Increasing activeness and getting rid of laziness

Question: What program is useful for increasing activeness and getting rid of laziness?

Answer: At the outset, it is necessary to analyze what this laziness is related to. If this laziness is with regards to religious and spiritual acts, which is a natural occurrence for people, then first we should reflect on the importance of spiritual affairs.

Second, a suitable and light schedule should be made to carry out these spiritual acts such that a person should not be careless towards the important actions, such as performing the compulsory actions (wajib) and abstaining from that which is forbidden (haram). We should not be heedless of the fact that this basic attention, along with carrying out these acts, will itself bring life. Gradually, if he wants, he can also start performing acts that are recommended to perform alongside the mandatory acts. He should start performing some of the recommended acts after prayers, or for example, recite the Quran and other similar spiritual acts, start gradually and continue to do them.

[There should not be any laziness in] our worldly affairs, since Allah has given us certain abilities. Allah has given each of us internal abilities, in the form of intellect, thinking and will-power, as well as body strength so that we may manage our own affairs. Allah, the most High, wants for each person to carry out his own tasks without the help of others as much as possible. Carrying out his tasks himself while focusing on his God-given abilities will make him, on one hand, thankful towards God for being able to use those abilities, and on the other hand, will be the cause of the strengthening his own willpower and increase the help of Allah in carrying out these tasks with consistency, increasing that state of liveliness. His faculty of reflecting and physical strength would keep increasing, and he will be able to reach higher perfections; especially vis-à-vis increasing his spiritual vitality. When it comes to acquiring spirituality, a person needs intellectual activeness and use his physical strength. If a person continues to be lazy, he will move away from the real goal of creation and will be at loss.

A person should pay attention to these points and should remain alert regarding the fact that the personality of a person is formed through understanding the role of the God-given abilities in making him reach the ultimate goal of creation and acting on the religious instructions that take one In that direction.

Otherwise, neither will a person enjoy the spiritual and existential benefits, but also, it is possible that it leads to losing this capital, i.e. those God-given abilities may be taken away from him. That is when he will be at loss, and spiritual loss is not compensable in the purgatory stage (barzakh) nor on the day of judgement.