In the world today, there are many people who are jealous of others. We are always looking at those who have faster cars, bigger homes, fancier jobs, and better salaries than us, and as a result, we feel inadequate and not content with what we have. This leads us to compete with them in things that don’t really matter.
On the flip-side, many people choose to avoid this competition and embrace a life of apathy and mediocrity. They do not have any goals, aspirations, or desire to do well in this world or the afterlife. They just coast through life taking each day as it comes.
In the middle as always lies the balance. The balanced approach to life is to compete, but to compete in two ways:
- with others, compete to be the best servant of Allah for the sake of Allah
- in this world, compete with yourself
The first point is one that many people understand, we must compete in good deeds to earn a higher status in the sight of Allah and a better home in Paradise, but what does it mean to compete with yourself?
This means that whatever you are today, you should strive to compete against yourself and be better tomorrow:
You may be a good Muslim, but there is always room for improvement, so strive to be a better Muslim every single day.
You may be a good spouse, but there is always room for improvement, so strive to be a better spouse every single day.
You may be a good student, but there is always room for improvement, so strive to be a better student every single day.
You may be a good employee, but there is always room for improvement, so strive to be a better employee every single day.
You may be a good person, but there is always room for improvement, so strive to be a better person every single day.
This is all part of the Islamic concept of Ihsaan (striving for excellent). The true believer is not complacent about life, because there is always room for improvement and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Definitely, Allah has ordered Ihsaan in every thing,” (Saheeh Muslim)
This Hadith means that in every single aspect of our lives, we must strive for excellence every single day.
So embrace this concept and live a life of Ihsaan. It will only bring you Khair in both worlds.
