How to Balance Religion & World

Dedicating your time both on Islam and your personal pursuits

In a recent article, I drew a comparison between the life of a Muslim and birds. It is essential for a Muslim to work on his religion and on his personal efforts — similar to birds having to flap with both wings to stay aloft. But how can you optimally implement this mindset? Let’s start with an analogy.

The prisoner riddle

I once encountered a thought-provoking riddle that resonates deeply with the theme at hand. There was once a king. This king set out a reward of halving a prisoner’s arrest. If the prisoner was sentenced to 30 years, it shall be reduced to 15 years, if he was sentenced to 20 years, it shall be reduced to 10 years, etc.

One day, a prisoner had claimed the reward. But it turned out that he had been sentenced to life. How should the king act in order to obtain justice? Maybe calculate the reward on base of the average life expectancy in his kingdom? But this would be a wild guess, and the prisoner may die in a few weeks or live many years beyond the expectancy. Or should he be moved to a better cell? This wouldn’t be real freedom and justice, either.

The solution to the puzzle was that he would only be arrested every other day, meaning that he is free one day and arrested in the next day. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If he lives for several weeks, the time he spent free and the time he spent in arrest will be pretty much equal. What can we learn for our lives?

Projection on our lives

Why did I tell you this story? It turns out that our situation is quite similar: While we may not be physically imprisoned, we are bound by the teachings and obligations of Islam until our last breath. This time is equally uncertain as it was for the prisoner. Death takes people away regardless of age. Sometimes, we hear weak-minded people saying things like: “But you are so young, why don’t you just live your life and make tawbah (repentance) later?”. This is not a valid statement, as being young is not a guarantee for living. Everybody will die, all elders, but also youngsters and children.

So how do we navigate this reality? The solution lies in adopting a balanced approach, much like the prisoner who alternated between freedom and captivity. We should alternate between worldly and religious matters.

You may ask, how often we should switch between the different areas. I am a believer of habits, as is our Prophet (SAW). Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Take on only as much as you can do of good deeds, for the best of deeds is that which is done consistently, even if it is little.” — Sunan Ibn Majah 4240

One of my sheikhs used to say that every day that passes without you reading the Qur’an is a day lost. That’s why I think that we should work on both areas of life every day.

For instance, I like to start my day by rehearsing the Surahs I have memorized, because I think it brings Baraka in my day. I then go through my flash cards, and continue by learning Arabic. The result is that I put time in both the world and hereafter, and however the day progresses, I will have a balanced day.

In conclusion, having a balanced life is important, because we have to both work for our Rizq and Akhirah. By finishing a task in one area and tackling the next one in the other area, you will have worked on both pillars at the end of the day. Try categorizing your pursuits and dedicate time on both.

How did you like this article? Do you have any other tips for maintaining balance in our lives? I would love to hear from you.

Also consider following this publication, if you don’t want to miss any articles in the next weeks. جزاك اللهُ خيرً