It is easier to stick to your desires, to waste your time, than to make productivity out of it.
Going through our heads, what useful things do we keep in them aside from the education we got through our school systems, and the likes and dislikes of our families? I expect hundreds of songs, movie scripts, match scores and players, celebrities, behind the scenes, and useless knowledge found on the internet as ‘facts’ take up more of your memory space than we know.
Back in the good old days of childhood, I remember watching a movie with some Chinese connections, speaking about a monkey king (yep, you read it right). Anyway, what I really liked was that the mentor had said that how can water be poured into an already full glass?
Have you thought about it that way?
Every time you go for an interview, you clear your head and just focus on the interview. Every time you go for a speech or a debate, you just focus on the coming event. Mothers focus on their kids and throw out all the useless knowledge from their heads. Students focus all of their mind and heart (and sell their souls) for their studies. For men it is their work (well, and the kids if they are willing to change the diapers!).
However, direct needs like food, sleep, shelter, and duties like, work, grocery, and such are easy to fulfil. And letting into your desires easier still. But practising Islam over the desires is where it gets interesting.
The question is; how can you practice something that is opposite to your desires?
From a personal experience, back when music started to become addictive and I was going deeper and deeper into it, I suddenly noticed how my Qur’an recitation disappeared to nothing. In fact, it was difficult to listen to the Qur’an recitation as well. And that got me scared. What exactly was this, that drove me away from my religion? The more I listened to music, the lesser I connected with the Qur’an.
To the Muslims out there, think about it. Especially if your phones and devices have more than a hundred songs in them; when was the last time you picked up the Qur’an and read it? When was the last time you listened to a lecture? When was the last time you prayed without a song playing in your head? When was the last time you took another milestone like praying more Salah, giving more charity?
“The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”
Buddha.
I have seen people who say that religion lies only in the mind and in the heart. If they believe and have faith, then it isn’t necessary to practice it.
However, the fact is that actions reflect the state of the mind.
It is simply how it is. A mother’s love is displayed in her actions, a student eager to excel has his or her efforts as proof, a man hopeful to change for the better will change his lifestyle. Believing to be a better person isn’t enough. The mind will act accordingly to what your thoughts and mindset are.
But there is another thing that stops Muslims from Islam; shame.
That is another thing that stops us Muslims from practising our religion. With all the news of terrorists and such fighting in the ‘name of Islam’, we find ourselves becoming targets more and more. And even if the society does not target us, we are ashamed of our identity. We want to edge away from it.
We are afraid of what it has led to represent, when in reality, we should practice it to show people that it doesn’t preach what the terrorists, extremists and media show it to preach. My target are not the groups I have mentioned. I am addressing my fellow Muslims. Our negative mind forces us to take our religion in the wrong way.
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”
Joyce Meyer
The question now is; why I am explaining all of this?
What I am trying to explain to my readers is, to practice any part of Islam, you need to start with a fresh slate. You need to overpower your desires. You need to become confident in your choice, from a beard to Hijab, from a congregational prayer to established prayers and so on.
For a better life for ourselves and our children, we do everything in this life to give them the perfect home and the perfect life, but worry very little for the life beyond this one.
It isn’t easy to change. But it isn’t impossible either.
islam4thebusy 