Renewal of Yourself First

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, MMNS

The tenets of the religion of Al-Islam emphasize constant renewal in our lives.  If we could just do something once and be done with it, our practice of the religion would cease to exist.  For instance, we are directed to fast every year in Ramadan.  This is because one time just won’t do it.  We will forget and/or lapse into other activities to divert our attention from the remembrance of ALLAH, so He orders us to fast each year.

There are many other signs from ALLAH for us to reflect on.  We breathe, eat and drink everyday to replenish our bodies.  If we did not…well you know the answer to that.  There is also constant renewal in education.  Our brains need activity to grow and be useful.

Similarly, our relationships must also be constantly renewed.  How many of us have heard the expression “What you did to get her, you must also do to keep her?”
But before we get to that; before reaching out to our spouses, we must reach out to ourselves.  In order to spread cheer to our families, spouses, and others, it must first come from a cheerful body and mind.  How is this accomplished?

Each day upon rising we must begin to renew ourselves by recognizing the great masterful work of art ALLAH formed when He created you.  You must look in the mirror and say to yourself how good you look.  Arm your mind with positive thoughts and keep the evil ones (Shatan) from convincing you that you are otherwise.

After recognition of your greatness, resolve to be grateful to ALLAH by taking care of this great creation – you.  Make sure you bathe and keep yourself clean.  Shampoo your hair and use conditioner to enhance its appearance and health.  Try to eat sensibly to reduce stress on your body.  Exercise at least moderately to keep your temple in the best shape.

Above all, try to live as uneventful a life as possible.  We learn in science that the brain responds to stress by secreting a hormone called cortisol.  This chemical balances the stress levels in your body and helps you to cope with the ups and downs of your life.  We know everybody has stress but it’s smart to keep it to a minimum because too much secretion of this cortisol is harmful to your body.  It causes excess plaque build-up in the blood vessels and contributes to heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and many other ailments.  These are things that could be prevented by living a moderate life as dictated by your Creator, Almighty ALLAH.

So when you concentrate on this constant renewal of yourself, it will make you grateful and put you in the best possible position to reach out to others.  We will be able to love and see the benefit and beauty of our spouse and help them see the benefit and beauty of themselves.  This is very important because then everybody wins and ALLAH is pleased because you are carrying out His desires for creating you in the first place.  And if ALLAH is pleased with you, you can ask for no better reward.

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