JOURNEYING HOME
The movement of all earthly life leads to a singular profound truth: impermanence.
“Every soul will taste death, then it is to Us that you will be returned” [29:57].
The question is, what type of homecoming will it be?
That depends on whether the afterlife is a primary preoccupation: ‘Whoso desireth the harvest of the Hereafter, We give him increase in its harvest. And whoso desireth the harvest of the world, We give him thereof, and he hath no portion in the Hereafter’ [42:20].
To be solely engrossed in the vanities of this world shuts from us the door to the next.
Returning our gaze to the eternal prize is the intelligent thing to do. Everything else pales in comparison. More accurately, it’s nullified when juxtaposed with deathlessness. How can any worldly home compete with a paradisal abode that’s everlasting?
Some people strive their entire lives to secure a house. Ironically, the same efforts may be enough to reserve one in Paradise. But, if we forfeit the opportunity, we may risk our afterlife chasing a paltry lodging while those who work for the akhirah transact in a trade that never declines: ‘What you have been given is only the fleeting enjoyment of this world. Far better and more lasting is what God will give to those who believe and trust in their Lord’ [42:36].
The ultimate goal is not in achieving but in becoming.
So, how does one become a resident of Jannah (Paradise), and what do you think the characteristics of such a person are?
These questions should be at the forefront of every believer’s mind, guiding them, driving them home.
FINDING HIRA
Ramadan is racing towards us, eager to offer a resting place.
Before Islam, the Prophet (s) used to seek Allah by retreating to Mount Hira during the month of Ramadan.
Retreat: an act of moving back or withdrawing.
Muhammad (s) withdrew from a toxic culture, searching for a solution and found Islam.
The faith he (s) founded rests on five pillars. They form the bedrock of Islam and drive the very notion of retreat:
Faith, turning heavenly, selflessness, eschewing and community are the building blocks of a super-retreat.
We, too, live in a toxic culture but thankfully have within Islam a foundational system that perennially offers our bodies, minds and souls a safe haven, a refuge, a retreat.
#Ramadan #Ceaseconsuming Now!
Throw everything you believe to be sound against the wall and see if they stick. You can rest assured not all will.
We must get past the doctrinal systems before understanding this strange coloured world. And the quickest way to do so is to spend time with or join solidarity movements that oppose these systems. Why? Because they possess deep knowledge and understanding of their opposition. When we do so, we engage in the finest Quranic tradition: ‘You can ask those who know if you do not know’ [16:43].
Asking others implies we are limited. When we recognise this truth, we deflate our ego and engender humility. Willingness to learn and humbleness are necessary virtues to decolonise our minds.
The global systems that govern this world are but only human constructs. More precisely. Elitist constructs. They exclude by design. They mean to enslave. But they fool us into believing they’re absolute, unchanging and the path to freedom.
Challenging mainstream conventions is the most responsible thing we can do, and as Muslims, we do so by testing them against the Quran.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
p.s. I’ve launched Red Kufi Courses, Alhamdulillah. Click to learn more.
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