Eliminate the Habit of Procrastination

Have you done charity today? Really, this is the day we have. Today is the day we have, tomorrow we may not have. As for the times or days that have passed, we cannot turn back.

One proverb says:

Truly Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala:

• Gives us favors, favors the space of time,
• Give us an opportunity to do good deeds today.

So don't put it off until tomorrow. Hurry up to ask forgiveness from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Let's hurry to Jannah which is as wide as the heavens and the earth.

وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

"Hurry up to seek forgiveness from Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla and a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, reserved for those who are pious.(Surah Ali Imran: 133)

Hurry up, race, hurry to get forgiveness from Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla and a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, reserved for those who are pious.

So the characteristic of a pious person is to really take advantage of his time, not to waste an opportunity, not to waste the time that Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla has given him.

Really, be human today because tomorrow we will not necessarily be human. Maybe we have become carcasses or corpses, there is no chance for us to do good deeds. So do not delay good deeds.

Know that "taswaf” (تسويف) is a disease that comes from shaitan. Syathan breathed misgivings into the hearts of people to always do taswf, which is to say "saufa wa saufa” (سوف و سوف ) , later and later. While tomorrow we do not necessarily have.

Abdullāh bin 'Umar radhiyallāhu 'anhumā said:

إِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِالْمَسَاءِ وَإِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِالصَّبَاحِ وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ

"If you find the morning, then don't wait for the afternoon and if you find the evening, then don't wait until the morning. Take (use) your health before sickness comes and use your life before death." (Hadith narrated by Tirmidhi number 2333)

Indeed, Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla has given us a very valuable opportunity to do good deeds. In the morning we wake up, the sun rises, we open our eyes, Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla is still willing to return our spirits to our bodies.

We also say:

 الْحَمْدُ لله الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

"Praise be to Allah who gave us life after our death and to Him we shall be returned." (Hadith narrated by Bukhari number 7394)

Also Read: In Doing A Business, Hurry Up, Don't Procrastinate!

So, let the blessings of life that Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla have given us we can use as well as possible.

Do not delay good deeds, compete to reach the heaven of Allah Subhānahu wa Ta'āla, because for matters of entering heaven, we must not delay, we must compete.

If someone invites us to compete in the affairs of this world, invite him to compete in the affairs of the hereafter.

In matters of the hereafter, we must look at those who are above us, so that enthusiasm arises, enthusiasm grows, enthusiasm arises in us to compete to match them, even for more than them.

As for the affairs of the world, then look at those who are below us. So that we can be grateful, how great the blessings that Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla has given us.

Look at many people who are lying sick, while Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla gives us health, there are many poor people who do not get the opportunity to eat, while we can taste food.

This is a blessing that Allah has bestowed upon us.

So in the affairs of the world, look at the people who are below us, so that gratitude grows/appears in us, being grateful for the many blessings of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, if we count them, they will not be counted.

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

"If you count the blessings of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, you will not be able to count them, indeed Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.(Surah An Nahl: 18)

So be human today. Hurry up today we do charity. We pray fervently. We give charity out of our wealth. Don't procrastinate tomorrow, because tomorrow we don't necessarily have.

We don't necessarily have tomorrow, so use the time that Allah has given us today.

Many people delay sadaqah. He intended charity, but he said:

"Well tomorrow, tomorrow I will give charity."

It turns out that when tomorrow comes, the intention and desire to give charity is not like yesterday. It turns out that he has other interests, he has other plans, he has other aspirations, so he ignores it, diverts it, the intention to give charity and he doesn't do it. No, he took out his sadaqah.

There are so many things that will disturb our hearts that make us switch from one thing to another.

Thus the human heart, is always turned over by Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla.

إِنَّ قُلُوبَ بَنِي آدَمَ كُلَّهَا بَيْنَ إِصْبَعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ الرَّحْمَنِ كَقَلْبٍ وَاحِدٍ يُصَرِّفُهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ

"Indeed, the hearts of all the children of Adam are between the two fingers of the fingers of Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla, turned over by Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla according to his will." (Hadith narrated by Muslim number 2654)

So if we have the desire to do good deeds today, hasten to do good deeds. If we have the intention to give charity today, hasten to give charity. If we want to do good today, help our brother, lighten his burden, do it today.

A believer's servant, he understands that Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla may take his life. It could take his soul, his spirit, at any moment.

Then of course he won't slack off, he won't relax. He will hasten, strive, strive, pursue the grace of Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla.

Know that we live between two times, the past and the future. We can't turn the past back, while we can't pull out the future.

We can fill these three periods, our past is filled with repentance to Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla by truly repenting, nashūhā repentance, that is how to fill the past.

Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla says:

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ

"Except for those who repent (to Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla) then he accompanies his repentance with faith and good deeds, then they are the ones who Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla replaces their bad deeds and sins into for good.(Surah Al-Furqan: 70)

Ibn Kathir, when interpreting the QS Al Furqan: 70

(1) The first interpretation, Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla replaces his bad deeds with righteous deeds.

1. If in the past he stole, robbed other people's property, then after repenting he was diligent in giving charity.
2. If he used to be lazy to pray, after repenting he was serious and really prayed solemnly.
3. If in the past he ignored the rights of his parents, he was disobedient, he was rude to his parents, then after repentance he became a dutiful child to his parents.

So Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla replaces his bad deeds into good deeds.

(2) The second interpretation, Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla will replace his sin savings into reward savings.

That is how we fill the past, namely by repenting, nashūhā repentance to Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla.

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

"Repent entirely to Allah, O you who believe.(Surat an-Nur: 31)

Nashūhā repentance, sincere repentance. That's how we fill our past.

As for the future, we will fill it with the azam not to return to those sins and immoral acts. We really stop ourselves from doing that sin.

What is more difficult is to fill and take advantage of the present time, to take advantage of the time to do good deeds today, that is very difficult.

Rasūlullāh shallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam says:

كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْ مُوبِقُهَا

"Every human departs in the morning, so there are those who sell themselves so that they free them or destroy them." (Hadith narrated by Muslim number 223)

Thus, every human being continues his journey.

لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ

"Whoever among you wants to go forward or wants to retreat.(Surat al-Muddatstsir: 37)

Life doesn't stop, it goes on. It's just that the choice is ours, whether we want to go forward or back.

Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla has purchased from the believers their souls and property with heaven.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ

"Indeed, Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla has bought the believers, themselves and their wealth by giving them paradise.(Surah At-Taubah: 111)

We know that the heaven of Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla is very expensive, heaven cannot be bought with the deeds of worship that we collect. Even with the deeds of worship of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam though. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam could not buy paradise with his deeds of worship.

Therefore, we should be able to become people who free ourselves from the fires of hell and reach the heaven of Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla.

Truly, this time is the opportunity that Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla has given us.
Abdullāh bin 'Umar radhiyallāhu 'anhumā said:

إِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِالْمَسَاءِ وَإِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِالصَّبَاحِ وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ

"If you find it in the morning, then don't whisper to yourself (can get) in the afternoon and if you find it in the evening, then don't whisper to yourself (can get) in the morning. Take advantage of your health before your illness comes and take advantage of your life before your death comes." (Hadith narrated by Tirmidhi number 2333)

Time is a very precious blessing. It is woe and perish, losers to those who waste their time.

وَالْعَصْرِ (١)  إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (٢) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (٣)

"By time, mankind is truly in loss, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, exhorting one another to the truth and instructing one another over patience.(Surah Al 'Asr: 1-3)

So happy friends, try to ask ourselves, what have we done today?

What good deeds have we done today?
Are we better today than yesterday?

Keep trying.

احرص على ما ينفعك

"Strive for what is useful to you."

Be the best human for others.

خيرُ الناسِ أنفعُهم للناسِ

"The best of humans are those who are most beneficial to other humans." (HR Ahmad, Ath Thabrani, Ad Daruqutni. This hadith was quoted by Al Albani in Sahihul Jami' number 3289).

So, let's make it easy for this short message to inspire all of us, our hearts. And encourage us to compete to do good deeds, to reach the heaven of Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla.

May Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla make it easy for us all to the heaven of Allāh Subhānahu wa Ta'āla and make us lucky servants, happy servants, getting good in this world and happiness later in the hereafter.

Source : Lecture.org