How to Incorporate Islam in Your Life

Islam is a complete way of life and touches every facet of ones daily life it includes and covers everything from the moment you wake-up to moment you fall asleep. The moment a child is born to exhaling of the last breath, Islam is all encompassing.

Incorporating Islam in your life is simple as breathing, but we as humans tend to make the practical elements of Islam difficult, it is we that forget to invoke Allah during our daily life therefore failing to remember Allah throughout the day.

The demands, expectations, and benefits of being a Muslim are related to our ability to worship Allah and remember Him constantly. The aspect of Zikr, the continuous remembrance of Allah, is part of "what sets apart the living from the dead" (Bukhari).

While there are many aspects of Zikr which are specifically described for us, such as Hajj, fasting in Ramadan, praying five times a day, and paying Zakat the times between are not meant to be void of thoughts of Allah.

In Islam there are practical actions that need to be completed daily by a Muslim, some are fardh (obligatory) and some Sunnah, and there are nafl (optional) actions. There are also many non-practical observations that one who accepts to live in accordance to the Islamic faith has to adhere to. A single hub cannot do justice to this enormous topic, with that in mind I shall briefly provide some tips on how to incorporate Islam in your life and gradually put into practice your Islamic beliefs.

Here are some ways to incorporate and ensure Islam and its values play a part in our everyday lives:

Just like learning to speak a language or studying a subject like Physics or Biology one needs to start with the fundamentals and develop understanding and knowledge. The very same principle applies to learning and practicing Islam.

In my hub What is Islam 101, I provide a quick snap review of the fundamental beliefs of Islam. This hub is meant to provide you with a starting point. To fully understand and appreciate the complexities in each of those basic principles you should preferable seek guidance from an Islamic Scholar at any local Islamic Centre or join an Islamic study circles. If you need advice or guidance on what to do after reading this hub then do contact me and Insha’Allah (Allah Willing) I shall try to support you.

After learning the basics, you then need to put that new understanding into practice. The way to incorporate Islam and the basic practical aspects into a daily routine is to do the following:

Pray Salah – After declaring your Shahadah you will learn about the five daily prayers, which are offered at specified times during the day. These five daily prayers are compulsory there is no ifs, buts or maybe’s. You have no choice but to complete these prayers at the allotted times. There are exceptional situations in which prayer can be delayed to be offered later. The very first thing to do is learn the etiquettes of Salah and its rules. There are many benefits spiritual and physical to be gained from completing the Salah five times daily.

Therefore make a habit of offering Salah with dedication with a clear intention that you are ding this act of worship to please non other than Allah.

Speak the Truth – Always speak the truth even if it means going against you. Lies tend to lead you astray and into bigger sins.

Practice Forbearance and Compassion – In this very fast World we are all under immense pressure and stress. There are too many issues to deal with. So the Islamic way to deal with life’s many troubles is to be patient in the face of adversity and show compassion to others. Hand over your problems to Allah, during your Salah ask Allah for his Guidance and Support to overcome the situations that bothers you.

Seek Knowledge – Both religious knowledge which will teach you how to be a better Muslim and get closer to Allah, how to live your life in accordance to the Quran and Sunnah. Also help you to gain understanding of the world around you, better yourself to serve the society; serving the society through your actions is a part of the Islamic way of life.

Allah’s mercy is the goal – Do not waste time, occupy yourself with actions that lead to benefiting you. Always make a clear intention that “Allah I am doing this ‘whatever action….’ for your sake and to please You. Allah guide me towards that which is best for me and protect me from that which is not”. Even smiling at someone is a part of the Islamic way of life. Next time when you’re about to leave the house to go to work, about to eat your mouthful, going to sleep make that intention. Whenever you do something think - Who is this action for and will it please Allah?

Read the Quran – Okay we are all busy; being busy is all in our heads. We feel like there is not enough time in the day to manage all our chores and yet we quite easily can take 10-15 mins out to go for a quick coffee or chit-chat with a friend. Reading the Quran, just one page will not take you more than 10-15mins. If you can’t manage that on a daily basis try to do it at least once a week.

Make an effort to read the Quran in Arabic and understand what each verse is telling you. As you progressing through the steps incorporating Islam into your life, reading the Quran and doing Salah will become enjoyable activities. You begin to get closer to Allah and that itself will bring you immense satisfaction.

Be a fundamentalist – Always pay attention to the basics, stay on the middle path, do not go to the extreme in anything you do in life especially when it comes to practicing Islam. Unless it benefits you and the society for example you may find that some Wali’s of Allah may give up living a lifestyle akin to the modern world and opt for simplistic living, essentially just sustaining themselves only to worship Allah. Not everyone can become a Wali (Saint) as it requires much hard work and giving-up allot of the creature comforts that surround us all.

Practice the simple things and gradually your faith will grow stronger, as you acquire, learn and practice Islam you will notice a profound difference in your life. A simple thing as saying “AssallaMu’Alaikum” when you see another person on the street is worth many virtues, which leads to developing a bond or kinship between each other and the rewards for which is with Allah.

Don’t do something that hurts others or nullifies your Deen (faith). Applying Islam in your daily life is easy as the next hadith will illustrate:

Notice I have not mentioned the other pillars of Islam (Hajj, Zakat, and Sawm). Why?

When you embrace Islam and learn the basics the five pillars are what you must adhere to and practice. You must learn what these pillars are and how to apply them in your practices. The two pillars that make or break you as a Muslim are Shahadah and Salah these are the ones that you will practice and deal with on a daily basis.

I have only covered some of the very basic elements (Shahadah, Salah, Character and Conduct of a Muslim) of incorporating Islam into your daily life. You maybe the most pious person but if your actions hurt another human being, leading to the displeasure of Allah then you’re hard work amounts to nothing.

Which is why along with Shahadah and Salah a good Muslim must also look to fine tune and develop their character and behaviour in accordance to the Quran and Sunnah. I end this hub with the following hadith: