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#CapturedThoughts |
The Difficulty We Choose, and the Difficulty We Inherit
I recently came across a statement that I thought captured something worth reflecting upon:
βIf you don't choose your hard, your hard will choose you.β
The accompanying examples were quite ordinary. Maintaining good health requires discipline, but neglecting one's health can bring its own difficulties. Building a marriage requires patience and sacrifice, while failing to invest in a marriage may eventually produce difficulties that are considerably harder to resolve.
Of course, not every hardship is the consequence of a choice. People experience illness, poverty, bereavement and other trials through circumstances entirely beyond their control. Islam teaches us to recognise this, and we should be careful not to turn a useful observation about personal responsibility into a judgement upon those experiencing hardship.
Nevertheless, I think there is something important here about our relationship with discomfort.
We naturally prefer what is easy, particularly when the consequences of avoiding something difficult are not immediately apparent.
Consider the parent who finds it exhausting to spend time patiently teaching and correcting a child. It may be easier to overlook certain behaviours, avoid difficult conversations or allow a screen to occupy the child's attention. Yet some of the challenges that arise later may require far greater effort to address.
Or consider the person who repeatedly postpones seeking Islamic knowledge because attending classes, reading consistently and reviewing what has been learnt require discipline. Years later, that same person may find themselves struggling to navigate questions about faith, family or financial dealings that a sound foundation in knowledge would have helped them approach.
The Messenger of Allah ο·Ί said:
Β«ΨΩΩΩΩΨͺΩ Ψ§ΩΩΨ¬ΩΩΩΩΨ©Ω Ψ¨ΩΨ§ΩΩΩ
ΩΩΩΨ§Ψ±ΩΩΩΨ ΩΩΨΩΩΩΩΨͺΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩΩΨ§Ψ±Ω Ψ¨ΩΨ§ΩΨ΄ΩΩΩΩΩΩΨ§ΨͺΩΒ»
βParadise is surrounded by difficulties, and the Fire is surrounded by desires.β
(αΉ’aαΈ₯Δ«αΈ₯ Muslim, 2822)
The hadith offers a profound perspective on the relationship between immediate comfort and ultimate outcomes.
The path towards what is good for us will not always agree with what we feel inclined to do in the moment. Equally, something that provides immediate relief or pleasure may carry consequences that are not apparent until much later.
I think this is particularly relevant in an age when convenience has become such a significant part of how we assess the quality of our lives.
We have become remarkably good at removing friction from everyday activities, and much of that progress is beneficial. But not every form of difficulty is an obstacle that needs eliminating.
Some difficulties are inseparable from developing patience, acquiring knowledge, maintaining relationships, raising children and strengthening our relationship with Allah.
There is also an important distinction between choosing beneficial effort and deliberately making life unnecessarily difficult. Our religion does not encourage hardship for its own sake. The Prophet ο·Ί preferred the easier of two permissible matters, provided it involved no sin, as reported in αΉ’aαΈ₯Δ«αΈ₯ al-BukhΔrΔ« and αΉ’aαΈ₯Δ«αΈ₯ Muslim.
The question, then, is whether the ease we are choosing today is genuinely beneficial, or whether we are simply postponing a responsibility that will become more demanding with time.
I suspect most of us can identify at least one area of our lives where we already know what needs to be done, but have been reluctant to accept the effort involved.
And it may be worth considering what that reluctance is likely to cost us if we continue postponing it.
The almost daily requests seeking annulment of marriages makes me sad, and we have to solve this...
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π₯Finally arrived alhamdulillah
ποΈ LIVING INK | Shaykh Joe Bradford
π° Navigating Contemporary Finance
In this episode, we explore:
π¦ Understanding Modern Wealth & Markets Financialisation, pensions, ETFs, index funds, private equity and debt markets.
βοΈ Beyond Halal & Haram Risk, speculation, wealth creation, financial behaviour and the deeper questions behind financial decisions.
π Form vs Substance Understanding economic realities, financial incentives and the analytical frameworks that inform sound scholarly guidance.
π Building Financially Healthy Communities Financial resilience, entrepreneurship, retirement planning, intergenerational wealth and waqf.
π€ The Future of Finance AI, digital assets, tokenisation, wealth inequality and the emerging challenges facing Islamic scholarship.
π§ The Scholar's Financial Toolkit. What every imam and scholar should understand about modern finance, and how to approach new financial questions before examining their fiqh.
βΆοΈ Watch the full episode: youtu.be/V09lXvV9eVw?si=3h1Yβ¦
Foundations of Legacy | Living Ink
#CapturedThoughts |
Are We Working Towards a Life We No Longer Have Time to Live?
I have been thinking about how easily our understanding of what constitutes a good life changes as we become increasingly occupied with earning a living.
When we are younger, we often imagine that financial success will eventually give us greater freedom over our time. We hope to spend more time with family, pursue interests we have neglected, travel, seek knowledge or simply enjoy a day without constantly thinking about the next responsibility.
But somewhere along the way, the goalposts can begin to move.
The income we once hoped to achieve becomes our new starting point. The lifestyle we once considered comfortable becomes ordinary, and opportunities to earn more become increasingly difficult to decline.
I think many of us can relate to this, particularly when we consider how frequently we postpone relatively simple things.
We tell ourselves that we will visit our parents when work settles down, spend more time with our children once a particular project is completed, or return to a consistent routine of Qur'an and personal development when life becomes less demanding.
And sometimes those are perfectly reasonable decisions. Responsibilities are real, and providing for a family often requires considerable sacrifice.
The difficulty arises when postponement becomes our normal way of living, because there will almost always be another project, another financial target or another responsibility requiring our attention.
The Messenger of Allah ο·Ί said:
*Β«ΩΩΨΉΩΩ
ΩΨͺΩΨ§ΩΩ Ω
ΩΨΊΩΨ¨ΩΩΩΩ ΩΩΩΩΩΩ
ΩΨ§ ΩΩΨ«ΩΩΨ±Ω Ω
ΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩΩΨ§Ψ³Ω: Ψ§ΩΨ΅ΩΩΨΩΩΨ©Ω ΩΩΨ§ΩΩΩΩΨ±ΩΨ§ΨΊΩΒ»*
βThere are two blessings concerning which many people suffer loss: health and free time.β
(αΉ’aαΈ₯Δ«αΈ₯ al-BukhΔrΔ«, 6412)
I find the word *Ω
ΩΨΊΩΨ¨ΩΩΩΩ* particularly interesting because of its association with commercial loss. It describes someone who has come away from an exchange having received less value than what they surrendered.
Most of us would be concerned if we discovered that we had made a poor financial investment. We would want to understand where we went wrong and how to avoid repeating the mistake.
But what about the exchanges we make with our time?
An extra few hours at work may increase our income, but those hours also have an alternative value. They might have been spent with a child who has been waiting all week for our attention, a parent who would appreciate our company, or in attending a class that contributes to our relationship with Allah.
This does not mean that working those hours is necessarily the wrong decision. Rather, it means the decision involves more than its financial return.
And I think that is something we can easily overlook when we are busy.
There is also an important difference between having time available and using it meaningfully. Islam does not teach us to pursue leisure as an end in itself. Our time is an amΔnah, and its value lies in how we use it, whether in worship, earning lawfully, fulfilling responsibilities, resting or strengthening relationships.
Perhaps a useful question to ask ourselves occasionally is whether the financial progress we are making is actually improving our ability to live according to our priorities.
Because if every increase in income requires a corresponding increase in commitments, we may find ourselves financially better off without becoming any more available to the people and responsibilities that matter to us.
And I suspect that for many of us, the things we keep promising ourselves we will make time for deserve some of that time now.
π¬ Coming soon
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Guidance regarding the HSBC Palantir revelation...
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Sights and sounds from the Scholars and Masaajid Dinner with Mufti Muhammed Taqi Usmani courtesy of National Waqf. Please do visit our project: nationalwaqf.org/
I would say that it's compulsory for you all to watch this video with your children before they start the new week...
youtu.be/x5s3Qu3PVhY?si=i1Scβ¦
May Allah forgive me and you π’
#CapturedThoughts |
When Responsibility Becomes a Title
There is a warning from the Messenger of Allah ο·Ί that deserves the attention of anyone entrusted with the well-being of others.
πMaΚΏqil ibn YasΔr Ψ±ΨΆΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩ narrated that the Prophet ο·Ί said:
Β«Ω
ΩΨ§ Ω
ΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΨ¨ΩΨ―Ω ΩΩΨ³ΩΨͺΩΨ±ΩΨΉΩΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩΩΩΩ Ψ±ΩΨΉΩΩΩΩΨ©ΩΨ ΩΩΩ
ΩΩΨͺΩ ΩΩΩΩΩ
Ω ΩΩΩ
ΩΩΨͺΩ ΩΩΩΩΩΩ ΨΊΩΨ§Ψ΄ΩΩ ΩΩΨ±ΩΨΉΩΩΩΩΨͺΩΩΩΨ Ψ₯ΩΩΩΩΨ§ ΨΩΨ±ΩΩΩ
Ω Ψ§ΩΩΩΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩΨ¬ΩΩΩΩΨ©ΩΒ»
βThere is no servant whom Allah entrusts with the care of others, who dies while betraying that trust, except that Allah forbids Paradise for him.β
(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
Although this narration is frequently quoted in discussions about political leadership, its underlying principle should cause us to reflect upon responsibilities much closer to home.
A husband may spend considerable time thinking about his rights within marriage, just as parents may emphasise the obedience and respect owed to them by their children. These rights are established in Islam, but they exist alongside responsibilities that are no less serious.
The Prophet ο·Ί said:
Β«ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Ω Ψ±ΩΨ§ΨΉΩ ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Ω Ω
ΩΨ³ΩΨ¦ΩΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩ Ψ±ΩΨΉΩΩΩΩΨͺΩΩΩΒ»
βEvery one of you is a shepherd, and every one of you will be questioned concerning those under your care.β
He went on to identify the man as responsible for his household and the woman as responsible for her husband's home and children.
What interests me is the language of riΚΏΔyah, the responsibility of tending, protecting and caring for what has been entrusted to us.
A shepherd does not measure his success by how obediently the flock follows him. His responsibility is to ensure that those under his care are protected, provided for and not exposed to harm through his negligence.
Consider how this changes the way we understand marriage and parenthood.
A husband may fulfil the financial obligations of his household while remaining largely absent from the emotional, educational and spiritual lives of his family. Parents may provide excellent schooling, comfortable homes and opportunities they themselves never enjoyed, yet devote little attention to understanding the character, struggles and spiritual development of their children.
Providing materially is an important responsibility, and its value should never be diminished. But the trust of family extends beyond what can be purchased.
Allah says:
ο΄ΏΩΩΨ§ Ψ£ΩΩΩΩΩΩΨ§ Ψ§ΩΩΩΨ°ΩΩΩΩ Ψ’Ω
ΩΩΩΩΨ§ ΩΩΩΨ§ Ψ£ΩΩΩΩΨ³ΩΩΩΩ
Ω ΩΩΨ£ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Ω ΩΩΨ§Ψ±ΩΨ§ο΄Ύ
βO you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire.β (al-TaαΈ₯rΔ«m 66:6)
The verse places the spiritual well-being of our families within the responsibilities we carry before Allah.
Perhaps one of the difficulties of family life is that authority is immediately visible, while accountability is easier to overlook. We know when our instructions are ignored, when our expectations are unmet and when we feel insufficiently appreciated. It takes greater self-examination to recognise when those entrusted to us have been deprived of something they had a right to receive.
The warning of MaΚΏqil's narration concerns betrayal of an entrusted responsibility, not the ordinary imperfections of a husband or parent sincerely striving to fulfil it.
Marriage and parenthood confer an honourable position, but they also place human beings in our care whose rights Allah will ask us about.
#CapturedThoughts | Do You Work to Live, or Live to Work?
Have you noticed how easily work can move from being something we do to becoming the way we understand who we are?
Ask someone what they do and they will almost always tell you how they earn their living. Rarely will someone answer that they are raising three children, caring for elderly parents, studying the Qur'an, serving their community or trying to become a better husband or wife. Somehow, occupation has become one of the principal ways through which modern life defines a person.
Islam gives work considerable dignity. The Prophet ο·Ί said that nobody has eaten food better than that which they earned through the work of their own hands, and he mentioned DΔwΕ«d ΨΉΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΨ³ΩΨ§Ω
, who ate from what he earned himself.
So earning is not something from which the believer should feel detached. Providing for a family, fulfilling obligations, building something beneficial and becoming financially independent can themselves become acts of worship when the intention and means are sound.
But Islam never made work the purpose of life.
Allah says:
ο΄ΏΩΩΨ₯ΩΨ°ΩΨ§ ΩΩΨΆΩΩΩΨͺΩ Ψ§ΩΨ΅ΩΩΩΩΨ§Ψ©Ω ΩΩΨ§ΩΨͺΩΨ΄ΩΨ±ΩΩΨ§ ΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩΨ£ΩΨ±ΩΨΆΩ ΩΩΨ§Ψ¨ΩΨͺΩΨΊΩΩΨ§ Ω
ΩΩ ΩΩΨΆΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩΩΩΩο΄Ύ
βWhen the prayer has concluded, disperse through the land and seek from the bounty of Allah.β
(al-JumuΚΏah 62:10)
There is a worldview contained in that movement. We leave our businesses for Allah, and then return to our businesses seeking from Allah. Work has its place, but it sits within something much larger.
I think this becomes particularly important as responsibilities increase. There will be periods when work demands more from us. Businesses need building, careers require effort and families need providing for. The problem is not simply that someone works long hours. It is when, over time, everything else begins receiving whatever is left after work has taken what it wants.
There is a beautiful incident involving SalmΔn and AbΕ« al-DardΔΚΎ Ψ±ΨΆΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩ
Ψ§. SalmΔn noticed that AbΕ« al-DardΔΚΎ's devotion to voluntary fasting and night prayer was affecting other parts of his life. He advised him:
Β«Ψ₯ΩΩΩΩ ΩΩΨ±ΩΨ¨ΩΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ ΨΩΩΩΩΨ§Ψ ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΨ³ΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ ΨΩΩΩΩΨ§Ψ ΩΩΩΩΨ£ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ ΨΩΩΩΩΨ§Ψ ΩΩΨ£ΩΨΉΩΨ·Ω ΩΩΩΩΩ Ψ°ΩΩ ΨΩΩΩΩ ΨΩΩΩΩΩΩΒ»
βYour Lord has a right over you, your self has a right over you, and your family has a right over you, so give every possessor of a right their due.β
AbΕ« al-DardΔΚΎ later mentioned what had happened to the Prophet ο·Ί, who replied:
Β«Ψ΅ΩΨ―ΩΩΩ Ψ³ΩΩΩΩ
ΩΨ§ΩΩΒ»
βSalmΔn has spoken the truth.β
If even voluntary worship was not meant to consume a person's life at the expense of other rights, then there is something here worth considering about work.
Perhaps the better measure of a successful life is not simply how much we managed to earn or build, but whether, while doing so, we continued to give each part of our life its due.
Work deserves our excellence...
It was never meant to become everything....
BismillΔh β weβve launched a new Islam21c series: 40 Questions We Never Ask .
In the first episode, we put 40 questions to Shaykh Dr Sajid Umar β from his favourite duΚΏΔ and the αΉ’aαΈ₯ΔbΔ« heβd most like to meet, to AI, burnout, parenting, the Qurβan and advice for daΚΏwah organisations.
Some of the simplest questions produced the deepest answers.
π₯ Watch here: youtu.be/DGyIHswvpjA
Let us know which answer stood out most β and who youβd like us to put the 40 questions to next.
The marriage series
π Part Two
Are we raising a generation who are marriage material.
sajidumar.com/blog/are-we-raβ¦
If you missed part 1; access it here:
sajidumar.com/blog/dont-fallβ¦
