4. Live in the moment

We cannot change the past; memories may only serve us as guides, warnings or lessons for the future. Regretting events long past and dwelling on tragic incidents will cripple us and compromise our p safety. By the same token, we cannot control the future. However confident you are, whatever resources you have, you can never predict the next moment. We do not even own a single breath, so why waste the time and energy worrying? «Prophet Muhammad(* ) taught 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar: "When you wake up, do not talk to yourself about the evening, and if you enter into evening, do not talk to yourself about the morning; take from your life for your death and from your health for your sickness, as you never know, 'Abdullah, what your fate will be tomorrow." »43 Lee Schnebly noted in her book Nurturing Yourself and Others, that fretting about our future and dwelling over our past deny us the joy of noticing and appreciating what we are experiencing at 43 Al-Bukhari. present. 44 Prophet Muhammad(~ ) taught us: «He who wakes in the morning while healthy in his body, safe in his residence and having his day's sustenance, will be as if the entire world was granted to him.» 45 When I was a little girl, I used to complain a lot about almost everything, and my mother used to respond with these French verses by Victor Hugo: Naftre desirant la mort, Grandir regrettant l'enfance ou le coeur d'or Vieillir regrettant la jeunesse ravit Et mourir regrettant la vieillesse et la vie.

We are born wishing for death We grow up regretting the loss of childhood where the heart is as pure as gold We grow old regretting the loss of our happy, healthy youth, And we die regretting growing old, and life itself. I did not truly understand their meaning until years later. My mother was right: I have to enjoy the moment, for each has its own taste and its own beauty. Each stage in our life has its bitter and its sweet: why look at the empty part of the glass? Why feel that the sun is always brighter on the other side?

Enjoy your life, think about all the blessings you have got-and for sure you have got many. Allah is the Most Just. We say our daily Dhikr-Allah and supplications to remind us that each morning we are facing a new life; thus we reconfirm our faith and devotion to Allah and supplicate for health, wealth and happiness in this new day: 44 Schnebly, 2000. 45 Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and lbn Hibban (a good hadith). «We have reached the morning while the dominion of the universe belongs to Allah. All praise is due to Allah. None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, Who has no partner.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, Who is able to do all things. 0 Allah! I ask You to give me the best of this day and the best of what follows it. I seek refuge in You from laziness and senile old age, and I seek refuge in You from the torment of the fire and the punishment of the grave. (A.rba~nli wa a$ba~al-mulku Zillah, wal-~amdu Zillah, la ilaha illa Allah, wa~dahu la shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-~amd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer. Rabbi as'aluka khaira ma fee hlidhal-yawmi wa khaira ma ba 'dahu, wa a'oodhu bika min sharri hlidhal-yawmi wa sharri ma ba 'dah.

Rabbi a 'oodhu bika minalkasal wa soo' il-kibar; rabbi a'oodhu bika min 'adhlibinfin-nar wa 'adhlibin fil-qabr. )» 46 «O Allah! I ask You for knowledge which is useful, for provision which is lawful and for deeds which You accept. (Allahumma innee as'aluka 'ilman nafi'an wa rizqan (ayyiban wa 'amalan mutaqabbalan. )» 47 There is a similar du 'a' to be said each evening: «We have reached the evening, while all dominion belongs to Allah, the Creator and Master of humankind, the jinn and all that exists. 0 Allah! I ask You to give me the good of this night, its triumph and victory, its light, its blessing and guidance. I seek refuge with You from its evil and the evil which follows it. 46 Muslim; This du 'a' can also be said in the evening, substituting the word 'evening' for 'morning' .

From Fortification of the Muslim: Supplications from the Quran and Sunnah, compiled by Sa'eed ibn 'Ali ibn Wahf Qahtani, Cairo: Dar as-Salam, 2004, Pp. 128-129. Unless otherwise noted, all the supplications and remembrances are from this source, and they are from reliable hadiths. 47 Ibn Majah and Al;tmed. (Amsayna wa amsal-mulku lillahi rabbi!- 'alameen. Allahumma innee as' aluka khaira hadhihil-laylah, fat-"f:iaha wa na~raha wa nooraha wa barakataha wa hudaha, wa a'oodhu bika min sharri ma Jeeha wa sharri ma ba'daha.)» 48 No one knows if he or she will wake up the next morning. Allah (~) says: ~®" H (i'I' :_;.._'.;J1 •..,_,....,) ~It is Allah Who receives the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die during their sleep.

He keeps those [souls] for which He has ordained death and sends the rest [back to their bodies] for a term appointed .. ) (Quran 39: 42) Since no one can ever know what waits for them tomorrow, why worry? Just keep faith and renew your vows each night before you go to bed; ask Allah for protection, forgiveness and mercy. «O Allah! Verily, You created my soul, and You are able to take its life. To You belong its life and death. If You keep it alive, guard it; and if You cause its death, forgive it. 0 Allah!

I ask You to grant me wellbeing. (Allahumma innaka khalaqta nafsee wa anta tawaffaha, laka mamatuha wa ma"f:iyaha; in a"f:iyaytaha fal:ifadh-ha, wa in amattaha faghfir laha. Allahumma innee as'alukal 'afiyah.)» 49 When I feel depressed or if I am going through a difficult situation, I always remind myself of these verses by Imam Shafi 'i: 48 Abu Dawood (in Fortification of the Muslim). 49 Muslim. Let the fates run with their sufferings, And sleep only with a peaceful mind. Between the blink of the eye and its alertness, Allah changes one state to another.

Living in the moment brings the peace of mind we all struggle to achieve. It is a relaxing state of mind that helps us to meet and surmount everyday challenges. 50