Reason #50: Logically, what should be the priorities in life?

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When we talk about the priorities people have in life, what do we hear? Advancing in their careers, saving certain amount of money, buying a house, getting married, having kids, saving up for their education.

That’s what we hear. That’s what most of us have too. When we are going about life, there’s always those 2-3 main goals we have and they change as we enter a different stage in life. And sadly, we get lost in them.

Let’s now tackle priorities in a logical process. Assume you have concluded that God exists. Assume that you have found the true religion He sent down. Assume there is a Heaven and a Hell, and you will go to one for all of eternity based on what you do in this life. How should our priorities be then?

As God says in the Qur’an,

“Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ‘indeed’ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.”

[Qur’an 3:185]

Sure, there are different levels of priorities. We all have to worry about our careers and our kids, but what should be on top? God! Our main focus should be “What does God want me to do in my life and specifically, what does He want me to do today?” If we’re just busy going on with the routines of life, when will we ever stop and think of our purpose?

And let’s say what if it’s not just being busy, but we are always involved in immoral actions? Sins? Things we just can’t seem to quit even if we try? Very often, people say, “Islam makes sense to me, but I just can’t give up on alcohol, pork, etc.” Well, it again goes back to priorities. Sure, they are sinful in Islam, but no one is perfect – whether he/she is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. We all sin and it’s a lifelong fight against temptations. But the main priority of a person who knows that Islam is the truth, is to submit and declare that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah alone and that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last of the Prophets. That acceptance at least keeps you in the fold of Islam. Worry about the rest as they come.

Reason #49: Why are there rules in religion?

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“Why are there so many rules? I just want to live life.” We tend to hear this when religious rules are brought up.

But let’s look at other rules we encounter in our daily lives. We have traffic rules for the road. We have rules in our schools and jobs. We have rules when we enter a coffee shop, a company building, or a bank. We have piles and piles of heavy law books judges and lawyers have to know about when they go to court. We even have rules in our homes!

Why? Well you know the reason. So why should you expect God to not have rules for the creation He made? Does it make much sense for Him to create the Universe and Earth with all its inhabitants, for Him to just say, “Alright, do whatever you want now,” especially given that we were given a lot of free will? As Allah says in the Qur’an,

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

[Qur’an 51:56]

Another important logical point is that God created us, so he knows more about us than we do! We are biased. We don’t always see the full picture. We may focus too much on the present, or just see 2-3 factors when there may be 10, and then not see the long-term ramifications.

In addition, God in countless parts of the Qur’an calls Himself Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem, attributes related to Mercy. In fact, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Allah is more merciful to His servants than this mother is to her child.”1 We know that when parents take their children to the doctors to get vaccinated, that shot hurts. If a person dislocates his shoulder, he knows that if he goes to the hospital, the doctor will try to reduce it and that it will hurt as well! But are the parents or doctor called “unjust”? In fact, it is part of their mercy to do what they do. So why don’t we think the same way with God?

  1. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5999, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2754