Your Program in Home Isolation
(1)
Self-Reckoning
The pace of life is fast; it sweeps away thought and contemplation. So you are in urgent need of calm in order to play back the reel of life slowly, so that you may take account of yourself, weigh your words, correct your deeds, abandon your mistakes, and do more of what you do well.
Imam ʿAli (a) said: (Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account, and weigh yourselves before you are weighed).
(2)
The Family
Your family is the gathering to which you will go on belonging all your life; so strengthen that belonging through understanding, set it right through sincere mutual advice, develop it through cooperation, and make it a paradise through harmony.
The Messenger of Allah (s) said: (The best of you is the best of you to his family).
(3)
Prayer
Prayer is the pillar of religion, so do not make it the weakest of your deeds, for it will carry your religion and protect your worldly life. So seize the opportunity to refine it by learning its rulings, perfecting its actions, understanding its words, and luxuriating in its humble devotion.
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: (Whoever prays two rakʿas knowing what he says in them finishes with no sin between him and Allah).
(4)
Remembrance
In the blessed days there are abundant favors and gifts from Allah, so call them down through a regimen of short (remembrances), such as seeking forgiveness, declaring that there is no god but Allah, and invoking blessings upon the Prophet and his Household; every month has its own remembrances, so accustom your tongue to repeat them constantly. They are laborers who build your gardens, and keys to the doors of your needs.
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: (Allah says: Whoever is kept busy by remembrance of Me from asking of Me, I give him the best of what I give to whoever asks of Me).
(5)
The Qurʾan
Theories draw a person's worldview, a view that determines his paths in every direction and determines his relations with all existing things, and you will not find anything better than the Mighty Book of Allah to provide you with that view. So form a relationship with the Qurʾan by reflecting on its verses, so that you may climb the ladder of that worldview. It is the light with which Allah illuminates life, the guidance with which He shapes the human being, and the insights with which He establishes civilization.
Imam ʿAli (a) said: (Reflect on the verses of the Qurʾan and take lessons from it, for it is the most eloquent of lessons).
(6)
Reading
Allah has made gardens a pasture for souls, and among the most important of them are the gardens of the scholars, which are (books). So do not deprive yourself of roaming their grounds and smelling the fragrance of their flowers, for in them is the knowledge that strengthens your religion, gives you insight into your steps, brings success to your pursuits, straightens your personality, and raises your standing with Allah and among people.
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: (There will come upon people a time of turmoil in which they will find comfort only in their books).
(7)
Experiences
Do you know that you can shorten time? Indeed, you can travel toward history! Yes: all those older than you in age and experience (your father, your mother, your brother, your sister or others) carry in their memory many experiences, whether of success or of failure. Open yourself to them and sail into time gone by, then come out of it with the laws of taking lessons.
Imam ʿAli (a) said: (In experiences there is fresh knowledge, and taking lessons leads to right guidance).
(8)
The Imam of the Age
The Imam of the Age, absent in his person, present in his wilayah: upon him mercy descends, and through him the earth is watered so that it swells and flourishes. So the best means through which we connect with Allah the Exalted and graze in the good life is connecting with the Imam of the Age by seeking intercession through him (tawassul), praying for him and constantly remembering him, seeking to call down his care and awaiting his relief.
Imam Zayn al-ʿAbidin (a) said: (Awaiting the relief is among the greatest of relief).
(9)
Children
Children are the fruits of the family, which society picks in its formation, and fathers and mothers are the ones who water those fruits. Treat them with honor, to pave the way for their accepting discipline; then your telling them what is right and what is not right will rest lightly on their hearts, and the practical correction of their behavior will be gentle on their limbs.
From the Prophet (s): (Honor your children and discipline them well, and you will be forgiven).
(10)
Spending
No household stands except through sound management of money. Take some time and determine what is yours and what you owe of the rights of people and the right of Allah; then determine what is recommended for you and what is obligatory (wājib) upon you. For in economy of spending lies the mainstay of livelihood, and in spending for Allah lies the blessing of living.
From Imam al-Sadiq (a): (Upon every person who gains or earns: the khums of what he has obtained).
(11)
Skills
Be keen to acquire life skills in times of ease, for you will be most in need of them in times of hardship; indeed, they are the balm of a life of ease, however much wealth you may attain. So learn the skills of the home, the kitchen, personal affairs, collective management and all the other arts. The Prophet (s) used to milk the goat, ʿAli (a) used to sweep the house and mend sandals, and Zayn al-ʿAbidin (a) used to cook for those offering condolences.
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: (The worth of every person is what he does well).
(12)
Listening
There are specialists who have spent time and effort presenting scholarly and cultural material in cyberspace, so that you may watch it and listen to it at any time and in every situation. All you have to do is search for reliable, beneficial material, to listen to it even in times of relaxation and exercise, or when you are doing light tasks.
Imam ʿAli (a) said: (Whoever listens well gains benefit quickly).
