As-salamu Alaykum wa RahmatuLlah
We praise Allah, we thank Him... We send unending
salutations into the best of creation Muhammad(pbuh).
We ask for the mercy and forgiveness of Allah for ourselves
as we spend some of His gift(time) in His cause. May He put baraka in this
session amd grant us the maximum benefit of this discussion.
It's an honour to be here once again..
Today we're taking a look at the topic "CAMPUS LIFE AND
MUSLIM LIFE". or "THE LIFE OF THE MUSLIM ON CAMPUS"
It has become the common aspiration of every person to climb
up the ladder of formal education to the highest level. Today, in Ghana to be
specific, there is increasing enrolment
into tertiary institutions across the country(between 280,000 and 350,000 are
admitted yearly).
Apart from the academic duties of the school, it is also a
community on it's own, with leadership, structures and sub systems. It creates
an atmosphere of coexistence among people from diverse backgrounds, both from
within and outside the country.
We could take much more from the school than we normally do
if we will consciously view it as an opportunity to grow as people and to
improve upon our lives in the various dimensions.
To the Muslims, our religious life on campus is a subject of
concern due to the fact that the average Ghanaian educational institution has
more unislamic attributes than Islamic ones. One major question that arises is
"how can one successfully go through tertiary education and still have his
deen intact?"
In this sessions I'll briefly mention a few points that can
aid every tertiary Muslim student or prospective tertiary Muslim student if
they wish to gain the best out of campus life.
First of all we wish to break down the Muslim's life on
campus into academic, social and spiritual dimensions to simplify our
discussion inn shaa Allah...
Your academic life*... deals with the main purpose of your
being in the school, ie studies, attaining good grades and graduating with a
praiseworthy CWA or GPA.
It also includes how well you understand your program of
study and how best you could put your knowledge to use after school.
Your *social life has to do with how you interact with
colleagues, both Muslim and non Muslim, lecturers, school authorities etc.
Social intelligence is one of the most critical success
factors today. Your ability to properly communicate your ideas and take good
advice from people will go a long way to enhance your employability and success
in general in whatever you do.
The better you get along with, the better your chances of
getting favours that could catapult you to the top.
Your spiritual life* is your connection with your Creator.
Your religious life in general. How well you practice as a
Muslim.
It must be emphasized that, your success in each one of
these three dimensions in one way or the other contributes to your progress in
the other dimensions.
In essence your spiritual growth should be your number one
priority as a Muslim.
And there is no way you can grow spiritually if you distance
yourself from the ummah. Every Muslim should make it a point to find *GMSA* in
their school and be part of it.
We need to be able to properly balance all these three in
order to build a more complete Muslim personality.
How do we create that balance?
There are several
ways we can achieve a balanced personality on campus and in life in general but
I will just highlight my top 5 inn shaa Allah...
1. Purify your intentions
You should establish ikhlas towards Allah(swt) from day one
and continue to renew it from time to time....
As the Prophet Muhammad(saw) said:
“The seeking
of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim”[Tirmidhi]
.
Keeping this in mind will remind you why you actually go to
school. If you have the right intentions for your academic, social and
religious activities, Allah will attach baraka to whatever you do.
Regular goal setting
Develop the habit of setting clear written goals on a
regular basis... ie daily, weekly, monthly etc in line with the 3 dimensions of
your campus life.
You should also set priorities and going to work immediately
on the most important among your goals.
Brian Tracy said
"There's never enough time to do everything, and the
people have the tendency to procrastinate on the things that do not really but
and focus immediately on their key success factors"
3. Pray regularly on your goals
Allaah loves to be asked, and He encourages that in all
things. He is angry with the one who does not ask of Him and He encourages His
slaves to ask of Him.
“And your Lord
said: “Invoke Me and ask Me for anything] I will respond to
your (invocation)” (Ghaafir
40:60)
As we pray, we kill two birds with one stone. One, you
enhance your connection with Allah(swt) and second, you get what you ask for if
it is good for you.
4. Join associations and clubs
Apart from GMSA, there are so many clubs and associations
within every institution, that you are likely to find something that suits your
interests.
This will help you in socializing and getting more familiar
with your school and it's environment; and, the fuller your days are, the less
time you have to feel lonely or to slow down. It enhances your social life and
also helps build your capacity for the future.
5. Practice self discipline*
Most of us are clearly aware of all the things that have
been mentioned thus far, but the only thing that's stopping them from putting
what they know into practice is indiscipline..
Brian Tracy defines self discipline as...
*the ability to do what you have to do, when you have to do
it whether you feel like it or not.*
And this is one critical factor that can practically
guarantee success in every endeavor
Alhamdulillah this is the little we have to share concerning
the topic.. *The Muslim life on campus*
May Allah srreghten us in deen, forgive the dead believes
and kill us when we are most emaneous..Wassalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa
barakatuhu_