I heard it again, but this time it landed differently.

Assalaamu’alaykum,

Sometimes you hear something you've heard many times before, you hear it again but this time it lands differently. 

I experienced this a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you.

In the personal development space, you hear lots of recommendations that mirror faith based principles but expressed in more universal language. One idea that comes up repeatedly is that when we wake up in the morning, rather than allow our minds to delve straight into the big long to-do lists and everything that needs to be accomplished, we should pause and ask ourselves this fundamental question:

"Who can I serve today?"

The idea is that we move beyond purely self serving thoughts and begin orienting ourselves toward something greater than the self. Research around the concept of 'happiness' consistently shows that when our focus and efforts are channelled towards the wellbeing of others, our sense of contentment and fulfilment tends to increase. 

I was reflecting on this a few mornings ago, as its so easy to fall into bad habits.
We wake up and instinctively grab for our phones and by doing so, we've already placed ourselves in a reactive state. The mind begins absorbing micro-stressors… messages, notifications, reminders, expectations. And before we have even left our beds, we're already firefighting, feeling weighed down by the long list of things that need to be completed before the day is out, with our focus fixed on what we need to get done.

To overcome this, the secular world encourages you to move beyond this habit by intentionally shifting your focus towards serving others, inviting you to step outside of yourself and focus on contribution to the wider world.  

(As a quick side note, the peace you will feel by not giving salam to your phone first thing in the morning is quite undeniable :) Spending the first hour of your day in uninterrupted presence with yourself, with others and with Allah puts you in a very different frame of mind as you step into the day. Try not touching a single device for the first hour and email me with what you notice, I'm sure you will see a significant difference in your day and more interestingly, you will feel your inner world settle in a way that is difficult to describe until its experienced). 

Anyways, back to my morning reflections... I was thinking our faith calls us to something very different. Our faith calls us to start each day with our Creator in mind, remembering we are His slave and to begin and end each day in pursuit of Allah and His pleasure, alone. 

First, we need to understand the slave-Master dynamic. The identity of a slave is different to that of a servant. A servant operates within a transactional relationship, offering service with the expectation of some form of return, even if its small.
Whereas a slave exists in complete submission to their Master. There is no sense of negotiation, no room for personal whims or desires and no expectation of repayment. Rather, there is a recognition that their time, their efforts and their choices are purely in servitude to their Master's will, even when this differs from their own impulses or preferences. 

When we really understand this relationship and bring our attention back to the reality that we are slaves of Allah, that we belong to Him and and that our ultimate purpose is to live in servitude to Him, our priorities change. 

When we begin the day with this identity crystallised in our hearts and at the very essence of our being, and we ask ourselves the question, "How will I serve my Master today?" our entire attention, energy and focus for the day changes.

Essentially, it strips away the ego. You remove yourself from the centre of the picture and your intention becomes anchored in seeking what your Rabb wants from you in each moment of the day.

Your work still gets done, you still interact with family and friends, you still travel and move through your usual routines but the driving force behind your motivations, thoughts and actions become divinely connected, so everything carries a different energy and intention. There is an unshackling from worldly worries and stress and a purity that comes from wanting to serve your Master through the everyday runnings of your life.

I find it fascinating that in being a slave to our Lord lies our sweet liberation. Because if we're not being a slave to our Lord, then inevitably we become slaves to something else. 

When you wake up tomorrow, remind yourself of your primary identity: I am a slave of Allah. Then ask yourself "How will I serve my Master today?" and let me know what you notice, I'd love to hear from you. 

If you would like to carry on this identity work, I warmly invite you to enrol in The Travellers, a self paced programme to help you find your true identity and purpose in this life and beyond, in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet (saw).

As part of your enrolment, you will also receive one month’s complimentary access to The Travellers Compass, our live membership space beginning on 29th April. This includes live sessions with me, as well as guidance from our resident scholar, supporting you step by step as you journey through this temporary world with greater clarity, intention and steadiness, integrating into your daily life what it means to live as a traveller, not a resident.

You can enrol here >> Yes, I want to join