Powered by Max Banner Ads 

“Abi, when will we ever relax?”

by Abu Productive on March 24, 2011

by Abu Productive26 Comments

Posted on Thursday, March 24, 2011 in Islam & Productivity, Topics

Abi, when will we ever relax?

I wanted to share a moving story that I once heard and will always remember and cherish for its meanings. It’s the story of one of the great Imams of this Ummah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal.

His son, Abdullah, asked his father one day: “Abi when will we ever relax?” His father, one of the greatest revivers of the Sunnah and a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eye and said: “With the first step we take into Jannah.”

Ya Allah, what a beautiful response!

There are days that come to you and you’re tired, you just want to sleep and relax and “shut off” as they say. Those are the days in which you need to ask yourself a critical question: ‘Where am I going with life?’ If it’s towards Allah and for Allah, then regain your strength and continue your work, for Jannah is precious and must be sought. But if you look into your life and realise that it’s not towards Allah but towards Dunya, then your tiredness becomes a blessing, for it is a reminder that you need to change direction and renew your purpose in life.

I love this story on many levels. For one, it shows you that when someone’s focus is Jannah, their priorities change and their outlook on life is different. What we perceive as difficulty, they perceive as ease. What we perceive as calamity, they perceive as reward. What we perceive as obstacles, they perceive as opportunities for sincere dua. Moreover, when your focus is Jannah, this Dunya and its constant demand becomes small and the least of our concerns.

Also, I love the way the son began his question: “Abi” – a sweet way of addressing his father, and asked: “When will we ever relax?” If you notice, he didn’t say, “when will I relax Dad?” Even though he wanted to relax, he wasn’t selfish and also cared for his father’s condition. This also shows you that the father and son were working hard together. Again, when your focus is Jannah it reflects in your family, children, and those around you and everyone gears up towards that goal.

Our problem today is not that we’re tired, our problem today is that we relax too much. We do everything so that we relax. We cheat, break promises, do not fulfill our vows, lie, take and give bribery, and so on. Why? So we can relax. We don’t stay up for Tahajjud or wake up for Fajr, we don’t fast, or go for Hajj and Umrah… all so we can relax. We don’t walk towards the Masjid or open the Book of Allah so we can understand it, all in the name of “I need to relax!”

Dear brothers and sisters, there’s plenty of relaxation where we’re going, but this is not the time for it. Let’s all work for Jannah and be productive in the path of Allah, and work so hard that one day our children will approach us and ask: “Abi” or “Ummi”: “When will we ever relax?” and you can smile and look them in the eyes and say, “When we enter Jannah inshaAllah”.

Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to our newsletter and
join other productive muslims

Tagged as: Story

Pin It

Previous post:

Next post:

Related Posts:
  1. What Are You Striving for: Dunya or Akhirah?
  2. Are You Doing Good Deeds with Great Rewards?
  3. A Glorious Call to Prayer
  4. How to Develop Consistency through Salah
  5. Refine your Intentions for Productivity
  • Koorosh Vahabi

    Salam Un Aleykum,

    Mashallah so true. Great article as always and great insights.

    How are you finding Saudi?

    all my Saudi friends rave about a fast food restaurant called Albaik, which essentially serves fried chicken, but they cant stop talking about it.

    Remember me when you visit it inshallah

    :)

    Salam

    Koorosh

  • http://turboflow.blogspot.com turBo

    excellent masha’Allah – really needed this instant pick-me-up reminder n get back to some serious work and study – jzk and may Allah (swt) reward you immensley in this world and the next – ameen! keep these posts coming through – for truly there are alot of people who benefit from them alhamdullilah!

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/cinta_kane/ Visual_C

    Masha Allah! JazakAllahu Khair I agree with turBo …an instant pick-me-up reminder!

  • farhanah

    what a nice remember…..wake me up.

  • Radwa

    It’s nice to know that there is someone somewhere has the same thoughts as you.. I like the story very much, thanks for sharing it with us.

    Al hamdo l allh I have the same concept and was discussing it with a friend a while ago, he was talking about how tired he feels and he wants to rest, suddenly i found myself telling him what you wrote in this article, now am glad to know that i wasn’t rambling and that how we should live.

    Thanks again for this nice article and this nice way of pulling us back to the right path.

  • Shahmuzir

    This beautiful answer of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal has really ‘touched’ me…

  • Ummati2004

    Our problem today is not that we’re tired, our problem today is that we relax too much.

  • Pingback: An Answer to Give to Your Children « sehijau warna daun

  • Chihab

    salamoalikom and jazakom allaho khayran
    we need this article in this hardtime that dounia and akhira are confused in our mind, and we need it more to renew our ultimate objective who is jannah
    i think the best way to get daily reward, and stay conscious for our deen, is to have a good intention for either the things that we used to do ” sleeping, eating, going to work”
    “” and sorry for my bad english”

  • Khadeejah Islam

    This is mind-blowing, masha’Allah! JazakAllah khayr.

  • Ahmad Badawy Halima

    Masha’Allah! JazakAllah khayr :))

  • UmmAmeen

    thats reeeealy touching…baraka Llahu fik!!

  • Umm Joury

    jazaak Allaah khayr

  • KINGSTONZFINEST

    Jazakallah khair akhi, a moving but inspirational piece.

  • KINGSTONZFINEST

    Jazakallah khair akhi, a moving but inspirational piece.

  • Zohairshaheena

    A real inspiring story.Let us all throw away that sentence from our lives”I m Tired”Instead all the time our slogan should be “Labbaik”and accept the challenges thrown upon us by saying Alhamdulillah……….

  • Pingback: When will we ever relax? | The Gridded Path

  • a.k.

    Thanks for the piece. May Allah bless you :)

  • Pingback: “Abi, when will we ever relax?” | Mutiara Hati*

  • Umm Adam

    mA, short, sweet and to the point– I loved this article! isA, I pray that Allah blesses everyone of the people who works for and/or contributes to ProductiveMuslim.com– that the reward that may come as a result of any good performed by those of us who are inspired to be more productive Muslims as a result of this site, extends to each and every one of you… isA.

  • Arshiyusuf

    I can hear my kids saying in the car..Are we there yet!…..GPS does not show how long more but we are on the right track reading productive Muslim.

  • Pingback: When will we ever relax? « cahayadian

  • Pingback: Short Stories - Page 34

  • Alyona_nc

    My Granny used to say: We will relax when we die, but she is an orthodox christian. mashallah i converted and inshallah will make her believe in Allah too…

  • Pingback: Bilakah Masanya Untuk Kita Berehat? « Kerana DIA…

  • Ola A

    wow mashaAllah, uplifting and much in needed story. true, we do relax too much. sometimes, maybe some people, like myself, want to give back to ummah, but do not know how….but just rely and ask Allah for guidance and accpect in whatever we do to be accpected in akhira. 

    sometimes we get lazy, and sometimes it’s from our lifestyles. like, over eating, over excerising, over sleeping, over-time it just becomes a bad habit and lazy. :( 
    may Allah guide us all who are trying to purify our souls for Allah’s sake. (ameen)