Bismillah irahman irahim, With the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. Let’s read something on Muslims Halal desires and fair greed today.
The Scenario
Have you ever been struck in a position where your heart fills with sadness due to excessive wants? When your urges for material things [like money, fame and status] or emotional things [like relationships, attachments and likings] grow more and more but never seem to end?
When you want to live your life to the fullest, Wish to see that ideal sunset with your beloved or travel to the mountains with your best friends. Eat at the expensive restaurants, and wear the good designers clothes of your choice. Set a beautiful home with precious articles of furniture. Earn all that money, get a luxury car and travel the world.
Sitting in your room your bucket list just increases because you want to have everything and do everything!
Your Halal Desires:
There comes a time when the collection of your halal wishes and dreams begins to consume you; they begin to impact every fiber of your being. And suddenly you realize that you have all the tools and resources to take the first step to reshape your reality as well; to toil everyday to get the bag of jewels at the end, or just simply ask your parents to gift it to you. You can work and fulfill your dreams or use your parents money to accomplish your goals.
However, while thinking about your dream, when everything seems attainable: a disturbance occurs. Silence fills your heart. “As deep inside a feeling alarms you; a voice says there’s something wrong with you.” Listening to the voice, you feel frustrated. Your mood and condition becomes stressful; you constantly think about accepting or rejecting the feeling, to take a step forward towards your Wish or to abandon it. You just feel stuck.
What makes you feel stressed?
What could this feeling be called that is disturbing you to have your share of life in the halal way?
It’s true that the idea of following your heart doesn’t seem bad when you know what you are seeking is halal, accessible and for the right reasons.
But when you’re standing on a point where your heartiest wishes, dreams and goals starts making you acquisitive; when they intensively move your interests to the material or emotional gains alone — something inside you becomes dubious . When you begin to see fair greed in yourself; greed that possibly make you blind, and take control of yourself — you could sense it already.
You feel stressed out because an ocean of fair greed hit your bones. You could sense falling into the trap of your halal desires, those which confine you to the worldly pleasures. The hollowness of soul reminds you of it’s painful state; it gives you signals that it’s being imprisoned by your great worldly admirations.
In such a situation where you have to make a choice to jump in or to turn away; know that that’s where you should turn away!
Its important to recognize that “You are turning your face towards the world so passionately that your love for Allah is in danger.” Your increasing desires are all limited to the world. You want to have things and collect moments that will only benefit you in this world or for a while until Allah wills.
The more you chase, the most you lose yourself:
In the meanwhile you go with this conversation in your mind something blows into you that: “To ask Allah for his blessing from his countless treasures what could be wrong in that? When Allah’s mercy is infinite why then not to ask? A drop from his ocean doesn’t matter him, then why must not i ask him? After all what i am seeking is my right.”
The purpose of this Personal reflection is not to prevent you from asking Allah’s blessings and barakah in your work or of your guardians [astagfiruallah] that is of course your right, I don’t mean to stop you from enjoying the best of the world, but the sole purpose is to grab your attention to the point that “Ask Allah for what is necessary and crucial for your being; that’s what will benefit your soul. Ask Allah for what’s needed for your survival, and to provide for a healthy life.” The more you chase, the most you lose yourself. The more you have, the less you live.
And they ask you what they ought to spend. Say: “That which is beyond your needs.” Thus Allah makes clear to you His Laws in order that you may give thought” (2:219)
Don’t waste your time:
Running after the world, let it be for the halal reasons; many times hinder your growth to become a better believer, a better muslim, even a better person. Although it’s for your good, It consumes you. Lost in your day you get hardly any free hours to learn your religion, reflect on the signs of Allah, think about his majestic self, and find the depth of your faith.
The hustle of the working class to make lots of money, the fondness of youngsters to look good all the time, the craving of people to display a certain lifestyle — we waste a lot of our precious time there.
The day passes so quickly without leaving a sense of realization that “life was bigger than that.” At the end of the day, we are either disturbed or traped into self imprisonment.
The time that could have been used in the best ways; that could have unlocked our hidden capabilities and helped us read the divine secrets profoundly, just passed by like every other day. Nothing new, No out of worldly thought, No new approach was taken to get closer to Allah, the Everlasting, the one who Sustains and protects all that exist!
The End Note:
Sometimes the pure and halal desires of your heart deceive you; they encircle your thoughts, emotions and energies. You do not see life beyond it. Allah has indeed permitted all the good things that benefits the believer; when He endow a blessing you have every right to make use for it in a good way. I.e When He gives you money; you must buy good, wear good and spend good. Go to the best places and fulfill your material and emotional needs.
But the point that I am making here is not just to be confined in the box of worldly pleasure and contentment, not being lost in the apparent look of your lifestyle and temporary happiness leaving your capabilities undiscovered. Don’t be trapped by your halal desires that attach your heart with the world and limit your potentials only to the material and emotional needs. One must be attached with the Book of Allah (Qur’an), contemplate over its meanings and make his/her life more meaningful.
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