Reflection is Remedy

“Music does not give rise, in the heart, to anything which is not already there. So he, whose inner self is attached to anything else than God is stirred by music to sensual desire, but the one who is inwardly attached to the love of God is moved, by hearing music, to do His will! The common folk listen to music according to nature, and the novices listen with desire and awe, while the listening of the saints brings them a vision of the Divine gifts and graces, and these are the gnostics to whom listening means contemplation. But finally, there is the listening of the spiritually perfect to whom, through music, God reveals Himself unveiled.”

~Suhrawardi

As with most technological innovations, there is great benefit and great disasters awaiting your entrance to the world of Facebook.

On the positive side, there is great potential to share knowledge, increase the awareness of injustices, and to share meaningful events.

On the negative side, there is great potential to inflate the human ego, increase one’s self-opinion, present an image of yourself that does not genuinely represent you, ceremoniously bring attention to yourself and to others (especially your family and friends), and rely on the number of friends and “likes” you have as a validation of your worth.  Hence, facebook can become a huge detriment to one’s own spirituality–where the focus is on humility, lowering one’s ego and status before the Presence of God, decreasing the praise and attention brought to yourself, close friends, and family, and not relying on material things to validate your self-worth.  Countless of awliya in Islamic history chose to live lives of simplicity, where their possessions, hang-out sessions, and friends were not on display for thousands to see.

If one is doing an act for the sake of God, why share it with the world? If you are intending to inspire others then Alhamdulilah, but let us ennoble the act more than the human actor.  Let us return the praise to the rightful source-God.  The creator and bestower of all our possessions, achievements, companions, and vacations.

You might be thinking, well why am I on facebook?  I use it to share inspirational and thought-provoking quotes, articles, and events.  Before I make a status I ask myself these three questions:

1. Will this status benefit others?
2. Does this status portray arrogance/egoism?
3. Will this status hurt others?

If it fails any of the three I usually don’t post it.  I am sorry if you have felt that I have posted something that did fail one of those.  If that is true, please know that I am a work in progress, may God help me and you are free to point it out to me.

Sharing too much and transforming your life into an open book can unveil all the mysteries and wonder of your personality and life to others.  Your statuses become less valuable the more that you post.  People become immune and desensitized to your rantings and shared news.  If everyone has quick access to a moment in your life, that moment may become valueless.  However, the value of a moment becomes priceless when you expose it to the select few.

Intentions are the Key

So before I completely become a judgmental monster, I want to highlight this area of importance.  A person’s post, while seemingly egotistic and unnecessary, can also be a source of indirect coaxing and inspiration for others to perform noble actions, attain closeness to God, and to increase activism/awareness.  Perhaps then the status is no longer boastful and irrelevant?  For example a Muslim female who takes numerous pictures of her clothing and hijab attire can also intend to send a message that modesty does not equate with a lack of fashion sense, and that becoming modest does not remove the fun from choosing your daily attire, especially for special occasions.  She could have the intention of manifesting God’s wisdom and beauty through her clothing.  She could be intending to present the deen in a beautiful light.  This same example holds for career, achievements, etc.

So I guess an important question that needs to be added to the list is:

4. What is my intention behind posting this?  How can I purify my intention?

This is probably the most important of all questions to ask, and the key to transforming Facebook into an act of worship and spiritual rejuvenation.

I  strongly believe that “what goes around comes around”; our actions and words will return to us in the future.  If I am self-righteous today and criticize others, the same actions I am criticizing will probably be done (if not already being done) by my own children, or immediate family members, or, even myself!  May God forgive me for the words I have uttered without careful thought, the actions I have done without speculation, and the hearts and people that I have outwardly and inwardly judged.

My dad kissed me on the cheek the day before he passed away.  The next day my Uncle and I were singing to him about an hour before his passing.  During his last month I would kiss and hug him often, sometimes holding the hug for a long time.  After he was done praying I would kneel beside him, put my arms around his shoulders, rest my head on his cheek and shoulder, and linger like that for a while.  He would nod his head in acknowledgement because his voice muscles were not strong enough to speak at a normal tone.  My dad’s muscles were decreasing in strength and size  by the neuro-degenerative disorder: Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Even his cheek muscles were so soft–just like a baby’s.

I came across these two ahadeeth and wanted to post: to remind me of the type of relationship that should exist between father and daughter:

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on his daughter, Fatima:
Whoever pleased Fatima has indeed pleased God and whoever has caused her to be angry has indeed angered God. Fatima is a part of me. Whatever pleases her pleases me and whatever angers her angers me. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3437; Muslim, 4483)

Aisha (God’s blessings be upon her) commented, When the Prophet saw her [Fatima] approaching, he would welcome her, stand up and kiss her, take her by the hand and sit her down in the place where he was sitting.  When the Prophet came to her, she stood up for him, took his hand, made him welcome, kissed him, and made him sit in her place.  She came to him during his final illness and he greeted her and kissed her. (Al Adab al Mufrad: Hadith 971)

I hear this phrase all too often. And it is so beguiling to me. It also means to me:

“I don’t ponder about the afterlife and the repercussions of my actions then.”
“I don’t believe that I have to be grateful to the creator of my body and circumstances.”

I have met individuals who have told me that religion plays no role in their life; they are not atheist, they are not agnostic, they are not anything. They just exist.

I understand that religion has become equated with “old school understanding”, “barbarism”, “male-chauvinism”, and even “ignorance”.

However I honestly think that to be apathetic towards any type of religion is a serious sign of compound ignorance.

I think that most people have become so distracted and focused on the present moment–the tangible items and ideas that shape their life–that they do not have the time to ponder about anything metaphysical.  They are focused on paying the bills, making money to survive, and having some casual entertainment along the way.  They are focused on solving the world’s problems: poverty, inequality, tyranny.  However there is a realm beyond all of this.  Those who ask the existentialist questions often bump into this realm.  It is the intangible realm, the realm of metaphysical ideas and the unseen dimensions that surround us.  These are the questions that religion aims to answer.  Some of these questions are:

Where did I come from?
What will happen to me after I die?
What is my purpose?
How do I know what is right and wrong?
What is reality?
What is love?

There are humanist and free thinker philosophies that aim to understand these questions.  But neither of these movements have a basis in revealed texts.  There is a difference between “divinely inspired” and “revealed texts”.  Revealed texts are absolute truths, while divinely inspired writing can be tampered with-either through mistranslations or misunderstandings.

I’m not exactly sure where I’m going with this post, so I’m going to break for now.

Dear God!

If there is anything I need more in life it is to become faster and efficient with time. Time and I have the worst relationship ever and I need to take control of it before it controls me. Give me the strength to be wiser with my energy and time, please make me read faster, absorb knowledge faster, retain knowledge faster, have a sharper memory, and be quick with my thought processes and understanding. I feel like there is a cobweb in my brain that prevents me from being efficient. I can literally sit down, stare into space, and ponder for hours. I love to think, imagine, and reflect but please do not let this love hinder me from accomplishing my goals, ambitions, and from serving Your creations. Ameen.

“O god! Unto You do I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness and of my lowliness before men. O most Merciful of the merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. Into whose hands have you entrusted me? Unto some far off stranger who receives me with hostility? Or unto a foe whom you have empowered against me? I care not, so long as You are not angry with me. But Your favoring help, that were for me the broader way and the wider scope. I take refuge in the light of Your countenance whereby all darknesses are illuminated and all things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest You make descend Your anger upon me or lest Your wrath beset me. Yet it is Yours to reproach until You are well pleased. There is no power and no might except through Thee.”

“For the elect, Ishq (love) is a tremendous eternal light, but for the common people, Ishq is form and sensuality.” “Rumi

There are two most commonly used words for love in Arabic.  Ishq and Habb. Habb is mentioned in the Quran; Ishq is not.  Ishq usually implies an intense, excessive, and passionate love, while Habb is a commonly expressed type of love.  The experts in Kalam deemed it inappropriate to use the term ishq when relating love between servant and God.  The Sufis and philosophers, however, ignored them, and used them interchangeably.  They saw all types of love as ultimately love for God.

Whether people know it or not, humans love God.  Most people are confused with the object of their love.  Thus they fall in love with beloveds who cannot live up to love’s reality. Hence, the love turns stale…or disappears completely.  And then they get disappointed when they don’t live up to expectations.  If they are to find their true Beloved, they need to follow the divinely established guides.

My notes from the beginning of Sidi W. Chittick’s talk on Divine Love:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFrneKfSucE