In 2026, rededicate yourself to His service

A couple of days ago, the Gregorian calendar read 31 December 2025. Before a twinkle of an eye, the year eventually counted itself out. Under our watch, the year expired; never to be read or counted again.

But exactly what expired in the year 2025? Was it not primordially designed for expiration? Were there not enough signs in the year, as there were in the years before and as there shall always be in the years to come, that years of life on terrestrial earth are expirable and would eventually do? The nights kept coming and going. The days never ceased to appear only to disappear. Not for once did we experience a dawn without a dusk. In other words, nothing was permanent. Nothing was static. It was all in flux. It was all a fluke! Our Creator says: ‘In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who possess intelligence. They are those who remember the Almighty while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and pray, “Our Lord! You have not created all of these without purpose. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire (Quran 3:190).

Being the acme of creation and the vicegerents of the Almighty on earth, the features of tumult, incertitude and lack of permanence constitute a fundamental feature of our life. Thus, the year 2025 was all about births and deaths. It was all about arrivals and departures. It was, like the ones before it and the ones to come, about joy and sadness. If there were any lessons to learn from the ‘departure’ of the year 2025 and the arrival of 2026, such have already been told to us by the Owner of this world over a thousand, four hundred and forty-seven years ago – that life on earth is like riding on a boat on a stormy sea or being a passenger in a plane passing through ‘rough’ cloud. The Almighty says: (O Prophet Muhammad!) Give them the similitude of the life of this world. It is like the vegetation of the earth that flourishes with the rain from the sky, but afterwards the same vegetation turns into dry stubble, which is blown away by the winds. The Almighty is the One Who has power over everything.” (Quran, 18:45). He says again: The example of worldly life is just like the water We sent down from the sky, then the vegetation of the earth grew with it, which is (meant to be) eaten by men and cattle, until when the earth took on its ornament and was fully adorned, and its people thought that they had control over it, Our command came to it at night or by day, and We turned it into a stubble, as if it had not been there a day earlier. This is how We elaborate the verses for people who reflect. (Quran 12: 24)

Indeed, nothing can be truer than His words. Indeed, the past year was full of ornaments that we thought would endure and last forever.  But suddenly, the command of our Creator came, and before you knew it, they were taken away from our midst. ‘He said he was going to take a rest’; it turned out that he was going for eternal rest. He said ‘bye for now’; nobody knew that was going to be bye forever! Their departure was like a rude shock. It was. It would always be. Humbling. Devastating. “Exactly, of what meaning is this life?

As you begin to count down the year 2026, ensure that you take account of your deeds before you are held accountable. Constantly be prepared for that great day – the Day of Judgement. He who dies begins that eternal journey to the day of reckoning.

Remember that the end and the beginning of the new year present an opportunity to reflect on what one has accomplished in the past. It also reminds you of the privilege you enjoy in pressing the reset button in your relationship with your Creator.

Manage your time wisely. Never procrastinate. Forgive people for their inadequacies, and always strive to be righteous in both words and deeds. These are the only investments that matter. The millions you made in 2025 are useful at least for now, provided you dedicate them to His service; otherwise, they become liabilities for which you must give account as you transit to the great beyond.

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