Islamic YOLO?

Ride on any roller coaster at six flags this summer 
and you will most likely hear teens and kids alike 
yelling the phrase “YOLO” representing the infamous motto “you only live once”.  
A couple years back the phrase “carpe diem” was more 
common, meaning “seize is the day” in Latin. 
Why do phrases like this become so popular over time? What 
is it about the idea of living in the moment that many are so 
infatuated with, and does Islam follow this similar approach 
of focusing on the present? According to Dr. A’id al- Qarni, our 
life’s span is but one day, as if we were born in it and will die 
at the end of it. As Muslims, we should live our lives with this 
attitude in mind. In contrast to the irresponsible actions many 
use the excuse “YOLO” for, Islam teaches us to not merely use 
the “day for living” but instead teaches us that we should be 
“living for today”. Specifically, we should organize the hours of 
the day so that we can make years out of minutes and months 
out of seconds. In this way, we are taking this temporary day 
that is given to us and giving it life, rather than the other way 
around where we are simply finding activities in this world 
that can make us “live”. 
How exactly do we “live for today” or give life to our 
many repetitive days? The answer to this question lies where 
many other answers are, the heart. As narrated by Anas ibn 
Malik: “There is a piece of flesh in the body; if it is purified the 
whole body becomes pure but if it gets spoilt the whole body 
becomes spoilt, and that is none other than the heart” (quoted by Al Bukhari). 
If we use the days given to us to awaken 
every part of our heart by the remembrance of God, surely we 
can then succeed. If we wake up in the morning not expecting 
to live until the evening, we will find ourselves giving priority 
to our actions and obsessing less about the past. We will pray 
with a more wakeful heart, recite Quran with more understanding, 
and remember Allah the Almighty with full sincerity. 
This Ramadan, try and live with this mentality. Fast 
everyday like it is your last. Be conscious of every day and how 
it passes and be refined in what you do. With this attitude 
you will profit from every moment, develop and expand your 
abilities, and give life to your day. Leave the future alone until 
it comes to you. With that, the next time you’ll hear someone 
yelling “YOLO”, you’ll be able to smile to yourself knowing that 
you also “only live once” but just in this world. 
You’ll remember your duty to your Lord and you’ll remember to embrace 
today to remember God in order to make your next life better.  
You’ll remember Jannah and all its rewards and you'll focus on the path ahead with a sincere heart, inshAllah.