The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him, said:
“Observe moderation in taking action, and if you fail to observe it perfectly, try to do as much as you can. And be happy, for none would be able to get into Paradise because of his actions alone.”
The companions of the Holy Prophet said, “Allah’s Messenger, not even you?” He replied, “Not even I, but for Allah enveloping me in His love.
And bear this in mind: the deed most loved by Allah is one which is done constantly, even though it is small.”
[Collection: Muslim.]
The correct original wording of this beautiful prophetic saying is so much more beautiful than whenever I try to paraphrase it. There is something very subtle and transformative in the way this is stated. The Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, emphasizes that the result – even the Ultimate Result of eternal paradise – is not in your hands, and is not directly due to your actions.
By emphasizing that, in essence, he takes the pressure off us.
Sometimes we can run around being so busy, tiring ourselves out, getting stressed and frustrated, taking on more than we can handle, trying to do more than what could reasonably be expected of us, trying to achieve goals and get results… and all the while, we convince ourselves that it’s for the “sake of Allah”.
But the truth is, Allah doesn’t ask for any of that from us.
In essence, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is telling us to basically…
Relax.
Take it easy.
That doesn’t mean do nothing. It means take it easy. Make your doing as easy as possible. Keep it small and regular, because in that way, over time, momentum builds. And more importantly, character builds.
It’s as if he’s saying:
Let go of the outcome, because it’s not in your control anyway. Leave all of that to God.
Instead, focus your attention on the small piece of work that’s right in front of you, no matter how little or meaningless it may appear to be… the result and reward will ultimately build and come over time.
If you want to take this exact approach and apply it to achieving all of your Quran goals, step by step, then I highly (and completely biasedly) recommend you check out the Quran for Busy People program.
The free web class that introduces how to apply this approach to your Quran goals is available right here:
