New Year, New determination , a better person.

InsyaAllah.

It is not dificult to be a better person. Be a better mother/mother-in-law, a better teacher, a better daughter, a better sister, a better wife, a better colleague, a better leader but of course with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure and with the mercy of Allah .

For example : In any organisation, there'll always be a few with all sorts of problem; not punctual, avoiding work, absent from work and we can just ignore him/her resulting in dissatisfaction among the others. A good leader should let the problem worker analyses his/her problem and improve himself /herself in the process.

It is easier said than done. To be a better mother, you have to be a good listener. To be a better friend, you have to reduce talking and listen more. In hadiths, Rasulullah s.a.w always stresses the importance of listening to talking. In fact, if we have nothing good to talk about, we are advised to shut up! May be, this is the first thing that I have to remind myself . Talk when necessary or keep quiet.

What if somebody persistently called you names and hurt your feelings ? In my experience, only people whose lives are not blessed with Allah's guidance will do this directly to you. I would check myself first : Do I perform my daily prayers? My manners to friends, parents, siblings? My quran reading? My food consumpion, is it halal?

If you hardly perform your prayers, only khatam al-quran once in your entire life, and you don't bother to be well versed in spiritual matters then you are the likely candidate to cause sorrow and hardship to people who happen to cross your path.

Rasul Allah (s.a.w) said: "The example of a good companion and a bad one is the bearer of musk and the worker on the fires. A bearer of musk would give you some, you might buy some from him, or you might enjoy the fragrance of his musk. The worker on the fires, on the other hand, might spoil your clothes with sparks from his bellows, or you can get a bad smell from him." [Sahih Bukhari]

Who are the top 5 people you hang out with? List them. Now look at their qualities and you'll notice that you are the product or the sum of them. Do they have the outstanding qualities that you seek? If not, then it's time to find some bearers of musk that you can truly smell great from.

Wallahualam.