This
post is about commuting ProductiveMuslim style! ;) How you can make the
most of those long hours on the road so that they truly add value to
your life (and afterlife) instead of subtracting from it.
Now this all depends on which commuting
vehicle you’re using (and trust me, I’ve used them all). Below is a
breakdown of what you can do in each type of commuting vehicle. But
before we get into that, a few prerequisites:
1. When you leave your house, remember the dua for leaving the house
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
Bismillahi tawakkaltu allah lah la hawla wala kuwata ila billa
Bismillahi tawakkaltu allah lah la hawla wala kuwata ila billa
‘In the name of Allaah, I place my trust in Allaah, and there is no might nor power except with Allaah.’
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أزل أو أُزل أو أَضِلَّ أَوْ أُضَّلَّ أَوْ أَظْلِمَ أَوْ أُظْلَمَ أَوْ أَجْهَلَ أَوْ يُجْهَلَ عَلَىّّ
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أزل أو أُزل أو أَضِلَّ أَوْ أُضَّلَّ أَوْ أَظْلِمَ أَوْ أُظْلَمَ أَوْ أَجْهَلَ أَوْ يُجْهَلَ عَلَىّّ
Allahumma innee a’uoozubika an adhilla auw adhalla auw azilla auw uzalla auw auw uzhlama auw ajhala auw yujhala ‘alaiyya
‘O Allaah, I take refuge with You lest I
should stray or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or oppress or be
oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.’
2. Remember the dua for riding/mounting a vehicle:
بِسْمِ اللّهِ ، الْحَمْد’ للّهِ ،
سُبْحانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ
وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ
Bismillah. Alhamdulilah.
SubhanAll-ladhi, sakh-khara lana, haatha, wa-ma kunna lahu mukrineen. Wa
inna ila Rubbina lamunqalibuun.
‘In the name of Allaah and all praise if
for Allaah. How perfect He is, the One Who has placed this (Transport)
at our service and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and
to our Lord if our final destiny.’
3. Invest in a good MP3 player
Either an MP3
player with A-B functionality or an iPod Touch/iPhone with a Quran
Application installed (here’s a guide on how to “Islamize your iPod
Touch/iPhone”)
With the above sorted, here are some ProductiveMuslim to-do’s whilst commuting in each vehicle:
Bike:
Things you can do while riding your bike:
1. Memorize the Quran:
Using your MP3 player with A-B Functionality you can specify where your MP3
player should start on a track, and where it should end, then loop it.
This means you can choose a Quran track and specify from which verse the
recitation should begin and which verse it should stop at, then repeat
these verses as many times as you want. The result: memorizing a whole
set of new verses!
Next day move on to the next set of
verses and repeat the process as you cycle along. (For this to truly
work, I suggest you memorize the verses at home first before you leave
your house, ideally after Fajr Salah, and then listen to them on your
way to work and back). The iPod Touch/iPhone can be used in a similar
way using the excellent iQuran Pro software. (here’s a guide on how to “Islamize your iPod Touch/iPhone“)
2. Contemplate on Allah’s creation:
The most enjoyable part for me when
riding a bike is contemplating on Allah’s creation: the heavens, the
earth, the mountains, and the scenery that surrounds us truly reminds me
of the verse:
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
“Verily! In the creation of the heavens
and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed
signs for men of understanding”. (3:190)
To contemplate most effectively, I
suggest you use a map and leave early for work so that you can try a
different route each day or get a chance to cycle around your favorite
park at least once before you go to work. Breathing in the fresh air and
entertaining your eyes with Nature is an absolute joy that will set
your mood straight for the rest of the day.
3. Remember Allah:
Connected to the above. Simply saying
“SubhanaAllah, Al-Hamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar” or any
other supplication or remembrance is a truly productive and rewarding
way of spending your commute. It connects you to the Hereafter, makes
you focus on the “bigger” picture beyond this life and reminds you of
who you’re worshipping. A great way to start or end your day!
4. Exercise:
Riding a bike is a natural exercise, so
not only are you commuting but you’re also exercising! My only advice
here is to make sure your work place has a shower room (and of course
don’t forget to pack a change of clothes!)
Car:
If you’re driving a car (you can do all of the above (except the exercise part) + the following:
AudioBooks/Lectures/Courses/Podcasts:
I’ve recently rediscovered the joy of
learning through listening with my iPod Touch connected to my car’s
radio device. I can listen to any audiobook, lectures, Islamic MP3
courses, or Podcasts I download to my iPod. I completed a 2 hour life
coaching course, a marketing course (36 CDs), an Islamic seerah course
(32 CDs), and 100s of hours of other talks through doing so.
Now most people do the above one way or another, BUT here are some advanced tips to really make the most of ALL your audio files:
- Have a structured course planned out – so you know exactly what you’re listening to and when, and can build on your knowledge instead of starting on something then changing it to something else… then coming back to where you started!
- If you truly want to make the most of what you listened to, try taking notes as you wait in busy traffic OR when you get home. That will help reinforce what you learnt, and you will be more likely to use it inshaAllah.
Trains/Bus/Plane/ Personal Chauffeur:
Again, you can do all of the above + the following:
1. Video Podcasts:
Watch Video Podcasts/Courses through your iPod Touch/iPhone or any other MP4technology
that displays video on small screens. Again, you can download these
courses (some of which are free) to your laptop then sync with your
devices.
2. Read Books/Study:
Spend a weekend in a bookstore and
purchase a set of beneficial books to read on your daily commute.
Nothing like lifelong learning :). Again, make sure the books are part
of a “plan”, i.e. let’s say you’re interested in marketing this week,
then all your audio files for the car rides and the books you read
should relate to that subject.
3. Reply to your e-mails offline:
If you carry your laptop with you, you
may find it very useful (especially on trains/planes) to catch up on
e-mails and prepare draft replies to them. For those of you who check
your e-mails online, I highly suggest you set up your laptop so that it
downloads ALL your e-mails from your different
accounts to one e-mail client, e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail,
Mozilla Thunderbird and so on. That way, you don’t need internet
connection to check your e-mail, the e-mails are downloaded when you’re
connected to the internet, and you can read them/ and prepare draft
replies at your convenience.
4. Set Agendas:
I learnt this from David Allen’s
Productivity System “Getting Things Done”: Prepare an agenda for every
person you’re going to meet. Isn’t it annoying when you meet somebody
that you had so much to tell or ask of, but can only remember 2 things
from that list?! Writing down ‘an agenda’ for everyone you’re going to
meet or need to see is a helpful and productive tip to make the most of
that meeting. So if you’re sitting in your train or on the plane… write
out those agendas! If you’re traveling for a meeting and no agenda has
been set, use the time you have to write an agenda. It doesn’t have to
be elaborate, a ‘short list’ will do.
5. Phone Calls/SMS:
Yup, I’m that annoying person who never
stops talking on the phone from the moment the train/bus starts moving
till the end. OK, I’m not. I actually hate those people. But a train
ride/bus ride is prime time for a quick catch up call/SMS. Those who
know me, know that I cannot sit down and speak over the phone and I just
love walking and talking… so I normally use the time going to and fro
from train stations, or up and down the terminal to really get most of
the phones calls out of the way. (p.s. By the way, that’s a life
coaching tip there: NEVER sit down when
talking over the phone, especially if you need to convince the person on
the other end of the line of something or you’ll be asked difficult
questions. I guess that’s where ‘thinking on your feet’ comes from).
6. Think & contemplate – brainstorm ideas/Journal:
Whilst contemplating on Allah’s creation
(see above) thoughts and ideas enter (& leave) my mind! I need to
capture them. Hence, with my trusted Moleskine Folio Journal, I write
down ALL the ideas in the form of mindmaps,
journal entries, pictures, charts etc… Most of my favourite posts on
ProductiveMuslim were born in those precious me-time moments on the
train/bus/plane with dear old Moleskine ;) They provide a very useful
platform for developing ideas that just got captured during my journey.
You can now see why I love commuting! No
matter which vehicle you put me in, with the proper planning and right
tools, my daily commute becomes a true asset to my daily life instead of
a time-waster in traffic :)
Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/commuting-productivemuslim-style/#ixzz3HotbqAkI
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An
old friend of mine once said to me, “There’s a myth that’s going around
these days, the myth says: If you can manage your time, you can do
anything!”. Four years from hearing this advice, I don’t believe it’s a
myth anymore.
You
should aim to develop the following 7 Spiritually Productive activities
into habits so that you can hopefully continue benefitting from them
throughout your life. I consider these activities as the spiritual
‘bread and butter’ of any ProductiveMuslim. To develop them as habits is
the essence of embarking on your journey towards the love of Allah
(Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and constantly increasing in your eman,
inshaAllah:
