Simplicity – Vision and Light

I feel that I’m searching for something in life. Something to fulfill who I am as a person. I want to achieve the pinnacle of success where I am intune with both my passions and my talents. However, its hard to get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going. I think the first several months of this year are going to be some of the most important in my life because I’m searching within myself to find where I belong in this world. I’m in the process of creating a vision inshallah. And in order for me to find out what that vision is and what my ultimate goals are, I need to first discover who I am as a person – my likes/dislikes. You think that this is something easy. At least for the longest time, I though the same as well. But its not. I was rather shocked last week to learn something new about my self (about my personality). You won’t come to these realizations until you go through an experience. If you don’t know what I’m talking about don’t worry – one day you will. Life is truly a journey of self-discovery and lifelong learning.

What I feel the Muslims of today are lacking is vision. We need to set goals and reach new heights. Of course nothings possible without Allah (swt); so be steadfast and firm in faith as you continue on your journey in life. Whether you are a working mother, a business traveler, a housewife, a teen or a college student, what I believe we all need to accomplish to make this Ummah the best it can be is 1) to be steadfast in our faith and 2) to have a vision. We need to have a vision that embraces the fact that Allah(swt) put us here on earth for a greater purpose. We need to have a vision where we are lifting society around us.

[Now I'm going to digress a little just to make a point and help you clarify what I mean.] For example, Oprah (I know you are probably like..what?.. read on to understand my point) is at the pinnacle of her career, she had the vision to become a top talk show host, she understood who she was and where she came from and she worked tirelessly to make it to the top. She isn’t self-made though. The term Self-made itself is deceptive. Don’t think for a moment that she was self-made or any one of us can be self made successful people. There are so many people around us that have helped us become who we are today. And as such, there were so many people in her life that helped her to reach her goals.

But as inspiring and remarkable as her story is, one sad truth that I took away from watching an interview she did in 2006 – she said that she does not feel ‘fulfilled’. Can you believe it?

The first thing that went through my mind when I heard this ‘is well – duh’! you’re not fulfilled because you don’t have Islam.You really don’t know what the future holds for you because you don’t know anything about the hereafter. Oprah is one of the most well known top 5 most powerful women in the world, and today she’s around 50ish, still wondering to herself – ‘Whats next for me?’. I’m not trying to be mean to her, as a person I thinks she’s wonderful – she has a great show where she tries to connect with people and help people watching her show lead better lives. (Don’t make the assumption that I watch her show – I don’t; I’ve only seen it a few times. =])

However, I think she needs to be honest with herself. One of the core themes of her long running talk show is trying to find Faith and hope. In all truth, many principles like how we should treat those around us, the concept of fulfillment and God, etc. that she mentions has striking similarities with Islam. For example, she said in one of her interviews that she believes that there is a greater purpose for her in life, she wants God (aka Allah) to ‘use her’ for a greater purpose. That is exactly what Islam is about! What is a Muslim? A muslim is a person who ’submits to the will of Allah(swt)’. We believe that Allah (swt) has a greater purpose for us. And no matter how much we achieve in this life, we know that we will meet our lord on the day of Judgment in the Hereafter.

So I think I got carried away, this post was actually suppose to be on simplicity. Whether or not anything I said above deals with this topic is your own judgment call (it probably doesn’t lol). Recently, I’ve been very interested in grasping an understanding of why I get so excited when I see light. Yes, light. The most basic blessing that is all around us. In my chaotic world with classes, papers, exams – ‘light’ has just seemed so beautiful – so peaceful. For now, it seems like the only elment around me that has an inner peace that I’m attracted to – the simplicty of blessing. Allahu Akbar!

Let Go…

What do you attach yourself to in this life? Is it your favorite book, your true love, the garden that you’ve just planted in your yard, food, etc?

This may seem like a funny question to ask. However, contemplate on it: Do you live your life by clinging onto the objects and people around you? Its part of the human instinct to ‘have the want to live’ and enjoy life. We don’t know a life without the life we have. We feel secure in attaching or associating ourselves with the people and objects that are a part of our lives.

But wait a minute – if we truly define our lives by what’s around us, do we honestly know or have any guarantee that these relationships will last forever? In order for this to last forever, either you or the other variable (person, object, food item) must be able to last forever. Either you or the other variable must be non-perisable – either you or the other variable that you cling on to should be something that will not decay, will not lose its essence which gives you a sense of security.

Are you understanding what I am trying to say? If not, its okay, I’ll make it more clear.
Don’t rely on and attach yourself to the worldly creation around you for it is perishable. We are only in existence by Allah’s will. Instead, who should we associate ourselves with?

Allah, of course, the ever-living, the eternal. Allah, the highest companion. Allah, the creator of you and me and all that you see around you. Allah, the one who not only has created us out of his love, but has also given us sustenance. We have not created the air around us that we breath, only He has and he is the all-powerful.

As Human beings we love the concept of Eternity. This is the very essence of Allah. He has no beginning, nor end, he will always be there – Forever. Open your heart, if your heart sees Allah, his power and his eternity you shall surely be drawn to it in AWE. Allah is perfect, permanent and self-sustaining.

Those that choose Allah as their Highest Companion and serve him as proper Muslims will surely be amongst the righteous on the day of judgment.  Allah (swt) promises the believers the Life of the Hereafter which will be full of vitality.

Some Characteristics of the Life of the HereAfter for the Believer:

- Mortality : Forever

- Perfect Age

- No Fatigue

- Permanent Happiness

I just wanted to let you know that the life of this world is only temporary, so if anything be cautious of what you let your heart attach itself to. This isn’t something that can be done easily because there’s so much in life that can distract us. But one way I refocus is just remembering Allah and all the blessings that He has bestowed upon me. So in sum – Take some time during your day to Just let go and fill your heart with love for Allah (swt).

HereAfter Timeline Pt 2

Here’s a better (more visual) representation of ‘events that have taken place’ and events ‘to come’.

Note: This is just a brief overview there’s so many things happening in between.

Life’s Journey: To Understand Our Creator

One of the main aspects of the journey of life is to reconnect with our Creator and to understand where we came from. I want to share with you a powerful piece of writing, I came across this summer, about Allah (swt) and who He is. I can honestly say that because of how very direct and eloquent the writer is, for the first time ever in my life, my knowledge of who Allah (swt) is, jumped up to an extraordinary level of understanding. The excerpt may seem quite lengthy, but trust me, once you start reading you’ll just want to keep going until the end.

From Imam Birgivi’s ‘The Path of Muhammad (s.a.w.s): A Book on Islamic Morals & Ethics’ (pgs 3-5):

“ON ALLAH (MAY HE BE GLORIFIED AND EXALTED)

First, I beseech all Muslims to believe, say, and confirm this with their hearts: there is no god but God worthy and deserving to be worshipped, obeyed, and loved.

He has no partner, nor is anything like Him. He eats not, drinks not, sleeps not, begets not, nor is He begotten. He does not have a wife, son, or daughter. He exists neither in a place nor at a time. He is neither on earth nor in heaven, on your right or your left, under or above. He has no shape or form or color, nor face, hands or feet. He fears not, hurts not, is saddened not, changes not, and is free of all defects. He is other than all we know or can imagine.

He has no age. He was before always, and will be after the after, forever. He is self-existent, and does not depend on anything. His essence is only His. It is unknown to anyone but He, and is constant. He has priority over everything. He created all from nothing and can turn all into nothing. Nothing has the power to resist Him, and there is no difficulty for Him. For Him to create seven heavens and seven earths is the same as creating a fly.

No one can influence, dominate, or judge Him, and He governs all and everything. He needs no one, and all are in need of Him. No good or harm can come to Him from anywhere or anyone, even if all the faithless kept faith with Him or if all the sinners became obedient. All the worship directed to Him, from the beginning of time until the end, confers no benefit upon Him. If no one ever believed in Him, it would not harm Him at all.

He is One, Only and Unique. He is Ever-Living, All-Knowing, Aware of all that is in heaven and earth, whether it is observed by or hidden from humanity. He has the accounting of all the leaves on the trees, the number of wheat kernels and grains of sand. Nothing is unknown to Him. He knows the parts of every whole, and the past, present, and future of every existence. He knows what you do, what you say, think, and feel, what you show and what you hide. He knows all that is visible and invisible, what there is and what is yet to come. He cannot be mistaken, nor miss or forget anything that He knows. His knowledge existed before there was anything to know: it is uncreated, like Him.

God is All-Seeing and All-Hearing. He sees the tiny black ant walking on a black stone in the darkest of nights and hears its footsteps. If you whisper in someone’s ear and neither he nor even you hear your voice, know that God hears your voice loud and clear. He has no eyes, no ears, yet He hears and sees without senses.

All will is His. He does what He wills. Nothing happens or exists without His will. He has no needs or wishes. No one’s wishes no matter how strong can influence His will and make Him do things. Every atom in the universe exists because He willed it to be. Both good and eveil are His will. If He willed not, the faithful could not have believed and obeyed Him by their will. He is the one who wills the faithlessness of the faithless, and the sin of the sinner. If He did not, there would be neither sin nor evil. Not a fly can move its wing without His will. What man does, God makes him do. If He willed, all the people would have been pious. If He willed, all people would have been evil. Then why did He not will everyone to be devout, but made some sinners? The answer is that no one has the right to question Him. He is absolute, one, unique in His will and in His actions.

Yet there is a divine reason and wisdom in what He does that human beings cannot understand. There is always an advantage for all. Even if you cannot know, believe that there is a multitude of good hidden in the existence of poisonous snakes, scorpions, vermin and bugs, and all other things we associate with suffering and misfortune. It is an obligation for all faithful ones to believe this, and to believe that it has always been so, and always will be.

God’s will is eternal as He is, not created. God is All-Powerful: All power belongs to Him. His power is only conditional upon one thing: His will. Only what He makes comes to exist; only what He does, happens. There is nothing He cannot do. He has brought the dead back to life, made stones and trees talk and walk, made stars disappear and reappear, turned earth to gold and gold to earth, made rivers flow uphill, raised those He loved above the seven heavens and brought them back, transported them from the eastern end of the world to its western end in an instant. He is the one who does everything with His power, which is eternal like Himself, though created afterwards, and which is inexhaustible.

Every word, every sound, all that is said and heard are His. His commands, His ordinances and judgments that apply to His creation, are in His words. These are contained in the last divine book, the Holy Qur’an, which includes all the other preceding holy books. The Qur’an is His final word, whose meaning is infinite and eternal.

God’s word is soundless. It does not need a tongue or lips to pronounce it, nor does it need ears to be heard, nor does it need letters to be written or eyes to be read.

God is the creator of all and everything. There is no other who created but He. He is the one who created the eye and what it sees, the hand and what it does, the tongue and what it says. He is the one who created us and our deeds – the whole, the parts, the essence and the attributes of men and jinn. The worlds and the heavens, devils, beasts, plants, rocks and jewels, all that can be seen, felt and imagined, and the invisible and unimaginable, are created by Him from nothing. Only He existed before anything existed. He created the creation not because He needed it, but to manifest His Love, His Will, His Wisdom, His Power, and His Compassion.

So: He is before the before. He did not become; He always was. He is after the after, eternal: He will always be. He is one, only and unique, without partner. He is the cause of all and everything. All are in need of Him, while He needs no one and nothing. He said “Be” and all became. Everything will be gone when He says “Be gone.” He is the creator, bearing no resemblance to what He created. He is the self-existent, independent, without any needs.

These are the essential things that human beings can understand about the perfection of their Sustainer, whom they should believe, love, and obey.”

—

(*Please excuse spelling errors. I typed it word for word. Also Please Note that I will rarely publish an excerpt of this length.)

To learn more:

“The Path of Muhammad (s.a.w.s): A Book on Islamic Morals & Ethics”

By Imam Birgivi, Shaykh Bayrak, Birgivı̂ Mehmet Efendi, Tosun Bayrak

Published by World Wisdom, Inc, 2005

ISBN 0941532682, 9780941532686