Self-Management broadly consists of three fields: personal, social and environmental. Personal management consists of soul, mind and body. Social management consists of family and friends. Environmental management consists of home and work. Self-management is all about planning, organising and channelling our time and effort in the right direction in order to be productive and effective throughout our lives.
Self-Management often means different things to different people – and sometimes different things at different times even to the same people. Some people seem to be born with strong self-management skills; others have to work to develop those skills. Some people have had more opportunities to use these skills while others have had to rely on help from teachers, family and friends. An individual with good self-management skills will be able to manage his personal, social and work life effectively.
Self-management is still not a popular concept in the field of management but Islam gives high importance to the concept. The first aspect of self-management is one’s soul. Thus, the basic prerequisite for a person is to manage his soul by purifying it. Thus, Allah says in the Qur’ān, “Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self. And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self” (Qur’ān 91:9-10). The verses command the people to purify and nourish their soul through recognising good and evil within oneself. Thus, one needs to nurse or train their selves in such a way that good and righteousness is encouraged and they achieve prominence as the real progress of self, plus the nourishment of the soul lie in developing this quality. In this regard, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) has also taught us a prayer, “O Allah, grant myself its piety and purify it as you are the Best Purifier, and its Guardian and Supporter.” (Muslim)
The second aspect is one’s mind. Self-management in this regard can happen when one does not indulge himself in acts like assumptions, spying, backbiting, jealousy, etc. which are strongly prohibited by Islam. Abstaining from all this will help the individual to keep his mind free from all forms of negativities and will lead him to indulge in something which is productive. Thus, one needs to maintain peace and tranquillity in his mind as it helps an individual to manage all his affairs effectively. Thus, once Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, “An hour of reflection and contemplation is better than a year of (supererogatory) religious worship.” (Ajluni and Kashf al-Khafa)
The third aspect is one’s health and Islam considers health a basic human right. Islam views health as one of the greatest blessings that Allah the Exalted has bestowed on mankind. It should be noted that the greatest blessing after belief is health, as the Prophet mounted the pulpit, then wept and said, “Ask Allah the Exalted for forgiveness and health, for after being granted certainty, one is given nothing better than health.” (Tirmidhi)
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) also said, “Your body has a right over you.” (Bukhari) These hadiths show how important managing one’s health is. Health is a state of total physical, mental and social well-being in order to maintain the quality of life that we can enjoy at our best performance. A Muslim’s quest for good health is very necessary as good health will help the individual to strive in the way of Allah with full zeal and enthusiasm.
The fourth aspect is one’s family. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) also managed his family life very successfully by spending quality time with them. He used to go walking with Ayesha at night while talking to each other. (Bukhari) He used to race with Ayesha. In another instance, on the day of the celebration where the Abyssinians were playing with shields and spears; the Prophet made her stand behind him while her cheek was touching his cheek and he carried her till she was satisfied. He would also spend time and play with his grandchildren Hassain and Hussain. Thus, he demonstrated wonderful examples during his daily life.
The fifth aspect is one’s friends. Islam has placed tremendous importance on the aspect of friendship and sociability. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) managed his friendship with all his companions and relatives. He used to visit people whenever they fell sick and help people when they were in any sort of crisis. Once when the Prophet slaughtered a sheep, he asked to send the meat to Khadija’s friend and this incident took place after her death. This shows the importance the Prophet has given to friendship and sociability.
The sixth aspect is one’s home. Once Ayesha was asked, “What did the Prophet use to do in his house?” She replied, “He used to keep himself busy serving his family.” (Bukhari) The Prophet inspite of being busy with all his activities, used to spend time in doing the household activities. He used to milk his goat, mend his clothes, repair his shoes, help with the household work and much more based on the need and requirement. Ayesha reported, “The Prophet used to mend his shoes, sew his clothes and work in his household just as one of you works in his own house. She also reported, “He was a man among men who used to patch his clothes, milk his goats and engage himself in work.” (Tirmizi)
The seventh aspect is one’s work. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, “When you do something, Allah likes you to do it perfectly.” (Ibn Hajar) The Prophet managed his task in the most effective manner. His life demonstrates practical example of work life balance. Despite his responsibilities as a Prophet, a teacher, a statesman and a judge, the Prophet used to indulge himself in various activities. He moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the Gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. He was a philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of 20 terrestrial empires and one spiritual empire. And the best past was he was successful in all the roles he played.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) always warned his companions not to beg. However poor and needy they were, the companions did not beg from anybody. They were so sensitive in this matter that they even refrained from asking help. If, for example, one of them dropped his whip while on a mount, he would dismount and pick it up himself rather than asking someone to pick it up and hand it to him. (Muslim)
The other obligatory acts also train a person towards self-management. For example, the Salah helps a person to learn self-management. Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And when the Salah has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounties of Allah, and remember Allah often than you may succeed. (Qur’ān 62:10) The verse instructs people to work and come for Salah when it is time and again go back to work once the Salah is done. Thus this act facilitates a person towards self-management.
Fasting also helps a person to learn self-management. Fasting in the month of Ramadan changes the schedule of every individual. The time of waking up, going to sleep, breakfast, supper, etc., all tend to change. This process of managing oneself by the change in the schedule trains an individual to develop his self-management skills.
The life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) is the best example of self-management. In a short span of 23 years, he moved the society from paganism and idolatry to submission to the One True God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to highest standards of moral excellence and from absolute backwardness and ignorance to the epitome of Knowledge, Science and Civilisation. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, and initiated numerous social and political reforms. He revolutionised the worlds of human thought and behaviour for all times to come. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of a society or a place before or since, and imagined all these unbelievable wonders in just over two decades. All this was just possible because of his self-management skills. Thus, the life of the Prophet was an amazing example of self-management.
Self-management ultimately helps a person to be well organised and to achieve more in the short time allocated to him. We should remember that our life is very short, thus we need to make optimum utilisation of the time which is allocated to us and this could only happen through effective self-management. The crux of self-management which could be derived from the life of Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) is to keep yourself busy in healthy activities, focused on the mission and do not waste time in unnecessary or unproductive activities.