CAN I BE A BETTER PERSON

Listen and learn

CAN I BE A BETTER PERSON ?

Definitely YES.

Allah Swt himself told us that yes we can be a better person in fact we can be the best person if we want to.

Ali Imran, 3:110

you are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing In Allah. if only the people of the Book had Faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have Faith, but Most of them are perverted transgressors.

The question is not Can I be better but Do I want to be better, and obviously the next question would be How Can I Be Better.

Before we get to the How part. Lets try to understand that if you know something good it does not automatically mean that you can do what you know.

It seems like an oxymoron .. how come you know something but can not do it. ANY COMMENT ?.

It happen because your mind convinced but your heart is still in doubt. Both mind and heart should believe then you could it. The problem is our heart most of the time is lagging behind our mind. This the reason why regret always come too late

So we have two issues so far: 1. How to be a better person 2. How to make our heart to believe that I can really make myself a better person.

Before we answer those two questions, lets make sure we understand what BETTER is. Any Volunteer ??
BETTER have to have 2 conditions below: First. movement from one state to another state. The movement from one state to another state will allow us to always improve ourselves, because you always compare your situation this month with last month, this year with last year. Second. The movement direction. This is very important, because you want to move to the right direction, so that you can call yourself better. If you move to the wrong direction instead of better you will become worse.

Describe right direction. Any volunteer ??

Better Grade

More Money Trendy Clothing Etc

Low Grade Better

Orientation: Material, Physical World

Highest Grade BETTER: The one which can take us out side this world The one which can safe us in the hereafter (and in this world)

As a Muslim we are taught and believe that : There is live after this world. Live after this world is ever lasting

The real judgment will happen in the live after this world.

Knowing these 3 facts, why bother focusing your effort only on this world which is temporary. Instead I think you are all agree if I say we should focus our effort on the hereafter, the live after this world.

What if I say that if you do your best effort (correctly) to reach for hereafter (save your selves in the hereafter), not only that we will get the hereafter but we also will get this world. Will you do it ?.

Ash-Shuura, 42:20

And whoever desires, the harvest of the Hereafter, We will enhance for him his harvest, by multiplying in it the good deed up tenfold or more; and whoever desires the harvest of this world, We will give him of it, without multiplying [any of it], [giving him] only what is his [preordained] share; but in the Hereafter he will have no share.

How is it if we seek hereafter we also get the world ?.

Here is the logic. The key is in our heart. If you know that you will get help, if you know that you will be supported, if you that you will be protected. You will feel strong, You will feel secure, you will feel peaceful. Will you not ?. Now if you feel strong, if you feel secure, if you feel peaceful, you can move the mountain, you can dive into the deepest Ocean, you can do anything you want.

What is the different between getting a good grade so that you can be proud off and getting a good grade as a form of ibadah. Getting a good grade so that you can be proud of will not earn akhirah points. Getting a good score as a from of ibadah will get akhirah as well as dunia points

How many people here study not only so that you understand the subject therefore you will do good in the exam, but on top of that you study hard because you realize that study is also part of our ibadah.

and follow not (O man i.e., Say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which You have no knowledge (e.g. one's saying: "I have seen," while In fact He has not seen, or "I have heard," while He has not heard). Verily! the hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those will be questioned (by Allh). (Al Israa:36)

O You who believe! when You are told to make room In the assemblies, (spread out and) make room. Allh will give You (ample) room (from his Mercy). and when You are told to rise up [for prayers, Jihd (holy fighting In Allh's Cause), or for any other good deed], rise up. Allh will exalt In degree those of You who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. and Allh is Well-Acquainted with what You do. (Al Mujadilah, 58;11)

Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allaah will make a path to Paradise easy for him." (Hadis riwayat Al-Bukhaari) for each (person), there are angels In succession, before and behind Him. they Guard Him by the command of Allh. Verily! Allh will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allh). but when Allh wills a people's Punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector. (Ar Raad, 13:11)

Every action will be rewarded according to its intention (Hadis riwayat Al-Bukhaari)

So when you study because you know that it is part of your ibadah, then you know that study hard and be smart is Allahs command to every Muslim. Therefore logically you will study hard. If you think you do not study hard enough, try hard to understand the concept of Ibadah

So what you need to do in order to feel secure, to feel strong, to feel peaceful believe in Allah, or have taqwa

because Allah is the source of everything, the source of security, source of strength and source of peace.

Up to now we had established that:

Knowing does not always correlate with doing. Know something does not necessary mean we can do what we know. In order to be able to do what we know mind and heart must agree. Better means moving to the right direction reach for akhirah and get the dunia for free (buy one get one free) If we seek akhirah, Allah will also give dunia To feel secure, strong and peaceful, we must believe in Allah. Study/Acquiring knowledge is part of ibadah.

What is Taqwa ? Khalifa Umar explained .. taqwa is like walking in the middle of the night (no light) on a road which you know has a lot of debris. How do you walk .. real careful and real slow .. so that you can pass the road without getting hurt.

Therefore, if before you do something, before you say something, you think carefully if what you are going to do or say will please Allah or not that is Taqwa. When you are in this state of mind, you will feel confidence that with the help of Allah you are going to prevail. Therefore Dunia and akhirah insha Allah will be yours. Why ?. Because your action is done to please Allah and if Alah is please with you, he will give you akhirah and dunia (As Syura: 20).
Also if Allah is pleased with us, then Allah will be our ears, Allah will be our eyes, Allah will be our hands, and Allah will be our feet (hadis Qudsi).

With Taqwa Allah will have our back therefore we will prevail

With Taqwa Allah will gives dunia and akhirah.

With Taqwa Allah will guard our senses against the temptation of syaitan.

How do I get Taqwa therefore be a better person

Read and Study Al Quran and Hadith

When you study Quran or listen to any speech, try to imagine that Allah is talking to you (in the case of Al Quran) or the speaker is talking directly to you.
Do as much as possible the have to do ibadah As much as possible stay away from haram things Be as much as possible in the circle of pious friends