Life is short there is no time for enjoyment

[جوري]

fact is the way the system is set us isn't conducive at all to learning or even healthy competition. The golden age of Islam happened for several reasons. One of them was folks weren't so money crazed, it wasn't about the mill of life. It was actually about science and technology and art and architecture. Not about pay check to pay check to put food on the table. :Allah::swt: has given us enough resources in the earth to cover what we need to live and eat so that it isn't all that we're thinking about all the time. He created for every region just what it needs. Ever think of why the Baobab tree grows in the most arid regions or why a humming bird's beak is the way it is? :Allah::swt: told us that we wouldn't go hungry if we played fair we would truly know there's enough for everyone's needs but not enough for everyone's greed in this case 90% of the people work most of their lives scraping by the rest are below poverty line and only an elite 2% who has never seen the inside of a anchovies packed classroom looks like are living it up on our sweat blood and tears.
Life as defined by capitalists is what you can grab from it and what it can grab from you. There's no ambitions, no dreams no science no architecture .. it is all just a means to an end and the end is the dollar!

 

[GodIsAll]

fact is the way the system is set us isn't conducive at all to learning or even healthy competition. The golden age of Islam happened for several reasons. One of them was folks weren't so money crazed, it wasn't about the mill of life. It was actually about science and technology and art and architecture. Not about pay check to pay check to put food on the table. :Allah::swt: has given us enough resources in the earth to cover what we need to live and eat so that it isn't all that we're thinking about all the time. He created for every region just what it needs. Ever think of why the Baobab tree grows in the most arid regions or why a humming bird's beak is the way it is? :Allah::swt: told us that we wouldn't go hungry if we played fair we would truly know there's enough for everyone's needs but not enough for everyone's greed in this case 90% of the people work most of their lives scraping by the rest are below poverty line and only an elite 2% who has never seen the inside of a anchovies packed classroom looks like are living it up on our sweat blood and tears.
Life as defined by capitalists is what you can grab from it and what it can grab from you. There's no ambitions, no dreams no science no architecture .. it is all just a means to an end and the end is the dollar!

Bingo!

Submission to the will and intentions of God is to be in a state of peace, harmony and gratification.
Laura, I can relate to your post, I really can. Here's what's fascinating on a personal level: The more I learned to do as our Creator demands, the more gratified I felt. The less I worried about making money, the more financially secure my family became. Be concerned with following God's path...as opposed to those expectations of friends', or society. Listen, pray and obey. Submit and obey. That will lead to more satisfaction and enjoyment than chasing some human's idea of success or accomplishment.

There will be sacrifice, but I have never known anyone who is solid and an example of all that is best in humans who wasn't proud to make sacrifices. What is amazing is the energy, joy and gratification you'll experience putting others before you.

We have all been given a passion from God. My advice would be to embrace it. Create. And do it in a way that is pleasing to God and beneficial to your fellow human kind. The "paycheck" will take care of itself.

Personally, I nigh fell into a few poor decisions regarding a spouse. I was so close to marriage a few times with a woman that looked a certain way, was the envy of my testosterone friends. How shallow! How pathetic! I believe I was saved from a lifetime of misery by waiting for who God wanted as a lifetime partner. Praise and everlasting gratitude for who God brought into my life. This is a woman who has a heart far better than I deserve.

I will cease rambling. In short, my total belief: submission and trust in our Creator is a wonderful way to exist in our span here.

 

[GuestFellow]

Well I'm having fun practicing as a Muslim. I'm a very happy individual. Slightly deranged at times especially when confronted with adorable pictures of animals:

 

[greenhill]

GodIsAll,After reading your post about 'listen, pray, obey' I came across this verse...

'That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your wealth and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew!'
 61:11

Fits?