The Concern of a Muslim
by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (rahmatullah ‘alayh)
When you go to Delhi, Bombay or Calcutta and such places in India, you find many ‘shoeshine boys' on the streets who will shine your shoes.
The interest and sole concern of these shoeshine boys are the person's shoes, whether the person walking by is the president, a lawyer, an ‘Aalim[1] or a Mufti[2]. The shoes of anyone who crosses their paths draw the attention of these shoe-shine boys.
If the shoes are dirty or they are not in a ‘tip-top' and shining condition, then these shoeshine boys invite you to have your shoes cleaned and polished. Their interest in shoes does not mean that they do not eat, drink, marry, etc., although it does seem that their only objective and purpose in life is shining shoes.
The following came to my mind having observed this when I was in India: This is the concern, concentration, and single-mindedness of these boys —in earning a living.
Similarly, the sole concern and attention of the Muslim should be the Deen[3] of Allah Ta'ala: How can it be brought into my life? How can it remain in my life?
Deen takes priority because our lives, salvation and success depend on it. As such, we will do everything according to Deen – and Deen is such that it encompasses every aspect of life. Our priority and focus are then conforming to Qur'an and Sunnah. We work on bringing our character, business dealings, social dealings, family life, etc., in line with the teachings of Shariah and Sunnah[4]. We work towards establishing balance and harmony in fulfilling both the rights of Allah Ta'ala and the rights of creation.
Earning the Pleasure of Allah Ta'ala and earning Jannah in the Hereafter is the concern, concentration, and single-mindedness of the Muslim.
Moreover, there is also a deep-hearted concern that others become practising on Deen, and effort is made to invite others to Islam.
[1] ‘Aalim: Scholar of Islam
[2] Mufti: An expert in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence
[3] Deen: Religion
[4] Sunnah: Practices of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his noble Sahabah (Radhiyallahu ’anhum).