Islamic Thought
And They Just Keep Bouncing Back
By Selma Cook*
January 15, 2005
There is something really special about people who fear Allah and obey His commands. You’ll notice it in the look in their eyes, their hope for the future, their resilience, and their steadfastness. It is an uncommon trait in today’s world. We could call it inner tranquility.
In today’s world people are taught from the time they are small to be consumers and that success is graded according to a person’s wealth and position. The emphasis is on upgrading yourself without considering your relations with others or how your self-development will affect those around you. Mankind has largely forgotten how to give. But the Muslim who fears Allah is conscious that everything she has is simply a loan from the Creator; something to be answered for; something to be disposed of properly. She knows that if she wants to ‘get’ anything in this life - first she has to give.
Life has taught the modern person that ‘she’ is number one; that she is the most important thing in the world; that even truth is subject to her discretion. Hence, she deals with others from an individualistic point of view safeguarding her rights, her fortune, her desires, her opinions and to hell with the others. Can mercy be expected from such a person? When the individual thinks that no one else can ever be as important as her, how can mercy be appreciated and practiced? This is where the Muslim who fears Allah thinks differently.
The Muslim knows that mercy belongs to Allah and hence everything that aligns itself with Him will have the qualities pertaining to mercy. The Muslim knows that the individual is simply a part of a greater body of mankind; all interrelated and interdependent and that if one part tries to stretch out of its boundaries or clashes with another part, the whole is affected. This mutual dependence was explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the hadith where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “The solidarity of Muslims in their mutual love, mercy and sympathy, is that of a body; if an organ aches, the whole body sympathizes with it with sleeplessness and fever.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Realizing that her affect on others will ultimately bounce back onto her the Muslim seeks to be merciful to others, hoping to receive mercy in return.
“Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?” (An-Nur 24:22)
Given the nature of the causes and effects that operate in life, it seems ridiculous that an individual would seek a dual with destiny daring to say that ‘she’ is more important than her counterparts in life. That is, after all, what we human beings are, we are simply counterparts in life. We all affect the others and are affected by the others. Hence, Islam calls on us to be kind, merciful, overlook faults, forgive, and advise, advise, advise - calling people continually to the truth; to the essential good nature that mankind is built upon; to the path of peace. The tranquil heart is the one that will show mercy and continue to do so under adverse conditions because the tranquil heart is essentially built upon mercy.
“We sent thee not save as a mercy for the peoples.” (Al-Abiya’ 21: 107)
And when the trials of life strike, the Muslim is not surprised because she knows that struggle is the nature of our existence.
“Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction? Lo! We tested those who were before you. Thus Allah knoweth those who are sincere, and knoweth those who feign.” (Al-Ankabut 29: 2-3)
She is well-equipped to deal with hardship; she knows the rules and the way to success. She turns to Allah, fully conscious of the fact that nothing happens in this life without His Almighty permission and that He, in His mercy does not give a believer more than she can bear. So the Muslim rides the storm, faces the hardship, bears the brunt of difficulty, and strives to keep her balance because she knows that afterall she is being tested and that the Angels are watching her and recording what she says and does. She doesn’t want to fail. She knows that Allah is near.
“We verily created a man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (Qaf 50: 16)
She isn’t afraid and she doesn’t give up.
This tranquil heart fluctuates and at times is stronger than at others but the desire to achieve tranquility which is found in closeness to Allah, is the ever-present aim of the Muslim. Is there a person on earth who doesn’t wish for tranquility? Isn’t that what people are seeking when they take alcohol and drugs? Don’t people think that if they can forget the cares of the world they’ll be happy? Isn’t tranquility the basis of happiness, which mankind strives to attain? How many people are happy - truly, inwardly, completely happy; at peace; tranquil?
Strangely, the Muslim finds this tranquility without trying to escape from life and blot out its complexities and hardship. Ironically, the Muslim who fears Allah achieves tranquility through living her life, not escaping from it; through confronting problems and dealing with them, not through deflecting fault onto others; through seeking out one’s weaknesses and turning them into strengths, not through maintaining a high level of self-righteousness and apathy. Life is to be lived, people are to be dealt with properly and justly, responsibilities are to be fulfilled, struggles are to be undertaken and trusts are to be deposited. That doesn’t mean that peace of mind will vanish, indeed, such are the requirements to achieve peace of mind. The time will come when a life well-lived and a problem well-solved will speak on behalf of the person who ended her life with dignity, despite hardship; with wisdom, despite surrounding chaos; with mercy, despite prevailing oppression and with success despite being considered a failure.
“But ah! thou soul at peace!
Return unto thy Lord, content in His good pleasure!
Enter thou among My bondmen!
Enter thou My Garden!” (Al-Fajr 89:28-30)
* Selma Cook is Managing Editor of the Youth Section and Volunteer Youth Resource Network at Islam Online.net. She has written a number of books including: Buried Treasure (An Islamic novel for teenagers), The Light of Submission (Islamic Poetry). She has also edited and revised many Islamic books. She can be contacted at: youth_campaign@iolteam.com
By Selma Cook*
January 15, 2005
There is something really special about people who fear Allah and obey His commands. You’ll notice it in the look in their eyes, their hope for the future, their resilience, and their steadfastness. It is an uncommon trait in today’s world. We could call it inner tranquility.
In today’s world people are taught from the time they are small to be consumers and that success is graded according to a person’s wealth and position. The emphasis is on upgrading yourself without considering your relations with others or how your self-development will affect those around you. Mankind has largely forgotten how to give. But the Muslim who fears Allah is conscious that everything she has is simply a loan from the Creator; something to be answered for; something to be disposed of properly. She knows that if she wants to ‘get’ anything in this life - first she has to give.
Life has taught the modern person that ‘she’ is number one; that she is the most important thing in the world; that even truth is subject to her discretion. Hence, she deals with others from an individualistic point of view safeguarding her rights, her fortune, her desires, her opinions and to hell with the others. Can mercy be expected from such a person? When the individual thinks that no one else can ever be as important as her, how can mercy be appreciated and practiced? This is where the Muslim who fears Allah thinks differently.
The Muslim knows that mercy belongs to Allah and hence everything that aligns itself with Him will have the qualities pertaining to mercy. The Muslim knows that the individual is simply a part of a greater body of mankind; all interrelated and interdependent and that if one part tries to stretch out of its boundaries or clashes with another part, the whole is affected. This mutual dependence was explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the hadith where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “The solidarity of Muslims in their mutual love, mercy and sympathy, is that of a body; if an organ aches, the whole body sympathizes with it with sleeplessness and fever.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Realizing that her affect on others will ultimately bounce back onto her the Muslim seeks to be merciful to others, hoping to receive mercy in return.
“Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?” (An-Nur 24:22)
Given the nature of the causes and effects that operate in life, it seems ridiculous that an individual would seek a dual with destiny daring to say that ‘she’ is more important than her counterparts in life. That is, after all, what we human beings are, we are simply counterparts in life. We all affect the others and are affected by the others. Hence, Islam calls on us to be kind, merciful, overlook faults, forgive, and advise, advise, advise - calling people continually to the truth; to the essential good nature that mankind is built upon; to the path of peace. The tranquil heart is the one that will show mercy and continue to do so under adverse conditions because the tranquil heart is essentially built upon mercy.
“We sent thee not save as a mercy for the peoples.” (Al-Abiya’ 21: 107)
And when the trials of life strike, the Muslim is not surprised because she knows that struggle is the nature of our existence.
“Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction? Lo! We tested those who were before you. Thus Allah knoweth those who are sincere, and knoweth those who feign.” (Al-Ankabut 29: 2-3)
She is well-equipped to deal with hardship; she knows the rules and the way to success. She turns to Allah, fully conscious of the fact that nothing happens in this life without His Almighty permission and that He, in His mercy does not give a believer more than she can bear. So the Muslim rides the storm, faces the hardship, bears the brunt of difficulty, and strives to keep her balance because she knows that afterall she is being tested and that the Angels are watching her and recording what she says and does. She doesn’t want to fail. She knows that Allah is near.
“We verily created a man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (Qaf 50: 16)
She isn’t afraid and she doesn’t give up.
This tranquil heart fluctuates and at times is stronger than at others but the desire to achieve tranquility which is found in closeness to Allah, is the ever-present aim of the Muslim. Is there a person on earth who doesn’t wish for tranquility? Isn’t that what people are seeking when they take alcohol and drugs? Don’t people think that if they can forget the cares of the world they’ll be happy? Isn’t tranquility the basis of happiness, which mankind strives to attain? How many people are happy - truly, inwardly, completely happy; at peace; tranquil?
Strangely, the Muslim finds this tranquility without trying to escape from life and blot out its complexities and hardship. Ironically, the Muslim who fears Allah achieves tranquility through living her life, not escaping from it; through confronting problems and dealing with them, not through deflecting fault onto others; through seeking out one’s weaknesses and turning them into strengths, not through maintaining a high level of self-righteousness and apathy. Life is to be lived, people are to be dealt with properly and justly, responsibilities are to be fulfilled, struggles are to be undertaken and trusts are to be deposited. That doesn’t mean that peace of mind will vanish, indeed, such are the requirements to achieve peace of mind. The time will come when a life well-lived and a problem well-solved will speak on behalf of the person who ended her life with dignity, despite hardship; with wisdom, despite surrounding chaos; with mercy, despite prevailing oppression and with success despite being considered a failure.
“But ah! thou soul at peace!
Return unto thy Lord, content in His good pleasure!
Enter thou among My bondmen!
Enter thou My Garden!” (Al-Fajr 89:28-30)
* Selma Cook is Managing Editor of the Youth Section and Volunteer Youth Resource Network at Islam Online.net. She has written a number of books including: Buried Treasure (An Islamic novel for teenagers), The Light of Submission (Islamic Poetry). She has also edited and revised many Islamic books. She can be contacted at: youth_campaign@iolteam.com
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