The Soul

‘Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me’. Imam Al-Ghazali

Fighting the soul is one of the hardest challenges that one can undertake. This is because we are heedless of its importance. Our perception is focused on the outward acts which we are doing (which is not wrong), yet we must also look to better ourselves spiritually so that the journey to Allah is a pleasant one.

The soul has the power to oppress us, and lead us to goodness. It is something which must be tamed as it seeks comfort. It is like a wild horse which wants to charge towards it desires. We need to be like its rider, who must restrain it and tame it so that it leads us towards righteousness. Subsequently, once a person realises the importance of the soul, they know that this is a constant relentless battle until the moment they perish. For if you allow it to lead you, it will thrust you towards destruction and ruin your hereafter.

If we are conscious of its importance, then we will be able to discipline it. However, this can’t be achieved overnight. This is a long term struggle in which one needs to persevere. It will be challenging, but if small actions are taken with fortitude, eventually the soul will become submissive to this change.

One can fight it by reducing the amount of food they eat. When one consumes massive quantities of food, it strengthens the desires. It makes us vulnerable to the attacks from the shaytan as he may command is to sin. On the other hand, when one eats smaller portions, it weakens the devil as it decreases the strength of ones desires.

It is also recommended for one to sleep briefly. This.This purifies ones aspirations as you become more productive and your body becomes stronger. When you oversleep, it makes you lazy. The more you sleep, the more you desire to sleep longer. And when you do wake up, your thoughts are scattered. By reducing sleep, you feel more alive as you have longer time to complete your targets.

Furthermore, one should ‘speak only when necessary’. The tongue can lead us towards destruction if we let it speak freely. In social gatherings, we overlook what we say and open the doors to slander and back-biting. These are heavy sins which we will need to be accounted for. However, if we think before we speak, and speak when the situation calls for, we can save ourselves from danger.

Also, ‘one should tolerate the wrongs done to us by others’. If someone harms us, we should realise that we are all prone to mistakes. We should forgive and also realise that we are travellers in this world, who are on the verge of death. If we keep hate stored in our hearts, it will cause discomfort. We should therefore forgive others and remember that this life is a test; we are all sitting an exam which is bound to end soon. Before we know it, the results will be presented to us on our left hand if we've failed, and our right if were successful. 

*M.Rahman 

Social Change

Social change

The prohibition of alcohol was one of the most controversial moments in American History. In 1920, the sale of alcohol was prohibited as it was seen as pernicious to American society. The authorities aimed to purge society of venom which was seen as harmful, to allow the individuals to prosper. However, the public failed to concur. They were determined to continue in their consumption which led to chaos as they were driven by their whims and desires.

The public demand for alcohol increased which led to illegal suppliers becoming profitable. Likewise, gangs saw it as an opportunity to invest in the illegal alcohol trade which resulted in an increase in violence. It caused so many problems that the congress realised that the ban wasn’t working. As a result, in 1933, the ban was removed and alcohol was abundantly supplied.

From this we learn that one of the supreme nations in the world, the mighty America failed to uphold the ban of alcohol. Despite its paramount military and millions of dollars, it failed to implement this ban, even though people realised that it is destructive for them. It highlights the flaw of the human, who is determined to chase that which he realises is detrimental to his health. He is willing to breach the law in order to accomplish his short term desire.

On the other hand, if we go back in time to Medina, 1300 years ago, alcohol was prohibited in the Quran. As soon as the Muslims realised that it was haram for them, all the wine was taken from every corner of the city and spilled onto the streets of Medina; it is said that the streets were flowing in wine. The Muslims submitted instantly to the command of Allah. They didn’t speculate or delay their response; rather they hastened to fulfil what Allah commanded of them.

If we compare the two events, how is it that in Medina, there was no chaos or dissent. Individuals submitted immediately to the prohibition, without an iota of resistance. There was no influence from congress, from the military. Rather, they heard and they obeyed. They didn’t rebel although they may like alcohol and savour its taste. Instead, they took the commands of Allah sincerely because they realise that they are only created to worship him. These are people who have a firm conviction of the hereafter. Their intellect repels them from indulging in deceitful worldly pleasures which will bring loss to them. Rather, they strive to be people of substance. They epitomised this as they held firm to the commands of Allah and revolutionised history. It is due to these people that we became Muslim, as they sacrificed their lives to preserve this Deen. We should ask ourselves: do we take the command of Allah seriously like they do? We call ourselves Muslims, but we are tremendously inferior compared to them. We still have time; let’s make an intention to imitate them and possess the qualities which they embodied.

*M.Rahman

'The power of dreams'

'Your life is your message to the world. Make it inspiring' Lorrin Lee

 

As a child, we were always encouraged to use our imagination, to think outside the box. A child is seen as innocent and epitomises freedom; they have no responsibility but merely live life in a bubble, purified from the vice within society. They have inquisitive minds and are eager to explore their identity and gain a better understanding of the world they live in.

However, as we grow up we become immersed within society which alters our distinctiveness; our individuality is attacked. We retaliate by conforming to our environment rather than exploring our uniqueness. For example, we try to dress in certain brands like our friends/colleagues. We also try to take the advice of parents and pursue a degree and a successful career, because this is what is expected of us. This form of conditioning leads us to form a scrambled identity based on acceptance rather than individualism; we imitate others and squander our core values in the process. To shield ourselves against this, we need to question: what do I want to do with my life, what shall I become? What am I skilled at, what do I genuinely relish?

A dream is defined as a cherished aspiration, ambition or ideal. It is something powerful, which has a strong meaning within the depths of our soul. According to Maslow, in order to achieve fulfilment we should strive for self-actualisation by maximising our self-development. By endeavouring after our dreams, it ignites us to life as we persevere towards something which is outside our comfort zone. Even if the dream is something which frightens us, we should patiently journey towards it with dedication.

As humans, we have very short life spans, a large quantity which has already departed. Do you feel you’ve done enough and challenged yourself to the maximum? When we reflect, we realise that we desperately need to transform our actions as we haven’t fulfilled our potential.  One man who demonstrated this was Steve Jobs. He stated that ‘remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve encountered to help me make the big choices in life’. He lived his life to the maximum, by not compromising his dreams and ambitions. He pursued what he believed in diligently despite numerous obstacles and finally fulfilled his cherished goal. This is because he eliminated the fear of failure from his thinking. Why should we let what others think determine our actions. We are more than capable in making our own choices and determining our goals.

Finally, one mandatory component required on this journey is resilience. When you pursue a goal, you utilise large amounts of energy. Along the passage you may become torpid as your motivation wanes. To fortify your chance of success, you should constantly ask yourself why you are pursuing this goal. The stronger your motivation, the greater courage you will harness in pushing you when you feel to collapse. We can’t let fear and doubt attack our potential. As humans, we are powerful beyond measure; through constant actions, we can achieve anything which seems beyond us. We just need to believe we are capable.

‘Desires make slaves out of kings, and patience makes kings out of slaves’. Imam Al Ghazali

‘Desires make slaves out of kings, and patience makes kings out of slaves’. Imam Al Ghazali

As humans we have been created in a special, unique way. The human race has achieved many feats throughout history, nothing is beyond us. We are superior to animals as we have been equipped with intellect. We also have very strong desires, which we have been given the ability to control and keep in equilibrium.

To become successful, one must understand the role of the intellect. One needs to make their intellect powerful so that it makes all the right decisions, and can distinguish accurately from virtue and vice.

However, if we allow our desires to lead us, then this will surely lead to our destruction. As humans, we are never satiated. We always seek more, such as more money, better career, lofty house ect. We can never be content in chasing after these temporary pleasures as they are like an illusion which provides us with a false hope.

When one seeks to sin, they should persevere against this. To enhance their chances of success, they should better their intellect. For example, if someone is tempted to smoke weed, but recognises it as harmful, is most likely to abstain as he fears punishment, or seeks the appreciation from his master.

When one fails to discipline them and indulges in sin by allowing their intellect/mind to be overided by their desire, they now become inferior to animals; even a hunting dog is able to discipline itself unlike other dogs, as it is motivated by punishment from its owner, or a reward. Therefore, when we fail to control ourselves, we go against that which is appropriate for us; we rather oppress ourselves, as though we are deliberately drinking poison although it is warned as being harmful for us. As a result, we become inferior to the animals, as we fail to live our existence composedly, although our Lord created us as superior.

As a result, constant sinning leads the person to an anxious state whereby they can’t take pleasure in small actions; this is because the peace in the heart has been shattered. They are unable to abstain from these desires and over time, they become accustomed to it, making it into addiction. This causes long term unhappiness and can lead to depression and suffering in this world and the next. As humans, we have enormous desires which can never be fulfilled. If you look at celebrities who have been given material wealth, you’ll realise that they aren’t actually content; rather they pretend to be and seek various avenues to try to capture a feeling of harmony.

When one restrains themselves from sin, they feel a sense of tranquillity within as the peace is preserved. For example, in Ramadan we feel at peace as we are constantly purifying ourself. If you consider the night prayers, if one prays all of them they’ve prayed 600 extra units of prayer. It is the best time to strengthen ourselves and discipline ourselves so that we can make the rest of our life a means of happiness and not remorse.

*Any mistakes are from myself.

 

The aim of my Blog

In this blog I purely want to express myself. I will try to add various pieces of writing, as I enjoy reading and writing. I regularly write on various topics that interest me, and try to be as productive as possible. I hope others find this blog useful! If you have any feedback/criticism please do advise me.