How to Stay Away from Bad Habits?

■ How to Stay Away from Bad Habits?

Every person wants to live a good life, free from bad habits and sins. But often, we struggle to stop ourselves from doing wrong things. Sometimes, we get angry, sometimes we speak badly about others, and sometimes we waste our time on useless activities.

But do you know the easiest way to stay away from all bad habits? Make Zikr and Salawat your most important work!

When a person truly understands that their main task in life is to Zikr and Salawat, they automatically stay away from bad habits. The mistake we make is that we do not consider Zikr and Salawat as our real work. Instead, we get busy with unnecessary things, and that is why we end up making mistakes.

Our teachers and scholars teach us different ways to leave sins, but the simplest and most effective method is to focus on one main task. When a person is busy with something important, they do not have time for distractions. And that one main task should be Zikr and Salawat.

Why Does Zikr and Salawat Help?

Imagine you have a beautiful, clean white dress. If you know its value, you will be careful not to get it dirty. You will avoid places where there is mud, and you will not sit anywhere that might stain it.

Similarly, when you make Zikr and Salawat your main focus, you will start feeling uncomfortable with things that take you away from it. Your heart will tell you what is necessary and what is unnecessary. You will only do things that are truly important, and you will avoid things that waste your time.

For example, if a worker has to give instructions to his helper, it is necessary for him to do so. But if he spends hours chatting about useless topics, that is unnecessary. A person who understands the value of Zikr and Salawat will never waste time on useless things.

Think about how most people spend their free time. When friends sit together, what do they talk about? Usually, they discuss random news, tell long stories, criticize others, or gossip. This has become their habit, and they do not even realize how much time they waste.

Sadly, even educated and knowledgeable people fall into this. The most unfortunate thing is that many of them know that gossiping and backbiting are sins, yet they still do it. Some of them even speak badly about good and pious people, including scholars and religious leaders. This is something to be very careful about because speaking against good people is a serious mistake in the eyes of Allah ﷻ.

Allah ﷻ has already given us the perfect solution in the Qur’an. He says:

❝And remembers the name of his Lord and prays.❞

(87:15)

This means that if we make Zikr and Salawat our priority, all bad habits will automatically disappear.

The more time we spend in Zikr and Salawat, the less time we will have for useless talk, gossip, and other distractions. Our hearts will become pure, and we will feel closer to Allah ﷻ.

Now that we know the importance of Zikr and Salawat, how can we start making it a part of our daily lives? Here are some simple steps:

1. Start Small: Begin with a few minutes of Zikr every day. Atleast, You can recite 100x SubhanAllah, 100x Alhamdulillah, 100x Allahu Akbar, 100x La ilaha illa Allah, 100x Allah hoo and 100x Salawat while sitting, walking, or even before sleeping.

2. Be Consistent: Try to do Zikr and Salawat every day, even if it is for a short time. Slowly, you can increase the time as it becomes a habit.

3. Avoid Distractions: Whenever you feel like gossiping or wasting time, remind yourself that your real work is Zikr and Salawat.

4. Stay Around Good People: Spend time with those who remind you of Allah ﷻ and encourage you to do good.

5. Ask Allah for Help: Make dua to Allah ﷻ and ask Him to keep you away from sins and help you remember Him.

If we want to protect ourselves from bad habits, we must change our focus. Instead of wasting time on useless things, we should fill our hearts and minds with Zikr and Salawat. When we do this, we will naturally feel uncomfortable with anything that takes us away from Allah ﷻ.

May Allah ﷻ help us to remember Him at all times and protect us from wasting our lives in useless activities. Ameen!