How do we get the right work, life balance? How do you find the right balance between your work, your family / friends and your deen (religion)?
We all struggle to find time to study, to be there for others, to prepare a healthy meal, to exercise etc.
Moreover we have to provide for ourselves and/or our families. Hence it leaves less time in our days to work on our relationship with Allah.
This lecture from Nouman Ali Khan deals with balance between money and other priorities
Surely as he says, you’re so busy in dunia (life) that you don’t have enough time for worshiping Allah. Then your heart is slowly toughening.
Verily the things that harden your heart are the worldly occupations.
To put it in another way, once you have had good money, what are you going to do?
Either you consider that money calls for money. Then you are going to spend more time and effort to get more money which will make life more comfortable. Or so you think…
Or you can reflect a moment on the priorities of this life. In that case, you might find out that you are doing just OK. Because you appreciate that Allah has given you enough for your basic needs.
Then what are your basic needs that have to be fulfilled?
For example a roof over your head, food on your table and safety in the place you live.
What about looking for nonessential things like the last mobile phone or the biggest TV screen? As a matter of a fact, these excesses of material things will eat up your time.
Indeed, less things to buy is less headaches, less worries. Therefore you become less financially anxious and see more value in the time you spent for your religion.
Again, it will create opportunities because you will have more time to spend with your beloveds or simply others who are in need. Obviously it is forms of worship don’t forget it!
Rather than thinking “materialistic profits” we should think about the profit of a better spiritual connection.
Finally, here is a quote from Nouman Ali Khan’s lecture that sums up the above points:
Allah didn’t create me to make more money; he created me for another purpose so if I can survive doing less and do more meaningful things, why not!