Do It Immediately
Why should you not spend in the way of God, while to God belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Not equal to others are those of you who spent and fought before the victory. They are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards. Yet God has promised the best reward to each and God is well aware of what you do. (Qur’an, 57:10).
Suppose, one of your children spilled something on the carpet, so you went and found some stain remover. The directions said you needed to get to that spot as quickly as possible, and not to let it dry or soak in, but that you should put the solution on it immediately. In other words, the quicker you dealt with it, the easier it would be to remove.
It is the same way in your life. When God brings something to light, revealing an area that you need to change, or something that you need to make right, that is when you need to take action. Not next week when you feel like it, or next month when your circumstances are better; No, you need to do it immediately.
Hasten towards your Lord's forgiveness and a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God wary. (Qur’an, 3:133).
Procrastination — putting off until later what you ought to do now — is so easy to justify. You think, “One day I am going to do that, so I am not really being disobedient.” You say, “Someday, I am going to get serious about my relationship with God, but not right now.
One day I am going to get back in shape. One day I am going to get my finances in order. Sometime soon, I am going to forgive that person that hurt me.” However, unfortunately, for many people, one day never comes.
Qur’an teaches that if the enemy cannot get you to be disobedient, his next plan of attack is to deceive you into putting off what you know you should do. “God, I am planning to do it, just not right now. I am planning to tithe to give ten percent of my income to the mosque as soon as my finances get better.
I am planning to serve in the children’s ministry as soon as the work schedule slows down at my office.” You are saying: “I have good intentions; I am planning to be obedient, so that is not so bad.”
Nevertheless, good intentions do not equal obedience. In fact, delayed obedience is disobedience.
Why should you not spend in the way of God, while to God belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Not equal to others are those of you who spent and fought before the victory. They are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards. Yet God has promised the best reward to each and God is well aware of what you do. (Qur’an, 57:10).
When God speaks to your heart about changing your attitude, or apologizing to that loved one, or treating somebody better, yet you keep putting it off, that will destroy your joy and keep you from God’s best. Rather than being a procrastinator, be a now person. Start doing what God has put in your heart right now. Do not merely intend to be obedient, but promptly obey.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, “Remedy what is left of your age, and do not say I will do it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow; for those who were before you perished of their stay on the aspirations and procrastination until the command of God came to them suddenly and they were heedless.”1
Maybe you go to bed with a guilty conscience because you are putting off what you know you should be doing. Procrastination makes you feel badly about yourself; it condemns you. You walk in the house, and see that dirty laundry room that you have been meaning to clean for two months, you have a sink full of dishes, or your garage is a mess.
You think, “What is wrong with me? I am never going to get this place cleaned up. I am so lazy. I might as well go in and sit down and watch some more TV.” That is a negative cycle, and it will continue unless you put your foot down and say, “I am going to get my house in order. I am going to make some changes today. No more procrastinating for me.” Be like those:
Who are zealous in performing good works, rush in the goodness, and take the lead in them. (Qur’an, 23:61).
Perhaps Almighty God has been dealing with you about getting out of debt, about controlling your spending, and not being so quick to use those credit cards. You say, “Yes, one day, I will get my spending in order, but let me run to the mall one more time.” On the other hand, I can hear you say, “Oh, you hit the nail on the head. I have to do something with my finances. I know I need to balance my checkbook. So, in the next month or two, I am going to sit down and do it.” No, do not put that off. The longer you put things off the harder they are to do. Do it now. Be a true believer. Be among the righteous.
They have faith in God and the Last Day, bid what is right, forbid what is wrong, and are active in performing good deeds; they hasten in goodness. They are among the righteous. (Qur’an, 3:114).
Are you putting off living a healthier life? Maybe you know you need to get on an exercise program and get in shape. You may be thinking, “That is right, that is me; and sure enough, I am going to do it. I know I eat too much junk food. I drink too many sodas.
Yes, I am going to make changes, but some other time. I am going to start this summer as soon as the kids get out of school.” No, that is delayed obedience. That is not God’s best. Start today; do it now! Respond to the Almighty God immediately so He will answer your prayer. Be like Zechariah and John. God says about them:
“So We answered his prayer, and gave him John, and remedied his wife's infertility for him. Indeed they were active in performing good works and used to hasten to do good, and they would supplicate Us with eagerness and awe and were humble before Us.” (Qur’an, 21:90).
If you know the right thing to do, but you are not doing it, then that is sin. If you know in your heart that something is not right for you, and you go against your conscience, that is disobedience; you will not have God’s blessings on those activities.
Whatever is not from faith is sin. In other words, if you cannot engage in an activity with confidence that you are pleasing God, for you that activity is out of line with His plan. Maybe there is a person that you need to forgive. God has been dealing with you about it. He says,
“let them excuse and forbear. Do you not love, that God should forgive you? And God is all-forgiving, all-merciful.” (Qur’an, 24:22).
However, you think, “I cannot do that; they hurt me too badly. What they did was not right; it was not fair.” The longer you put it off, the more difficult it is going to be. On the other hand, if you will take that first step of faith and release any bitterness or resentment, you will be amazed at how joy overflows in your life.
You may be asking, “How do I know when it is really God’s timing?” Simple; it is God’s timing when He is dealing with you about a matter. Maybe it is something you have been neglecting, an area you need to change; something you have been putting off.
Be willing to do something about it. Stop putting off the apologies you need to make. Stop putting off the little jobs around the home and the office that need to be done. Do not procrastinate when it comes to your health and taking care of the body that God has given you. When you know what is right, but you just keep putting it off, you risk missing God’s best. Of course, God can take care of you, but God expects you to do your part. He says,
“fulfill My covenant that I may fulfill your covenant.” (Qur’an, 2:40).
As it mentioned do not be like the people of Israel. Moses said to them:
“O my people enter the Holy Land, which God has ordained for you.” They said, “O Moses, in it are a mighty people, and we will not enter it until they leave. So when they leave, then we will enter it.” (Qur’an, 5:21-22).
What did happen then?
God said “It shall be forbidden them for forty years; they shall wander about in the earth. So do not grieve for the transgressing lot.” (Qur’an, 5:26).
Quit putting off what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. You may be putting off spending time with your family. You are so busy; you work all the time. Your attitude is, “One day I am going to slow down and enjoy these children that God has given me.
One day, I am going to take that trip to visit my parents who are getting up in age. One day, I am going to call that loved one that I have been thinking about.” No, take time now for the people you love. You do not really know how long they are going to be here.
No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Indeed God is all-knowing, all-aware. (Qur’an, 31:34).
A friend said, a man approached me; he was in his early fiftieth, and he was sobbing. His parents had done something that had offended him, and for several years, he would not have anything to do with them. He was holding on to bitterness and resentment. He knew he should let it go, forgive them, and overlook their faults, but he would not do it.
He was hard-headed and his attitude was, “One day, I will make things right. But right now, I am going to show them.” Unfortunately, one day never came. His father had a massive stroke and instantly he was gone. The son was living with guilt and shame. If he had to do it again, he would not have put off making things right with his parents.
When, people do you wrong, God expects you to let the offenses go. Life is too short to hold a grudge. Stop putting off forgiving the people that have done you wrong. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, “Opportunity passes over like the clouds so do not miss good opportunities.”2
Stop putting off spending time with the people that you love. So often, you take people for granted. “I am going to go see my parents when my kids get through with their baseball season, or when I get a little bit more money.”
However, if you wait for all the conditions to be just right, you will never get off dead center. There will never be a perfect time to do what God has put in your heart. You have to make a decision that you are going to do it now.
Do not miss opportunities to be good to people. For instance, maybe God is prompting you to give somebody some money. Do not overanalyze it. “Well, God, I think I need the money more than they do. Is this really you, God? I better pray about this for a couple of weeks.” No, that is an excuse for not doing what you know God is telling you to do.
Do not be like people of Moses (peace be upon him) who delayed obedience. God commanded the people of Israel to slaughter a cow, but they made excuses and put it off.
Moses said to his people: “God orders you to slaughter a heifer.” They said, “Do you mock us?” He said, “I seek refuge with God that I not be of the ignorant ones.” They said, “Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which it is.” He said, “He says it is ... So now do as you are commanded.” They said, “Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify what color it is.” He said, “He says it is ...” They said, “Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which one it is ...” He said, “He says it is a ...” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” They slaughtered it, though they were about not to do it. (Qur’an, 2:67-71).
Many times, somebody’s name comes to mind, and I know I should go call him or her and encourage him or her. I feel so strongly about it, but I am in the middle of watching the ball game. I have even said, “God, I am going to do that later. I will call them tomorrow. Or maybe I will invite them out to eat next week.” My intentions are good, but then life gets busy.
Other things take priority, and I miss out on sowing that seed of blessing. I have learned that when a person comes to mind, I need to respond now. If I cannot get them on the phone, I will leave a message, or ask one of my assistants, Hey, “send these guys a note;” let them know you are thinking of them, see if there is anything you can do to help.
In what area is God dealing with you? Are you putting off being good to people? Some people are putting off making peace with God. People tell, “I need to get back in mosque. I know I need to start living right, making better choices, and resisting temptations.
It is just not the right time. But one day you are going to see me there.” Others say, “As soon as I break these addictions, as soon as I get rid of these bad habits, then I will be there.” Really, they have it backwards; come to God just as you are and He will help you get your life cleaned up.
The trick of the enemy is to tell you, “Do it tomorrow. You can do it some other time. Do it after you get out of college. These are your party years; do it later.” This is Taswif. Do not believe those lies. Qur’an says,
“O mankind! Eat of what is lawful and pure in the earth, and do not follow in Satan's steps. Indeed, he is your manifest enemy. He only prompts you to commit evil and indecent acts, and that you attribute to God what you do not know.” (Qur’an, 2:168-169).
Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day you need to make positive changes in your lives. God is a God of the now, and whatever area He may be dealing with you in, start to do it now. That is the only way you are going to experience His abundant life.
You may wonder why you are not happy and fulfilled. Maybe it is because you are not doing what you know you should be doing. You keep pushing down what God is bringing up. Understand that Almighty God will not force you to live happily. He has given you free will. He says,
“Indeed We have guided him to the way, be he grateful or ungrateful.” (Qur’an, 76:3).
Every day, you must choose to listen to your conscience, to be good to people, to resist temptation. It is an ongoing process. Human nature always wants to put it off, to do it later. That is what you do many times; “we will take care of it next month, but not right now.”
Next month rolls around, and you say, “Oh, God, I am going to deal with that, but let me do it a little bit later.” Before you know it, you have put something off for a year, five years, even ten years.
Notice what happens when you procrastinate. If you are not happy today, and you are working all the time, but you cannot seem to get ahead, you need to consider your ways. When you put off what you know you should be doing, it is as you are trying to fill up a bag that has holes in it.
Start doing what God tells you to do right now. Do not make excuses. Do not look for a more convenient time. Just rise up and do it.
I give you just a single advice: that you rise up for God’s sake, in twos, or individually. (Qur’an, 34:46).
Remember, good intentions are not the same as obedience.
Not equal to others are those of you who spent and fought before the victory. They are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards. (Qur’an, 57:10).
If Almighty God is speaking to you about areas you have been putting off, do not regard that as condemnation. God is trying to take you to a higher level. If you will do your part and be quick to obey, you will not fall into the procrastination trap; you will not place your treasure in a bag with holes in it. God wants to do His part; it is time for you to do yours. Do it now!
