Focus on today is gather your attention on your present day and on what you are doing on your present day. This is so that you do not worry about your future and dwell in your past. Cut your attention from extending into the future or going back and having a sadness about the past. This is why Prophet Muhammad pbuh recites the dua of seeking Allah’s refuge from grief (hamm) and sadness (hazn).
Hazn is sadness and remorse about things in the past that you cannot change anymore. While hamm is worry about what could happen or not happen in the future. A person become a son of his own day. He gathers all his efforts and attention in fixing the present day. By focusing on today, it brings him perfection of what he does and its protects him from worrying about the future and dwell into the past.
Along with the dua and doing things that are necessary, we are advised to give up whatever keeps us aware from it. Laziness is going to hold you back from achieving your goals. Dua and action are supposed to be together. So, the person does everything he can to achieve what benefits him in this world and in the matters of the deen. He asks Allah to help him attain success and achieve his goals and seeks Allah’s help with this.
Abu Hurairah r.a narrated that Rasulullah pbuh says, “Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless/laziness. If anything befalls you, do not say, “if only I had done such and such” rather say “Qaddara Allahu wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does).” For (saying) ‘If’ opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan.” (Sunan Ibn Majah)
In this hadith, Rasulullah pbuh combined together his advice that we are keen and we seek the things that are good for us, we seek the help of Allah and we do not succumb to laziness. He was also combining submission and acceptance of the things that already happened.
When we focus on today, does this mean that we do not plan for the future? No. It means we do not worry about the future. Planning for the future needs a very clear mind and detachment. Therefore, you think about the future but do not worry about it.
And does that mean we do not reflect on our past? No. We sometimes look onto the past but accept it as a decree of Allah even at that time we do contributed to it or it is a sin that you have done and you made taubah of it. Consider this is qada of Allah. Reflect over it, learn the lesson and try to detach from it. Thereafter, you just need to focus on today present and stress will relief.
Reference: Moutasem Al-Hameedy. 2019. The beneficial Means to a Happy Life. Tertib Publishing. Selangor.