Key Islamic Practices for a Blessed and Successful Daily Life

Golden Principles of a Successful Life

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to His Protector, and peace be upon His Prophet, and upon his family and his companions, those who are disciplined by His manners. As for the rest, I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan.

It is those who strive among Us that We will surely guide them to Our ways. I would like to present to you some basic principles of a successful life. They can also be called golden principles. It is certain that in order to attain something, one must lose something. If I make an effort, Allah will certainly make my circumstances suitable for me.

The First Principle: Maintaining Wudu (Ablution)

The first principle is necessary — that we should adopt the habit of ablution (wudu). As soon as a person is without ablution, he should perform ablution again. If he has a disease that prevents it, he should stop using those things that break it. In order to attain something, he will have to lose something.

It is mentioned in the Hadith that purity (wudu) is a weapon — and a hallmark — of the believers. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 223)

Shaytan does not attack when a person is in a state of ablution. The second benefit is that being in a state of purity makes it easier to perform good deeds. And the third benefit is that as you live your life, so shall you die — in that state.

The Second Principle: Observing the Masnun Du'as

The second principle is that we should make an effort to follow the Masnun (prophetic) supplications. The importance of Masnun prayers cannot be overstated. There are 10–12 supplications that can be used in our daily lives. We should make an effort to use them.

It is mentioned in the Hadith that when a person enters his house, if he does not recite the du'a for entering the house, Shaytan will enter along with him. Obviously, when Shaytan enters, he will not sit on the prayer mat. He will make the husband and wife fight in the house, he will cause the children to be disobedient, he will bring about misfortune. These are all situations that are created by me and you. And if I read the Masnun du'a while entering the house, Shaytan will not enter. He cannot enter the house. These are the effects and blessings of my beloved Prophet's Masnun supplications.

In a narration, it is said that a Sahabi was sitting in front of him. When the Prophet saw him, he smiled. The Sahabi immediately asked, "O Prophet of Allah, why did you smile?" The Prophet replied, "This companion of mine forgot to recite Bismillah before eating, so Shaytan was eating with him. While he was eating, the Sahabi remembered and recited it midway — at which point Shaytan vomited out everything he had eaten and ran away."

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3767; also narrated in Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1858)

So it is certain that the Masnun supplications have a lot of effects and blessings. Today, we ignore them — whether we recite them or not. They require a little effort, but they have enormous effects and blessings.

The Third Principle: Tasbih, Tahmid, and Tahlil in Our Conversations

The third principle is to include Tasbih, Tahmid, and Tahlil in our conversations. In my conversations, سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ, إِنَّا لِلَّهِ — if we try to include these words in our conversations, then on the Day of Judgment, our conversations will be weighed in the scale.

There was a time when the conversations of our elders were weighed in the scale — meaning they were filled with remembrance of Allah. Today, the situation is different. The conversations of today's youth — and I am speaking about what I have observed — are not of the same quality. But if we try to include even a single word of remembrance in our conversations, then our conversations will be weighed in the scale on the Day of Judgment.

The Fourth Principle: Memorising Portions of the Holy Quran

The fourth principle is that we try to memorise at least a portion of the Holy Quran. It is mentioned in the Hadith that there is a Surah in the Holy Quran which consists of 30 verses, and my desire is that this Surah be preserved in the mind of every member of the Ummah — and that is Surah Al-Mulk.

So let us try to memorise at least some portion of the Holy Quran. Let us try to memorise Surah Ya-Sin and recite it in the mornings. Let us try to memorise Surah Al-Mulk. Let us try to memorise Surah Al-Waqi'ah. These are a few Surahs — let us try to memorise them.

The Fifth Principle: Cultivating Silence

The next principle is that we try to remain silent. Generally, what happens in our society is that people seem to have an endless amount of time. They sit in a hotel, and after a couple of meetings, they order a cup of tea, and the discussion begins — one government is building, and the other is demolishing. In the end, they return home empty-handed.

So we try to remain silent. The easy solution to this is what we have observed in our elders — the silence they used to maintain. If you read the lives of the Akabir (great scholars), it was their habit to remain silent. I have seen Shaikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Mufti Muhammad Fareed, may Allah have mercy on him — he used to speak only in response to a question; otherwise he would remain silent. If you asked him something, he would answer; otherwise he would not speak on his own. So try to remain silent.

The Sixth Principle: Self-Accounting Before Sleep

Another principle is self-accounting — before going to sleep at night, do your self-accounting. This is a good deed; this is a sin. If a sin is revealed, repent. If you are grateful for the opportunity to do a good deed, Allah will increase it. If you repent, Allah will forgive your sins.

A successful trader is one who, before closing up in the evening, prepares his accounts — what he has earned, what he has lost. He does self-accounting. He is the most successful trader. The one who does not prepare his accounts before closing up in the evening is a victim of failure.

So before going to sleep at night, do your self-accounting. Observe for a moment. Look inside yourself. Pay attention to yourself. Because all day long, my eyes are fixed on other people's faces — looking for their weaknesses, speaking about them without tiring. At least before going to sleep at night, I should lower my gaze to myself and worry about myself for a while. Self-accounting is a very fundamental act — very fundamental. For a moment I will think that I have made a mistake, I will repent. I will be thankful for my good deeds, and the business of my good deeds will move towards success.

The Seventh Principle: Give Precedence to Religious Duties

Another principle is: if at some point the work of religion and the work of the world come together, try to give precedence to the work of religion. Allah will take care of the work of the world.

One thing may come to mind here. Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa said that if you are very hungry and it is time to pray, then eat first and then pray — it may seem he gave precedence to the world. No. He meant that in the situation where the hunger is so intense that if you pray first, all your prayers will be consumed by thoughts of food — your mind will be towards food. So eat quickly and then pray with peace of mind. Consider even that eating to be for the sake of religion.

There is a very striking incident about this. There was an Arab man. It was the day of Jumu'ah — the day of Allah's glory. It was also the day and time to water his fields. In the meantime, his wife told him that the camel had gotten loose and wandered out — "Go and find it so that it does not go far."

He said, "It is the time of Jumu'ah. First, I will offer the Jumu'ah prayers. Then I will come and find the camel, and then I will go and water the fields." He left the work of the world and went for the Jumu'ah prayers.

Now, behold the glory of Allah. When he returned after offering the Jumu'ah prayers, the camel was locked safely inside the house. He asked his wife, "Where did it come from?" She said, "I do not know. After a while, I heard dogs barking. When I looked from the door, our camel was running ahead and the dogs were running behind it." Allah had put the dogs behind it and it came home on its own.

He said, "This is done — should I now water the fields?" By the power of Allah, when he saw the fields, there was already water in them. He was very surprised. He asked his neighbour, "Where did this water come from?" His neighbour said, "Actually, I was watering my field. A part of the water channel broke without my knowing, and the water was coming down and flowing here — it irrigated my field and then flowed into yours." So it is certain that when we give precedence to religion, Allah will make it easy for us. This is one golden principle of life.

The Eighth Principle: Avoiding Heartbreak

Another golden principle is that we should save ourselves from causing heartbreak — hurting another person's heart, injuring their self-respect. The biggest disease is the disease of the heart, and the worst form of it is heartbreak. So we should save ourselves from this. We should not hurt another person's heart — neither with signs, nor with our words, nor with our actions. We should make it a firm principle.

If we make it a habit to hurt other people's hearts, then on the Day of Resurrection, the abode of destruction is what awaits us. May Allah protect us all.

The Ninth Principle: Istihdar-e-Khudawandi — Awareness of Allah's Presence

And another principle is that we should try to remain in a state of Istihdar-e-Khudawandi — the awareness that Allah is watching. Every moment I should be aware that my Lord is watching me, that He is with me. This is a principle through which we can save ourselves from many sins.

Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya, may Allah have mercy on him, is a great scholar and saint from our Multan — you may have heard his name. In his youth, he went to his teacher, and after only three days, his teacher permitted him to guide others. Now, those who had been living in the Khanqah for years were naturally reluctant — they had not received this blessing, yet this young stranger was granted it in three days. So they started quarrelling amongst themselves.

Hazrat Zakariya felt the weight of the situation. It is a famous incident — you may have heard of it. So he called everyone together. He gave each person a knife and a living bird. He said, "Go and slaughter it in a place where no one can see you." Everyone thought it was a permissible command of the teacher. The sooner I do it, the better. So they ran — some went to the desert, some went to the jungle, some reached the top of the mountain, some stayed on the side of the mountain, some climbed great rocks and tall trees. They checked left and right, saw no one, slaughtered the bird, and ran back to the Khanqah.

One by one, they returned. But when almost everyone had arrived, they noticed that the young man — Bahauddin Zakariya — was not there. After a while, he came running. As he came closer, they could see that he had the knife in his hand and the bird was still alive. When he came straight to the teacher and presented the knife and the bird, the teacher said, "Bahauddin Zakariya, everyone followed the command and slaughtered the bird. You have brought it back alive."

The teacher wept. Then Bahauddin Zakariya spoke. He said, "You gave me the command to go to such a place and slaughter the bird where no one could see me. I went to the Sahara. I went to the jungle. I climbed the peak of the mountain. I stayed on the side of the mountain. I climbed great rocks. I reached a cave so dark that I was unable to see my own hand — and then I realised that my Lord was watching me even there. That is why I brought the bird back alive."

This is the foundation and the essence of Istihdar-e-Khudawandi — that I should carry within me the awareness that my Lord is watching me. All the spiritual disciplines and strivings that are taught in the path of Tasawwuf are aimed at cultivating this very quality. If you achieve this, then your life and my life will be safe.

Conclusion: The Story of Kifal and the Power of Sincere Repentance

These are the basic principles. If we try to adopt them and bring them into our lives, then your life and my life will definitely change. Till now, you and I have been victims of heedlessness — but still, you and I have a chance. If we truly repent, my Lord is very merciful and very kind. When He comes to forgive, He not only forgives sins but also transforms them into good deeds, and He also plants love in the hearts of others.

As a last example, the companions narrated something they heard about the people of Bani Isra'il. There was a man among them whose name was Kifal. He was a person deeply immersed in sin — influential in his area and community, and wealthy. His door was always open to sin.

In the same community, there was a young woman who was very beautiful but extremely pure in character. One day she was in dire need of money, and her relatives could not arrange it for her. In the end, she was helpless and decided to go to Kifal, the wealthy man, and ask him for a loan — that she would return the money. In the evening she reached his door.

Kifal saw that she was already in distress. He said he would give her 60 Dinars — but with sin. She was helpless and remained silent. But when Kifal was about to commit the sin, she became very anxious and cried out, "I fear Allah! Fear your Lord!" At this, Kifal stopped. He asked her if she had ever committed such a sin before. She swore that she had never done so — that she was pure, and had spent her life in obedience.

This struck Kifal deeply. He reflected: "She is pure, yet she said she fears Allah — while I have spent my life in disobedience. How can I not fear Allah?" He took the 60 Dinars, gave them to her, and sent her away with full respect. He told her to keep the money without any condition. That very night, he fell into prostration (sajdah) and passed away from this world — the same night he was blessed with repentance, death came to him.

Allah then, because his repentance was so sincere and true, not only forgave his sins — but Allah transformed the thoughts that people had about him in their hearts into respect and love. Allah placed love for him in the hearts of others. So my Lord is so Generous — so Merciful. Let us turn to our Lord. Let us be of those who throw themselves at the door of Allah and beg from Him.

And if we make an effort to bring these principles into our lives, then Allah will make every path easy for us. Walking upon the straight path will become easier. Our du'a is that Allah grant us all the tawfiq to act upon these principles.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Du'a — Closing Supplication

It is mentioned in the Hadith that before making du'a, one should invoke the Beautiful Names of Allah, and Allah does not reject such a du'a. I will now mention a few of Allah's most beloved Names. Please respond with "Ya Allah" after each Name.