Ḥajj is a journey of transformation. It should mark a turning point in your life: a shift that sets you on a path to live with Allah. But this transformation doesn’t happen automatically. It begins with deep reflection and an honest assessment of your current life (muḥāsabah). This will then allow you to set goals to achieve your ultimate goal: pleasing Allah and attaining Jannah.
Take some time to reflect on the key areas of your life. Consider where you are now and where you hope to be.
Reflect on the following areas:
- Your relationship with Allah
- Your relationship with the Prophet ﷺ
- The state of your heart
- Your character and personality
- Your physical and mental health
- Your relationship with your family
- Your work, studies, and finances
- Your relationship with your friends
- Your role in your local community (including neighbours)
- Your connection to the Ummah
For each of the areas listed above, choose one key goal and write it down.
For example, instead of writing “I will pray tahajjud every night”, you might write: “O Allah, please make me punctual with at least ten minutes of tahajjud ṣalāh every night.”
Your Legacy
Imagine standing in front of Allah on the Day of Judgement, and you are asked: What did you do with your life?
What will you present? What will you say you dedicated your time and energy to?
During ḥajj, you likely had time to reflect on how you’ve spent your life, how you want to live it going forward, and the legacy you hope to leave behind. You may have also reflected on how short life is, how temporary everything feels, and how quickly time slips away. You may have also become more aware of the challenges facing the ummah, and how far we are from where we need to be. You may have felt a deeper connection to Ibrāhīm (As) and his family: the sacrifices they made and how their legacy continues to benefit humanity thousands of years later.
All of this may have led you to the deeper questions: How do I want to spend the rest of my life? What legacy do I want to leave behind for the sake of Allah? What is my life project to earn the pleasure of Allah?
Your Life Project
To help you develop your life project, consider the following questions:
- What does the ummah need?
- What are you good at?
- What do you enjoy?
- What pleases your Lord?
Where these four questions intersect, you will begin to find purpose. It doesn’t need to be grand or public, just something consistent and sincere, so that when you meet Allah, you can present your sacrifices and your life’s project to Him. And when that moment comes, it will be said to you:
“O tranquil soul, return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing to Him. So enter among My servants, and enter My Paradise” (89:27–30).
Act: Write the answers to the above four questions and based on that, identify what your life project could be. Consult a pious and wise teacher/friend/elder, pray istikhārah ṣalāh and get started!
“Some people live long lives but leave little behind, while others have short lives yet make a lasting impact.”
- Imām al-Shāfiʿī died at the age of 54, yet he filled the earth with knowledge.
- ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz passed away at 38, but in just two years of rule, he achieved more than others do in entire generations.
- Imām al-Nawawī died at 42, leaving behind a legacy of scholarship so vast, many today struggle just to read what he wrote, let alone produce its like.
Your Ultimate Goal
The last two verses of Sūrah al-Ḥajj give offer clear instructions on how to spend your life. Allah ﷻ says:
“O believers! Bow down, prostrate, worship your Lord, and do good so that you may be successful. Strive for Allah in the way He deserves: He has chosen you, and did not impose any hardship on you in the religion: the way of your forefather Ibrāhīm. (It is Allah) who named you ‘Muslims’ [the ones who submit] earlier and in this (Qur’ān), so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and that you may be witnesses over humanity. So establish prayer, pay zakāh, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Guardian. What an excellent Guardian, and what an excellent Helper!” (22:77-8)
May Allah, al-Mawlā, the Guardian, Protector and Master, protect you from all evil and accept you among His awliyā’. May He honour you to carry forward the legacy of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām) and enable you to strive for His sake. May al-Naṣīr, the Helper, uplift the ummah, restore its glory and choose you as a means to achieving that. Āmīn
Evaluating Your Hajj
