Living With Allah At The Center, Not The Side.

I was thinking earlier today about how our society is, especially in Western countries. I was reflecting back at how I and many others around me were raised, despite having a Muslim upbringing. Our entire lives have always been 'dunya-centric'.

Focusing on school, grades, graduating, career, making money, success, falling in love, getting married, buying a house, having kids..

Islam is just treated as a side-gig.

It might be something muslims think about one a year during Ramadan, or here and there. Even the muslims that are very religious, are still living a very dunya-centric life.

I was one of them.

Prior to my awakening, I was very religious and spiritual. I thought about Allah a lot.. however my life was still very 'dunya-focused.' Pretty much like everyone around me.

It was always about getting good grades. I went to college and got a Bachelors degree. I spent years getting corporate experience. I got full-time office jobs at the top companies. I even enrolled in a Master's program at a top univerisity.

Aside from career, I was all about falling in love and getting married. We all know how that turned out..

To sum it up, my life was very dunya-focused despite being religious and spiritual. I was still not living with Islam at my center. And I didn't realize this until now..

now that Allah has woken me up.

It makes me so sad to think that our parents didn't care to give us an Islamic upbringing. They did the best they could in terms of survival, but they put all their focus on career, money and success.. while tossing Islam to the side.

This gets me to my next realization that I had earlier today.

I never thought about having kids. I never had the desire, but when I thought about this.. that desire naturally came to me. I hope that one day Allah does bless me with children.. not because I want to become a mother, but because I want to bring humans into this dunya-centric world and have them devote their lives to Allah.

I would want to raise them differently than how I was raised, despite living in a western country. It would be so difficult because of society expectations, but I would make it my mission. My children wouldn't treat Islam like a side-gig.. it would be their main focus.

I would not pressure them to get a degree, a stable job, and make a lot of money. Instead, I would encourage them to get into Islamic work and feed their true inner hunger. I wouldn't teach them about Islamic rules and scare them with stories of hell and punishment. Instead, I would explain to them why these rules are beneficial for them and thier life..

not just for the sake of following rules.

I will put the love of Allah in their hearts. And take away the illusion of this dunya.