiped it all over my body. Then I returned to her in that state.

“Shocked to see me like that, the woman ordered that I be removed from her home. I left and immediately took a shower. That very night I saw a dream; in it, it was said to me, ‘You have done that which no one else has ever done. I will make your smell good and pure in this world and in the Hereafter.’

“When I woke up, the smell of perfume was emanating from my body, and it has continued to emanate from my body until this very moment.”

Al-Muwa’iza wal-Majaliss, p. 224

Akhirul Kalam

Let’s eat halal food because Allah told us to. Let’s wear ‘aurat-covering clothes because Allah told us to. Let’s choose schools based on what Allah told us to. Let’s decide our lives based on what Allah told us to. When we face these choices in life, let’s decide with Allah and His Messenger in mind, may we be among those who succeed in this world and the Hereafter!