The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Muslims
Yes, the book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People®” is fantastic. It has inspired millions of lives across the globe, including mine!
This title triggered me to search for the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Muslims.” I Googled it but couldn’t find any results, although I found similar articles for bloggers, Christians, Catholics, churches, missionaries, teachers, and believers, all of which were well thought out and well written. This saddened me but at the same time, initiated a thought process to come up with “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Muslims.” When I say effective, I mean a Muslim who has a positive and constructive effect on himself/herself and also on society—a society that comprises all kinds of humans regardless of religion, skin color, nationality, or country.
When I compiled the list of 7 habits, I decided to split them into two groups: INTERNAL EFFECT and EXTERNAL EFFECT. I placed four habits under the INTERNAL EFFECT group and three habits in the EXTERNAL EFFECT category. By ‘Internal Effect,’ I mean that these habits impact at the individual level and by ‘External Effect,’ I mean that these habits, if adopted by a Muslim, will have a positive effect on society. However, the INTERNAL EFFECT habits form the basis of the EXTERNAL EFFECT; hence, all 7 habits are critically important.
INTERNAL EFFECT:
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1- Habit of Compliance:
A Muslim is supposed to comply with the mandatory requirements of Islam, including, but not limited to, prayers, Zakat, Hajj, fasting, and belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment. A highly effective Muslim understands that these pillars of Islam teach us several lessons which eventually have an effect on the Muslim himself and then on society. For example, Hajj teaches the lesson of patience, which is needed considering the psychological conditions of society. Zakat teaches the lesson of caring for others through financial means. Fasting teaches us to control our desires. Thus, these mandatory practices result in a super-positive effect on a Muslim’s personality.
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2- Habit of Self-Audit:
This habit makes a Muslim both a convict and a judge at the same time. An effective Muslim keeps auditing himself, especially at the end of each day. He asks himself several questions before he sleeps, for example, what major sins did I commit today? Did I lie, back-bite, treat my parents harshly, commit fraud, steal, abuse, deceive, consume alcohol, and/or engage in illegal sexual activity? If the answer to any question is yes, then he performs Tawbah. The process of Tawbah purifies a Muslim’s thoughts and indirectly improves his personality by eliminating all bad habits. To develop the habit of audit, an effective Muslim always remembers his death and keeps in mind that he will be answerable for his deeds, which are being recorded by Almighty.
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3- Habit of Honesty:
An effective Muslim is always honest: honest at home, honest at the office, honest in every single deed he does. He is honest in earning, in paying taxes, in treating people, in all financial matters, and in judging people and resolving conflicts. He loves people and uses things; not vice versa. This quality cleanses his heart, mind, and soul.
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4- Habit of Differentiating Halal-Haram:
An effective Muslim clearly understands the difference between Halal (allowed or lawful) and Haram (forbidden). He recognizes that Halal is not limited to eating but applies to every aspect of life. He understands that if he earns money through illegal means (financial frauds, lying, deceitful ways, by not giving his energies to his job as per the company’s requirements), then his earnings are impure. He stays away from all Haram things.
EXTERNAL EFFECT:
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5- Habit of Good Manners (Ikhlaq):
An effective Muslim is a living example of great manners. He speaks politely, does not dishearten others with his tongue or deeds, and sets an example by actually doing good things. He respects the elders and is kind to youngsters. He is helpful, friendly, and an easy-going person. He stays away from gossip, back-biting, and other social diseases. He understands fully that “The most hated person in the sight of Allah is the most quarrelsome person.” (Ref: Sahih Bukhari Volume 003, Book 043, Hadith Number 637). He wins people’s hearts with his kindness, gentleness, politeness, courtesy, and helpful nature.
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6- Habit of Promoting Good and Stopping Bad:
An effective Muslim knows the importance of Amr bil Maroof and Nahi Anil Munkar. Allah has mentioned in the Quran that Muslims are the best nation because they promote/encourage good and discourage/stop the bad. The effective Muslim understands that he is supposed to help others in matters of goodness and righteousness and he is supposed to discourage evil matters. He does not take the law into his own hands but handles bad situations by involving the right law enforcement agencies or through dialogues.
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7- Habit of Bringing Peace:
An effective Muslim always endeavors for peace. He is patient in situations of brawls and quarrels. He understands that two people can definitely have different opinions, so he respects this fact and others as well. He strives to resolve conflicts whenever observed. He believes that every single soul on earth has rights, so he respects humanity regardless of skin color, country, nation, or level of education.
So these are the 7 habits which every single Muslim must adopt in order to have a positive and constructive EFFECT at both individual and social levels. How many habits are you practicing? Are you an effective Muslim? I appeal to you to please go through these 7 habits one more time, evaluate yourself, and change your lifestyle to become an effective Muslim starting today. Always remember, every one of us is answerable to Allah for every single deed we do, so we have to change ourselves the way our religion demands. May Allah guide me towards the right path. Prayers requested.
