Hold Your Head Up High

Hold Your Head Up High

By Khurram Murad

Reliance on Allah

Self-confidence is borne from the believer's intimate knowledge and understanding that Allah is ever ready to assist those who strive and struggle in His way. Self-confidence comes from depending upon Allah and knowing that He is there to help you, protect you and shower His mercies upon you:

{So he who gives (in charity) and fears(Allah) and [in all sincerity] testifies to the best – We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss} [Al-Layl:5-7].

Self-confidence also emanates from knowing that Allah in His infinite mercy has equipped you with all that you require to undertake the tasks set before you. It is not characteristic of the One that is Most Just and Most Merciful to prepare you for a task without equipping you with the necessary tools.

Self-confidence is thus borne of total reliance and trust in Allah. It is knowing that at every step of your journey, Allah is there assisting you. If you constantly hold yourself back believing that you are weak and incapable and blame your incompetence on minor inadequacies, then you are bound to fail.

You must never allow yourself to believe or feel that Allah has treated you unfairly or that He has placed upon you a burden you cannot shoulder for { {On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.} [Al-Baqarah:286].

Likewise, having hope is central to your efforts and your success. You must sincerely hope and believe that everything you do to earn the pleasure of Allah will lead you to fulfillment.

A superiority complex negates the task of self development. An inferiority complex is derived from a lack of confidence in Allah and oneself. You should never allow yourself to believe that you cannot fulfill your obligations nor should you despair of the mercy of Allah.

Confidence, hope and determination are all important ingredients for your success:

{Those unto whom men said: Lo! The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them. But it only increased them in faith and they cried: Allah is sufficient for us! Most Excellent is He in Whom we trust!} [Aal `Imran:173-174].

You must be wary, however, of the kind of self-confidence that causes a person to proclaim himself self-sufficient. Modern concepts of self-sufficiency are indeed an evil form of shirk or polytheism.

To ascribe self-sufficiency to one's self is to assume for oneself an attribute reserved only for Allah. For the Muslim, self-confidence is wholly dependent upon the trust one places in Allah; it is not an arrogant proclamation of complete independence from Allah. Allah alone is Self-Sufficient. All else is reliant upon Him for existence.

The Best Use of Time

Time is not money or gold; it is life and it is limited. You must begin to appreciate every moment of your life and always strive to make the best use out of it.
With all the demands of worldly life on your time, you will yet need to find time for self development and maximize its potential.  

The better route towards self development is, of course, to integrate all your efforts into a structured daily life. Imam A l-Ghazali (may God have mercy on him) in his great work, Ihya Ulum ad-Din(Revival of Islamic Sciences), gives the following advice:

You should structure your time, arrange your regular devotions and assign to each function a set period of time during which it is given first priority but which it does not overstep. For if you abandon yourself to neglect and purposelessness, as cattle do, and just do anything that may occur to you at any time it happens to you, most of your time will be wasted.

Your time is your life, and your life is your capital; it is the basis of your transactions with God, and the means to attain to everlasting felicity, in the proximity of God the Exalted.

Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, and when it passes away it never returns.

Remember also that «the deeds most loved by Allah [are those] done regularly, even if they are few» (Bukhari).

While you must always strive to make the best use of your time, you must always aim for excellence in everything you undertake, whether at school, at home, at work or at play. Indeed, the Prophet has said, «Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency and excellence) in all things» (Muslim).