The D Word [Discipline]
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Allah
Alhamdulillah. Praise be to Allah, who has given us blessings we cannot count.
وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا
And if you were to count Allah’s blessings, you would not be able to enumerate them. (Al Qur’an, Abraham, 14:34)
Praise be to Allah whose praise we cannot count.
لاَ أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ
I cannot count Your praise. You are as you have praised Yourself. (Muslim: 486)
Praise be to Allah, who loves praise
أَمَا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يُحِبُّ الْحَمْدَ
Your Lord loves praise. (Adab Al Mufrad: 859, Hasan — Al Albani)
Praise be to Allah, who has made the best supplication His praise.
أَفْضَلُ الذِّكْرِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَفْضَلُ الدُّعَاءِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
The best remembrance is: ‘there is none god except Allah (Lā ilāha illallāh)’ and the best supplication is: ‘(All) praise is due to Allah (Al-ḥamdulillāh)’ (Tirmizi, 3383, who said it is Hasan Ghareeb)
Our Lord, praise be to You until you are pleased.
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ وَرِضَا نَفْسِهِ وَزِنَةَ عَرْشِهِ وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِهِ
Glory be be Allah with praise of Him according to the number of His creation and according to the pleasure of His Self and according to the weight of His Throne and according to the ink of His words. (Muslim, 2726a)
Peace and blessings be upon the noble Messenger Muhammad peace be upon him, the seal of the Prophets and the last of the Messengers,
عَسَىٰ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا
It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised station. (Al Qur’an, the Night Journey, 17:79)
آتِ محَـمَّداً الوَسيـلةَ وَالْفَضـيلَة وَابْعَـثْه مَقـامـاً مَحـموداً الَّذي وَعَـدْتَه
[O Allah] grant Muhammad the wasilah and the favor and raise him to a praised station You have promised him. (Bukhari: 4719)
Blessings and peace be upon him (the Prophet), and his family and companions.
To proceed,
We lack discipline in our life today and thus lose out on a great deal of goodness and reward.
Dear brothers and sisters, understand that the time in our lime is finite. There are only a certain and fixed number of days we will live.
If you live for 85 years, that is around 31,000 days.
If we miss out on a day of worship like the morning and evening remembrances, that is missed out for ever. And we can never make up for it. Ever.
Understand this point. Its a powerful idea.
How can we have discipline to carry out our acts of worship and goodness?
Sabr
In Islam, we are taught of a comprehensive word called “Sabr” (patience). It includes having discipline in doing the tasks.
Allah says:
رَّبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَاعْبُدْهُ وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِ ۚ هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا
Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them — so worship Him and have patience for His worship. Do you know for Him any compeer? (Al Qur’an, Mary, 19:65)
Yes we need to have patience in worshipping our Lord.
But how can we be patient?
1. Try to Remain Patient. Allah will make you Patient.
Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet peace be upon him said:
وَمَنْ يَتَصَبَّرْ يُصَبِّرْهُ اللَّهُ
And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. (Bukhari, 1469)
2. Be patient to Gain the Love of Allah.
Allah says:
وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّابِرِينَ
And Allah loves the patient. (Al Qur’an, the Family of Imran, 3:146)
When you don’t feel like being patient, remind yourself you’re doing this for Allah’s love.
3. Be patient for Victory and Help
Want victory and help? Then be patient.
Ibn Abbas reported, the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said:
وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ فِي الصَّبْرِ عَلَى مَا تَكْرَهُ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا وَأَنَّ النَّصْرَ مَعَ الصَّبْرِ وَأَنَّ الْفَرَجَ مَعَ الْكَرْبِ وَأَنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
Know that there is much good in being patient with what you detest, And that victory/help comes with patience, relief with affliction, and with hardship is ease. (Musnad Aḥmad 2804, Sahih according to Shakir)
4. Seek Help through Patience and Prayer
Seek help through patience. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ
O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. (Al Qur’an, the Cow, 2:153)
5. Want Allah to be with You? Be patient
Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
Indeed, Allah is with the patient. (Al Qur’an, the Cow, 2:153)
6. Be enlightened through Patience
Abu Malik at-Ash’ari reported that the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said:
الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الإِيمَانِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلأُ الْمِيزَانَ . وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلآنِ — أَوْ تَمْلأُ — مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَالصَّلاَةُ نُورٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ وَالْقُرْآنُ حُجَّةٌ لَكَ أَوْ عَلَيْكَ
Cleanliness is half of faith and Alhamdulillah [praise and gratitude is for Allah] fills the scale, and Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah) and Alhamdulillah fill up what is between the heavens and the earth, and prayer is a light, and charity is proof and patience is an illumination and the Qur’an is a proof on your behalf or against you. (Muslim, 223)
7. Be Patient for Paradise
Allah says:
وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يَدْخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن كُلِّ بَابٍ * سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُم بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ ۚ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ
And the angels will enter upon them from every gate. “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home.” (Al Qur’an, The Thunder, 13:23–24)
Finally…
A Prayer
رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people. (Al Qur’an, the Cow, 2:250)
And a Reminder
وَالْعَصْرِ * إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ * إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
By Time — Indeed man is most surely in loss, except those who believed and did righteous deeds, and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (Al Qur’an, The Declining Day, 103:1–3)
Ibn Kathir reported: Al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “If the people were to reflect upon Surat al-‘Asr, it would be enough for them.” (Source: Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr 103:1)
Allah knows Best.