In a previous article, we mentioned some motivation boosters; following are some more:
1. Seeking perfection and rising above inadequacy
The Prophet said: “Allah likes what is noble and dislikes what is petty” , meaning every act that is bad and inferior. The Quran urges us to strive for excellence, as that act differentiates between good and bad, those who are knowledgeable and those who are not, those who fight and those who abstain, and between pioneers and loiterers.
In various verses, it favors those who are more esteemed in terms of perfection. For instance, Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
- {Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.} [Quran 39:9], and,
- {Not equal are those believers remaining [at home] - other than the disabled - and the mujaahidoon, [who strive and fight] in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred the mujaahidoon through their wealth and their lives over those who remain [behind], by degrees. And to both Allah has promised the best [reward]. But Allah has preferred the mujaahidoon over those who remain [behind] with a great reward.} [Quran 4:95]
Likewise, the Prophet urged his Ummah toward attaining perfection and rising above shortcomings. He said: “The strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer and in each one there is goodness. Be eager to [do] what is beneficial and seek the Help of Allah and never be weak.”
Moreover, he said: “The one who does not work hard will not be saved by his honorable lineage.” Thus, whoever desires to be highly motivated should aspire to perfection and overcome trivial matters.
2. Abandoning worldly pleasures
In other words, despising life and being wary of its domination and control over the heart is significant. Once, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Azeez sought the advice of Al-Hasan who wrote to him, saying, “The most important factor in becoming virtuous and guiding others to righteousness is forsaking worldly pleasures. This is achieved by conviction, which, in turn, is attained through contemplation that stems from being heedful. If you think carefully about life, you will find it unworthy of your selling yourself for its sake; and, you will discover that you merit being honored by caring little about this world, for it is only a place of trials and is transitory.”
Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates: “A man came to the Prophet and asked him to offer him concise advice. He said, ‘Give up hope in [possessing] what others have and be cautious of greed, which is ongoing poverty. If you pray, do so as if it were your last prayer; and beware of doing what obliges you to offer apologies.’”
Indeed, the one who renounces worldly pleasures will end up having a taste of the bliss of Paradise and the status of being close to Allah The Almighty.
3. Being concerned with one’s own affairs
Occupying oneself with matters related to others, which have no effect on the individual, is a bad habit that wastes time. And, time is a person's capital, so squandering it without doing anything useful for one’s life or religion is indeed unfavorable. Hence, the Prophet said: “It is of a man’s goodness in faith that he leaves what does not concern him.”
4. Refraining from wasting one’s time
Again, time is life and the lucky person is the one who makes optimum use of it by capitalizing on its every moment. Those with high motivation invest every second wisely; they are always keen on making the best use of their time, so much so that even personal tragedies do not prevent them from that.
Ibn Al-Atheer for example, wrote his great books, like Jaami' Al-‘Usool and An-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb Al-Hadeeth, when he was physically impaired. As-Sarakhsi penned his famous treatise Al-Mabsoot, which consists of fifteen volumes, while he was imprisoned. Also, Ibn Al-Qayyim wrote Zaad Al-Ma‘aad while he was traveling and Al-Qurtubi wrote an explanation of Saheeh Muslim while on board a ship.
5. Striving against vain desires
There are people who exert great efforts for the sake of a whim or worthless desires. However, a highly motivated person expends much energy on behalf of his or her beliefs and propagation of Islam. The worshipper does not rest except in Paradise, which spans an area as wide as the heavens and the earth. The path is easy only for those who know [what they would like to be] their destination. Thus, strive against your own vain desires to win the greatest honor.
It was also said that a man reaches perfection only when he gives precedence to his religion over his desires, and if he instead prioritizes fulfilling his whims, he will be destroyed.
That is why the strictly devout would train themselves to contradict their personal wants, even if they may be lawful, so as to habituate themselves to the concept of abandoning fancies altogether. Hence, whoever strives against his or her vain desires and demonstrates diligence in that will certainly reap what he or she sows; and, indeed acquiring virtues requires great efforts.
6. Refraining from hope in a long life and frequent remembrance of death
The one who indulges in this becomes highly motivated and consequently, increases in good deeds. Maajidah Al-Qurashiyyah used to say, “The sunrise and sunset have put an end to my hopes; and I expect death in every single movement that I hear.” Of the careless in this regard, she remarked, “They have prolonged their hopes and thus wasted their time. If only they had thought of death and forgotten about these [fanciful] notions, they would have found work to be easier for them.”
The Prophet held ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and advised: “Be in life as if you were a stranger or a wayfarer, and count yourself among the people of the graves.” [Al-Bukhari] He would also awake [for worship] after a third of the night had passed; he would then counsel: “O people! Remember Allah; remember [Him]. The blast [of the Horn that will convulse the creation] has [nearly] arrived; there will follow it a subsequent [one]. Death is imminent; death has come.” [Ahmad]
Mutarrif ibn ‘Abdullaah used to say, “Death has spoilt the fortune of the fortunate. Hence, seek prosperity that has no death.”
In conclusion, bear in mind that the most intelligent people are those who remember death frequently and prepare themselves for it.