Have you got the balance right?

Everyone living in England will be well accustomed to the work culture that is dominant here.. "The classic 9 to 5". Most jobs in the majority of fields will involve working hours like these and it is not surprising that sometimes one may feel as though work is taking over your life! Do you feel like this..? I know I do!

Working and earning a living are all part of an Islamic lifestyle, however (correct me if I’m wrong) "The classic 9 to 5" can affect the spiritual station of a person.

Someone once said to me: ‘work kills spirituality!’

I guess this could be for many reasons:
- For some it may be that they have less time to do the most important things.
- For others it could even be the environment in which they work, for example as mentioned in an article by another MIE writer. Sometimes people may engage in non-Islamic activities whilst at work. Whilst it is extremely important for us as Muslims to work and integrate with the community in which we live, it is equally important that we balance our 9 to 5 duties, our religious and spiritual needs as well as the needs of others, and our communities.

Islam is a moderate religion which opposes extremism of any kind. Islam is not simply a religion, but a way of life and has prescribed for us a balanced lifestyle. Extremism of any kind then would amount to living an non-Islamic lifestyle. This principle extends into our daily lives that we should not adopt. A lifestyle that is too extreme to one side, so for example a life that only revolves around our jobs or a life that solely involves religious worship. I am reminded here of the teachings of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) whereby He (pbuh) taught us to live a balanced lifestyle.

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “live in this world according to the length of your stay in this world...”

I believe that this teaching in itself says it all. We are to live here and to work here, but we should try to make this in accordance to the fact that we will depart from this world, thus leaving everything behind. We should therefore be aware that striving for our hereafter is better. We should balance our needs of this world with the hereafter as the next part of the Hadith makes clear when it was said:

“Work for your hereafter according to your eternity in it.”

Living a balanced life in Islam has further been stressed in a well known occurrence that took place at the time of The Holy Prophet (pbuh). A companion of The Holy Prophet (pbuh) used to fast everyday and worship the whole night. Many will be aware of what The Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised this companion:

To fast every other day and to worship for part of the night and the reason being that one’s wife has a right over him as well as his body.

This is the Holy Prophet (pbuh) propagating Muslims to adopt a balance where one can enjoin all aspects of life, thus leading to a beautifully balanced and fulfilled lifestyle.

This is extremely important for us living in the west, because it can be very easy for us to become too engrossed in our worldly affairs at the expense of our religious and spiritual needs and our societal and communal duties.

Therefore to truly reap the rewards and to taste the fruits of having enjoined all aspects of one’s life, it is extremely important that we create the balance between all of these factors. As Muslims therefore, it is important we take home this message (and in fact take it to work and to every other place we go) and use it to create a balance in our lives, thus enjoying the best of both worlds...!