What Life Is All About

Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah.
Praise be to God, and I bear witness that there is no god but God, He is One with no partner.

Peace be upon you,

Dear brothers and sisters, today we will speak plainly and directly about two things only: what life is all about, and who God is. Let us begin with ourselves.

The real you is the soul.

The greatest problem in the world is not war or disease. It is not poverty or crime. The greatest problem is that people do not know who they are. Most people think, “I am this face, this height, this weight, this age.” They look in a mirror and say, “This is me.” But that is not the real self. That is the body. The body is a garment the soul wears for a short time. It is born, it grows, it gets strong, it gets weak, and it leaves. The body is important, but it is not you. The real you is the soul.

We all know there is a difference between a living body and a dead body. A living body has warmth, energy, awareness, and will. When death comes, that spark is gone. The body becomes cold and still. We say, “He is gone,” or “She is gone,” and we are right. The person is gone, even though the body is still in front of our eyes. That simple fact is enough to teach us that a human being is two things: a body and a soul. The body is temporary. The soul is the real person and continues on.

When we forget this, we mix up our priorities. We spend almost all our time feeding the body, dressing the body, protecting the body, entertaining the body, and very little time feeding the soul. We study for years to get jobs to pay for food, housing, clothing, and comfort. All of this has its place, but if it takes over our life, we end up starving the real person and serving only the temporary shell. Then, when death comes—and it always comes—we wake up too late. We look back and think, “I worked so hard for the body, but what did I do for the real me?”

So what is life about?

Life is about re-ordering our priorities. Life is about putting the body in the service of the soul, not the soul in the service of the body. Life is about growing the inner person so that when we leave this world, we leave with a strong, healthy, peaceful soul that is ready to meet its Lord.

How do we feed the soul? Not with bread, not with meat, not with sugar. The soul is nourished by contact with God, by honest worship of God alone, by truthful living, by gratitude, by patience, by charity, and by restraint. These are not vague ideas. They are real, practical acts that we can do every day.

The main meal of the soul is the five daily contact prayers. They are not empty rituals. They are scheduled meetings with the One who created us and sustains us. When we stand, bow, and prostrate, we humble the ego and lift the heart. We say with our bodies and our tongues, “God is greater.” If we keep these five connections, our day is tied to Heaven. They divide the day into pure moments of light. They wash the heart again and again. If you want to test this, be consistent with your five connections for one month. Put the alarm, plan ahead, and do not miss them. Notice your inner state at the end of that month. You will feel the difference.

Another strong food for the soul is fasting. When you fast, you tell your body, “You will eat and drink when I decide, not when desire pulls.” The body learns its place, and the soul takes the lead. Fasting builds patience, empathy, and self-control. It breaks bad habits and prepares the heart to receive guidance.

Charity is soul food too. When you give from what you love, you loosen the grip of greed. You remember that wealth is a trust, not a god. Charity heals both the giver and the receiver. It cleans what we own. It brings relief to the poor and dignity to society. It frees the heart from fear and teaches reliance on God.

Truthful living is also nourishment. Speak truth even when it is hard. Be fair even when no one is watching. Return what is not yours. Keep promises. Do not harm. Do not cheat. Do not backbite. These are not small rules. They are the daily vitamins of the soul. Without them, worship becomes hollow. With them, worship becomes light.

Remembrance is another simple and powerful food. Say often: “There is no god except God.” “Praise be to God.” “God is greater.” “God is enough for me.” You will notice that remembrance changes how you see the world. It turns small moments into worship and ordinary steps into a path toward God.

Now, let us be honest. Many people have comfort, money, and status, yet they feel empty. They say, “Something is missing.” They have fed the body very well, but the soul is thin and weak. When the soul is hungry, happiness hides. When the soul is nourished, peace appears—even if the body faces hardship. This is why life is about the soul. This is why worship is not a burden. It is medicine. It is food. It is oxygen.

So ask yourself each day: “What did I feed my soul today?” If the answer is “nothing,” change it. Remember God when your mind wanders. Keep going, and you will see what God does for a person who turns to Him sincerely.

Tūbū ilā Allāh
Let’s repent to God.

Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ash-hadu an lā ilāha illa Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah.
Praise be to God, and I bear witness that there is no god but God, He is One with no partner.

Now we turn to the second question:

Who is God?

We live in a small corner of a vast creation. Our planet circles a star that is one of countless stars in a galaxy that is one of countless galaxies. The distances are beyond our full grasp. The motions are precise. The laws are stable. The balance is perfect. All of this points to the greatness of God. He is the Creator, the Designer, the Sustainer. He is not part of creation. He is not limited by time or space. He does not beget, and He was not begotten. Nothing is like Him.

When we remember the greatness of God, we see how wrong it is to worship anything beside Him. How can a human being, who was born and will die, be taken as a partner to the Lord of the heavens and the earth? How can a stone, a tree, a star, a saint, a prophet, a shrine, a number, a charm, a leader, or a desire be lifted to the place of God? This is the root of idolatry: taking something created and treating it as if it can stand with the Creator, or between us and the Creator. But God does not need partners, and we do not need intermediaries. He is near. He hears every call. He knows what the heart hides and what the tongue cannot even form into words. He is enough.

Knowing who God is makes our worship simple and pure. We do not need complicated claims. We do not need to chase legends. We do not need to fear humans. We worship God alone and live by truth. This is the straight path.

Knowing who God is also heals anxiety. Many fears come from pretending we control what we do not control. We control our choices, our words, our efforts. God controls results, life, death, honor, provision, and time. When the heart rests in that truth, it stops always reaching outside for safety. It looks up. It puts trust in the One who never fails. Then, the heart finds peace while the hands keep working.

What does God ask of us? He asks for exclusive worship and a righteous life. He asks that we keep our five daily connections, give from what we have, fast when prescribed, deal honestly, be just, and be kind. He asks that we are upright even if we stand alone, patient when tested, grateful when blessed, and humble always.

You may ask, “Is there proof that this path is real and not just nice talk?” The most important proof is the change it makes in you. Take the steps and watch the heart. You will feel the weight of anxiety ease. You will taste a quiet joy that does not depend on circumstances. You will notice clearer judgment. You will catch your anger sooner, and your compassion will grow.

So what should we do now, today, this week? Make a clean intention. Say in your heart, “I want to worship God alone and live a righteous life.” Guard your five connections. Put them on your daily schedule like the most important meetings of your life. If you have been rushing, slow down and give your heart a moment to be present.

Choose one act of charity you will do this week. It can be money. It can be food. It can be time. It can be a ride for someone who needs help. Give it for God’s sake alone. Tell no one if you can keep it hidden.

Clean your tongue. Decide that you will not backbite. If you catch yourself, stop and say something good or stay silent. Truth is worship. Silence can be worship. Do not let your tongue become a tool of harm.

Set a short time every day for remembrance. After dawn or after sunset, sit for five minutes and say: “There is no god except God,” “Praise be to God,” and “God is greater.” Watch what happens to the rest of your hours.

Watch what you consume with your eyes and ears. What you watch and hear feeds your heart. Choose what lifts you. Avoid what stains you. Your soul is precious.

Repair one relationship if you can. Say, “I am sorry,” if you were wrong. Forgive if you can forgive. Ask God to heal what you cannot fix.

Hold tight to patience. Patience is not giving up. Patience is steady effort without panic. Patience is trusting God while doing your duty.

Be grateful. Gratitude is not words only. It is seeing clearly. Count three blessings every evening before you sleep.

When you keep this simple path, you will see a change. Your mornings will have purpose. Your nights will have calm. Your decisions will have more light. You will see temptations more clearly and avoid them sooner. You will feel less pulled by the opinions of people and more drawn by what is right in God’s sight. You will not be perfect, but you will be on the road that God loves: worship of God alone and a sincere effort to live righteously.

Brothers and sisters, everything we said today flows from two truths:

First, God is One, the Creator, the Lord of all. He needs no partner, no helper, and no image to make Him “close.” He is already close. Worship Him alone. Ask Him alone. Trust Him alone. Thank Him alone. Fear disappointing Him more than you fear losing anything in this world.

Second, life is about the soul. Do not starve the real person while feeding the shell. Make the body serve the soul. The five daily connections, charity, truthfulness, remembrance, patience, and gratitude—these feed the soul.

If we live by these two truths, homes change, work changes, marriages change, friendships change, and our inner world changes. We become more honest, more stable, more compassionate, more courageous. We carry peace with us, and we spread it wherever we go.

Let us make a sincere prayer:

Our Lord, guide us to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best way. Our Lord, cleanse our hearts from pride, envy, any type of idol-worship and hypocrisy. Grow our souls through the rites that you have decreed us. Strengthen us in charity, patience, and truth. Make us people who worship You alone and do good for Your sake alone. Forgive our sins, heal our wounds, and protect our families. Give us correct understanding, pure hearts, clear minds, and steady steps. Do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us. Make the last of our words “There is no god except one God,” and gather us with the righteous in Your mercy.

Aqīmū al-ṣalāh
Let’s do the contact prayer.