How To Live an Easy Life
The deen and the dunya are hard to balance. Sometimes, one may tend to focus on the deen, at the expense of the dunya. Sometimes, one mya tend to neglect the dunya, at the expense of the deen. Both are essential ingredients for a successfull aakhira. In fact, the deen operates largely, within the paradigm of the dunya. Conceptually, one cannot do without the other. However, many times we tend to lose sight of one, and focus more on the other. How do we create that balance, which is so essential to our aakhira؟
We needs to realize on very important thing. Sayyiduna Rasul Allah [`alayhissalatuwassalam] emphasized the importance of `afiya [well being] in several ahadith. It is `afiya that is the fuel source that drives human beings in, both, their deen and dunya. Even though indirectly, Sayyiduna Rasul Allah [`alayhimussalatuwassalam] told us how we can acheive this `afiya. If we do not have `afiya, we cannot even begin to address the delicate balance that is needed between deen and dunya. Here are some of the essential elements that build a wholesome human being, full of `afiya:
1. Eating Less and Eating Wholesome
One should always try to eat less than what one's current appetite demands. Also, one should try to avoid processed foods, fried foods, fatty foods and the like. Keep your diet natural. Eats lots of fruits and vegetables. Eat wholewheat bread, and lots of fiber. Avoid chips, fizzy drinks and fast food. Given our current white collar lifestyles, try to avoid protein rich diets along with sweets and desserts. This is true especially for Desi, given their atherogenic disposition.These things clog up your arteries and may lead to fatal cardiovascular problems.Eating more than necessary burdens your soul. It makes you lethargic and takes away from your positive energy. Remember, you are what you eat.
2. Sleeping Less
Whatever your sleep requirement, sleep one hour less. Try to sleep as early as possible, and get up as early as possible, preferrably before fajr. During midday (around dhuhr time) you'll feel tired and fatigued. Take a short nap. Do not go beyond an hour, although generally 20 minutes are enough. This will keep you alert throughout the day and increases your energy levels. Even though staying up after fajr is difficult, one must build a habit to do so, because sleeping beyond fajr is a lot more detrimental to your energy levels than staying awake is. If you have trouble staying up after fajr, do some stretching excercises as soon as you wake up. Wash your face, and then get yourself a hot, steamy cup of tea. This should freshen you up. Remember, fajr is the most mubarak time of the day. Do not lose it.
3. Working Out
Try doing 30 minutes daily of some physical activity. Brisk walking, joggin, cycling and swimming are but a few suggestions. Physical activity helps you maintain the above mentioned elements. Like them, it also increases your energy levels and gives you fuel to work with throughout the day.
4. Your Spiritual Daily
You should devote at least one hour of your day to something totally spiritual. Preferrably, this should be done after fajr, followed by a workout. You could assing yourself some dhikr to do, or read some Quran, or perhaps do both. This is theta-wave activity, and the more you do it, the less sleep you'll require. This is your main juice for the day. Yu'll be relying mostly on this for positive energy throughout the day.
All four elemenst combined are like one powerful battery pack. Use these to improve your `ibadat and all your other activities. They are essential ingredients to maintaining a healthy and viable balance between deen and dunya.