Purposeful Life

The Prophet of Islam said that one of the hallmarks of a believer is that he gives up things that are of no avail. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 1737) This saying of the Prophet of Islam tells us what a purposeful human life should be like.

The fact is that while there are many things to do in the world, a person’s life is too short. In such a situation, he must adopt a selective approach in his engagements. He should only engage in things that are directly related to the purpose of life. He should abstain completely from things that do not serve this purpose. He should know how to differentiate between useless and beneficial work. One should engage primarily in beneficial work.

Useless work is that which is done just for the sake of fun or to pass time. The fact is that engaging in temporary entertainment is a luxury that no purposeful person can afford to indulge in.