Note to myself...

Let’s say you’re a high school student sitting or about to sit to your final examination. Will you look forward to scoring an aggregate 6 distinction, or 6 A's without having a shot at the two foundation subjects (English and mathematics)? 

I don’t think so, because even if you have 100% in all the other subjects, you’ll still end in tears when you see your friends flaunting sixes for attempting and passing those two that are compulsory in the National Curriculum.

In the same way, your absolute salvation will be very easier said than attained if you say you believe in your religion and you do not put your faith into practice, or if you select only the most desirable acts from among the list of required deeds.

Now let’s say you’re a Muslim. Will you still look forward to Firdaws (The highest level of Paradise) if you count out Sawm (fasting during the month of Ramadan), Salat (performing prayers in the proper way five times each day), but you proclaim the Shahadah (sincerely reciting the profession of faith), pay Zakat (alms, charity or tax to benefit the poor and the needy) and perform the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)?

I don’t know about you, but me, I wouldn’t want to take that chance. I’ll rather play safe and make an attempt on all even if I am going to get an average pass in all, than do only three and have an ace in just three. May Allah make us doers of good works and achievers of merit in all the deeds, amen!

P.S - I like giving analogies because I believe people overstand better when you communicate in the simplest means possible. I have observed that there are a lot of ‘Anglo-arabo’ preachers these days and they tend to confuse some of us who don’t speak Arabic, even though we've no excuse for not learning our religion’s language of communication.