Putting Life In Perspective

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves on an Ayah from the Qur'an in Surah Ash-Shura and what lessons one can imbibe and inculcate in themselves from it.

in this life sometimes we make a plan on what we want to accomplish in a given period of time and we set goals for ourselves and we strive towards those goals. But we must realize that all of that means nothing if we are not building our Akhirah (The Day of Judgment). All of those plans are worthless and meaningless and are not any kind of accomplishment at all if this is not building us towards Allah and not making me a slave of Allah. 

There are people’s perceptions of us and then there is the reality. People’s perception might be you are worth nothing. It stands to benefit you nothing before Allah. It will not add to our deeds. It won’t take away from them. People’s criticisms will not take away from us, and people’s praise will not add to us. We have Allah’s word, so we can see ourselves in light of Allah’s words, and that will help us see ourselves for who we really, truly are. We treasure all of our relationships so long as they are something that is building us towards the Akhirah (The Day of Judgment). We must constantly pray to Allah that He makes the Book of Allah a mirror through which we can see the truth of who we are and [we] constantly seek to improve ourselves.