The Prophet (pbuh) said  الناس معادن human beings are (ma’aadin) mines of treasure

We realize that another year has passed; minutes move into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, weeks into months and months into years -  seemingly faster than ever before; yet every moment is a precious component of life and every moment counts. The pertinent question of tomorrow is what have I done with my yesterdays? We are commanded in the Qur’an to  والتنظر نفس ما قدمت لغد
carefully consider what we are sending forth / doing for the future. This introspective question should evoke a critical self-evaluation in each individual.

What am I doing with my today? Our attitude towards time indicates our attitude towards the value of the capital of life. That is why the Qur’an exhorts us to value the time we have before life is up [Qur’an 63:10]; to realize that time is the measure of life, time is an amaanah (trust) and what we do with time is what we do with our lives (Qur'an 67:2).

How will I make my life count? Where do I begin and what do I change? ‘Allamah Iqbal echoed that question in his poetry when he reminded us that, "Khuda ne aaj tak us qaum ki haalat naheen badlee na ho jisko khyal aap apni haalat ke badalne ka."

Allah has never changed the condition of people who themselves have never considered changing themselves.  He was echoing the Qur’anic verse  “Allah will not change

انَّ اللهَ لا يُغيِّرُ مَا ِبقّوم ٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا  ِبأنفُسهِم

the condition of people until they change themselves.” [Q 13:11] 

Are we  accepting conditions as they exist, or are we willing to take  the responsibility for changing them; because ultimately we have to be the change we want to see. As Iqbal said:

Ghulami main na kaam aati hain shamsheerain, na tadbeerain
Jo ho shok-e-yaqeen paida tou cut jaati hain zanjeerain
Koi andaza ker sakta hai iss kay zor-e-bazu ka?
Nigha-e-mard-e-momin say badal jati hain taqdeerain
When enslaved; neither arms nor reflection by itself is of real use,
But if you have a sense of dignified determination, then you can break off all shackles;
Can anyone really know the strength of a principled Believer?
Destiny can be changed by the glance of a determined Believer.

Principle Priorities
Without a clear sense of our personal principles and priorities, it is most difficult; if not improbable, for us to make our lives really count. We must acknowledge that the right thing to do is always the best thing to do, provided that it is done with propriety ~ ie. doing the right thing  – at the right time – in the right manner; this in keeping with the Prophetic advice …

اذا  سرتك  حسنتك  و سائتك  سيئتك  فأنت  مؤمن

With those performing hajj/pilgrimage being welcomed back (returning as if they were newborn)  and the new calendar year being ushered in (whether January next week or Muharram in the week thereafter), it is a good time to make personal resolutions.

Resolutions
Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to an attitude, a moral task, habit, or a lifestyle change that is advantageous to the self and others. These commitments set goals to be achieved and is a means of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty, moral commitment, reinforcing humility and dedication.

Where am I, where could I be? Muhaasabah  

Our lives are continually being shaped by the choices we make and the convictions and values that underlie them. In this sense, our lives are like works of art, in progress. We can take the material of life and either react to it in a passive way, always remaining life's victim or take it and use it creatively, becoming the architect of one's life and a participant in shaping one's destiny and in designing one's true personality.

Reach your full potential - The holy Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that Allah has prescribed goodness and excellence in all that you do. In relation to evolving human potential and developing personality, this statement motivates a person to utilize one's life skills in the most progressive and pro-active manner; demanding the demonstration of dignity with pride, courage with conviction, patience with perseverance, power with mercy, authority with justice, duty with commitment, principle with wisdom, freedom with discipline and honour with compassion.

Realize that (as the Prophet said)  الناس معادن human beings are (ma’aadin) mines of treasure and Jalaluddin Rumi reiterated this when he elaborated in his Mathnawi …
معدن صبرست  تن    معدن شكرست دل     معدن خندهست شش     معدن رحمت جڴر
The body s a mine of endurance, the heart is a mine of gratitude
The bosom is a mine of joy  and the liver is a mine of compassion

Leave small thing small – Do not make a major issue of small matters. Be more loving, less confrontational Let us make a resolution be genuinely more loving, more respectful, more accommodating of each other; and less hurtful, less demeaning and less confrontational.  Put house in order beginning with our relationships at home and our finances

Value 5 things before 5 (youth before old age, health before illness, wealth before poverty, free time before being occupied and life before death)

Do something for someone (selflessness) – Our function in life is not merely to have and to hold, but to give and to serve, to get and not to forget. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:  و الله في عون العبد ما دام العبد في عون اخيه  Allah is at the assistance of a person  as long as that person is of help to another. Remember the promise  that people will enter Paradise; by the Mercy of Allah, through the generosity of their spirits and the soundness of their hearts. [Prophet Muhammad]

Learn from mistakes - There is a prophetic tradition that captures a reality in all human endeavors, and that reality is the fact that … كل ابنى آدم خطاء all human beings err. Treat the “failed” experience as an opportunity to learn. What did you learn from the experience that will help you in the future? How can you use the experience to improve yourself or your situation?
Ask yourself these questions:

• What was the mistake?
• Why did it happen?
• How could it have been prevented?
• How can I do better next time?

To be able to utilize our experiences in a positive manner requires a willingness to learn from successes and mistakes.

Live every day as if it is your last

Do remember however that one cannot do an act of kindness too soon, for one never knows how soon it will be too late. Kindness is indeed a most noble quality, a characteristic of the Supreme Being. A companion of  Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: ". “When going to sleep do not assume you will live to see the dawn, when waking up do not assume you will live to see the sunset; take precaution from your health against sickness, take from your life what will benefit you in death."

Positive Resolution
Our attitude towards the future influences our mind-set towards the rest of life. Being positive about life ahead is among life's greatest motivators. Hope is the best attitude one can harbor towards the future; this realistic expectation that something good or better could/will happen if only we continue doing the best we can. So, let’s resolve to perform what we ought and perform without fail what we resolve; and in Allah we trust and depend.

By: Br. Sadullah Khan

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