afu
22-03-04, 08:51 PM
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmattullahi wa barkatuhu.
Sorrow, grief and pain are certain in life. Failure,
defeat and loss, sure. Straining of relations and
insecurity- an everyday experience. Loneliness, a
stark reality. Emptyness omnipotent. Dissatisfaction
rampant. Tears unavoidable and Death, an inescapable
eventuality.
In a world wherein every other marriage ends up in
divorce{1}, wherein one out of every ten elderly
people feels lonely{2}, wherein a million people
commit suicide every year{2}, wherein about 8% of us
experience a clinical depression each year with low
mood, sleep difficulty, hopelessness, pessimism and
thoughts of suicide{2}, you hear a caller calling
"O soul, in complete rest and satisfaction!
"Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself),
and well-pleasing unto Him!
"Enter thou, then, among My devotees!
"Yea, enter thou My Heaven!
The Glorious Quran 89:27-30
How glorious must be the state of this soul!!! How
blissful it must feel!! And how peaceful an abode!!!
Nothing could be more envious to the human mind than
this supreme achievement.
Not that we do not experience moments of joy in our
lives. Everyone does. No one can deny moments in their
lives wherein they felt completely at peace with
themselves, moments of perfect bliss and happiness,
moments of complete satisfaction. However transitory
they might have been, they leave behind an indelible
mark on our lives. However momentary they might have
been, the taste remains. The yearning remains and its
active seeking probably determines the rest of our
lives.
People, in their desparate search, seek it in
different things - money, marriage, power,
professional excellence, travel, literature, and what
not! Some people fail and some succeed, only to
realise that it is no longer the same, only to realise
that it still remains at best 'momentary'! In fact
".........their deeds are like a mirage in sandy
deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes
for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it
to be nothing:...."
On the contrary, the life and mission of that glorious
soul at complete rest and satisfaction is so
different.
He defines his life ,thus,"Truly, my prayer and my
service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all)
for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner
hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of
those who bow to His will."
He does not live for others nor does he live for
himself. Neither does he need to please others nor
does he need to live up to his own expectations and
thus, neither does he fear others nor does he fear
himself - his only fear is the fear of displeasing his
Creator and Cherisher. He knows no other fear.
When sorrow, grief and pain surround him, and when he
finds himself all alone in his struggle to please
Allaah, he finds solace in the company of angels who
say "Fear ye not!Nor grieve! but receive the Glad
Tidings of the Garden of Bliss, the which ye were
promised! We are your protectors in this life and in
the Hereafter:"
He acknowledges the uncertainity in life by saying
"Insha Allaah"{if Allaah so wills} everytime he
decides to do something and yet is saved from mere
passivity and listlessness by putting all his trust in
Allaah and His Help and striving to his utmost!
Who when burdened by the thoughts of his own
shortcomings and sins finds comfort in the words of
His Lord Who says "O my Servants who have transgressed
against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His
(Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye
shall not be helped."
Who when faced with failure, defeat and even total
destruction, never loses hope nor does he stop
striving. Instead he turns to his Lord saying "Our
Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have
done that transgressed our duty: Establish our feet
firmly, and help us against those that resist Faith."
And when death finally confronts him, it finds him
ready. In fact it finds him waiting, for it is to him,
the moment of reunion. He gladly embraces it, saying,"
To Allaah we belong and to Him shall we return."
Such is the beauty and perfection of a life spend in
submission to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, the
tranquility of which remains the MOST INNATE DESIRE OF
EVERY SOUL IN THIS WORLD! ".....and for this let those
aspire, who have aspirations:"
NOTE: Muslims constitute some of the poorest nations
in the world. Sorrow, grief, misery and humiliation
has been their lot for decades now. Disease and death
has been their common lot. Illiteracy and lack of
education has become their hallmark. Most of them do
not even have good knowledge about their own religion
except for the values and ettiquettes that have become
ingrained in their lives as part of their culture.
Yet, they continue to remain a happier people, and a
more satisfied lot as compared to the rest of the
world. Suicide still remains rarer amongst Islamic
people{2} and family ties stronger{1}. Isn't it time
for us to realise the truth and acknowledge it? Has
not the time come for us to let this truth express
itself completely in the world so that all humanity
may at last quench it's thirst for peace and
tranquility?
Allaahafiz!
{1} Divorce Magazine. US and other countries' staistics
http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsWorld.shtml
{2} Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialities.
quotations are from the Glorious Qura'an.
Sorrow, grief and pain are certain in life. Failure,
defeat and loss, sure. Straining of relations and
insecurity- an everyday experience. Loneliness, a
stark reality. Emptyness omnipotent. Dissatisfaction
rampant. Tears unavoidable and Death, an inescapable
eventuality.
In a world wherein every other marriage ends up in
divorce{1}, wherein one out of every ten elderly
people feels lonely{2}, wherein a million people
commit suicide every year{2}, wherein about 8% of us
experience a clinical depression each year with low
mood, sleep difficulty, hopelessness, pessimism and
thoughts of suicide{2}, you hear a caller calling
"O soul, in complete rest and satisfaction!
"Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself),
and well-pleasing unto Him!
"Enter thou, then, among My devotees!
"Yea, enter thou My Heaven!
The Glorious Quran 89:27-30
How glorious must be the state of this soul!!! How
blissful it must feel!! And how peaceful an abode!!!
Nothing could be more envious to the human mind than
this supreme achievement.
Not that we do not experience moments of joy in our
lives. Everyone does. No one can deny moments in their
lives wherein they felt completely at peace with
themselves, moments of perfect bliss and happiness,
moments of complete satisfaction. However transitory
they might have been, they leave behind an indelible
mark on our lives. However momentary they might have
been, the taste remains. The yearning remains and its
active seeking probably determines the rest of our
lives.
People, in their desparate search, seek it in
different things - money, marriage, power,
professional excellence, travel, literature, and what
not! Some people fail and some succeed, only to
realise that it is no longer the same, only to realise
that it still remains at best 'momentary'! In fact
".........their deeds are like a mirage in sandy
deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes
for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it
to be nothing:...."
On the contrary, the life and mission of that glorious
soul at complete rest and satisfaction is so
different.
He defines his life ,thus,"Truly, my prayer and my
service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all)
for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner
hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of
those who bow to His will."
He does not live for others nor does he live for
himself. Neither does he need to please others nor
does he need to live up to his own expectations and
thus, neither does he fear others nor does he fear
himself - his only fear is the fear of displeasing his
Creator and Cherisher. He knows no other fear.
When sorrow, grief and pain surround him, and when he
finds himself all alone in his struggle to please
Allaah, he finds solace in the company of angels who
say "Fear ye not!Nor grieve! but receive the Glad
Tidings of the Garden of Bliss, the which ye were
promised! We are your protectors in this life and in
the Hereafter:"
He acknowledges the uncertainity in life by saying
"Insha Allaah"{if Allaah so wills} everytime he
decides to do something and yet is saved from mere
passivity and listlessness by putting all his trust in
Allaah and His Help and striving to his utmost!
Who when burdened by the thoughts of his own
shortcomings and sins finds comfort in the words of
His Lord Who says "O my Servants who have transgressed
against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His
(Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye
shall not be helped."
Who when faced with failure, defeat and even total
destruction, never loses hope nor does he stop
striving. Instead he turns to his Lord saying "Our
Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have
done that transgressed our duty: Establish our feet
firmly, and help us against those that resist Faith."
And when death finally confronts him, it finds him
ready. In fact it finds him waiting, for it is to him,
the moment of reunion. He gladly embraces it, saying,"
To Allaah we belong and to Him shall we return."
Such is the beauty and perfection of a life spend in
submission to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, the
tranquility of which remains the MOST INNATE DESIRE OF
EVERY SOUL IN THIS WORLD! ".....and for this let those
aspire, who have aspirations:"
NOTE: Muslims constitute some of the poorest nations
in the world. Sorrow, grief, misery and humiliation
has been their lot for decades now. Disease and death
has been their common lot. Illiteracy and lack of
education has become their hallmark. Most of them do
not even have good knowledge about their own religion
except for the values and ettiquettes that have become
ingrained in their lives as part of their culture.
Yet, they continue to remain a happier people, and a
more satisfied lot as compared to the rest of the
world. Suicide still remains rarer amongst Islamic
people{2} and family ties stronger{1}. Isn't it time
for us to realise the truth and acknowledge it? Has
not the time come for us to let this truth express
itself completely in the world so that all humanity
may at last quench it's thirst for peace and
tranquility?
Allaahafiz!
{1} Divorce Magazine. US and other countries' staistics
http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsWorld.shtml
{2} Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialities.
quotations are from the Glorious Qura'an.