By Abdullahi Jamaa
Bishr al-Hafi (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about people who only become religious during the month of Ramadan.
He said: “They are abominable people, because they only know Allah The Almighty during the month of Ramadan. The truly righteous people are those who worship Allah The Almighty diligently throughout the whole year.”
When a solitary fly gets trapped inside a glass of water it struggles to release itself from the ensuing subjugation. At first, it rotates to every corner, dithering and flapping to keep itself alive but once its fragile wings gets wet it keeps on floating until it succumbs to death.
Such is the condition of an unconscious human soul, an absent minded person and one that is confined inside hollow yet illusive tunnel of life. Just like the fly this soul floats and swaps until it succumbs to death.
On the contrary, the conscious soul is well aware of its own, it may be trapped in an unceasing bane of life, sometimes immersed in the deepest worldly abyss but it constantly revolts against its own, remaining true to the path of self-realization and natural disposition.
Jigsaw puzzle
The jigsaw puzzle of life is the rejection of unending caprices from the soul. The struggle to contain it and keeping it on routine checks and balances is without doubt an uphill battle. And for many, enticing the soul into a successful way of life has been a hard nut to crack.
Fulfilling the purpose of life brings peace and contentment to an individual. It is undeniably the only known road to a positive physical and mental health. In finding amity and satisfaction, the soul therefore plays a critical role.
The soul subjugates and directs the body to act in a way that satisfies its own insatiable desires. When on the wrong side of life, that side of endless evil, the body with its heart and reasoning follows the soul to every alleyway of self-destruction.
The soul is a creation of Allah and it is the seat of human existence as well as all other living creatures. It is completely different from the body, driving people’s feelings, behaviour and volition. It calls the shot defining both an individual’s success and failures.
As humans we have little knowledge about the soul. We may know things like life, death and resurrection, however, we may never know the complexities surrounding the creation of the unseen soul and Allah (the Most High) says:
“And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.” (Quran 17:85)
We can however learn how to deal with our souls because as humans we are capable of doing both good and evil deeds as long as we keep our borders clearly marked. Despite this fact, we are so close to doing good deeds than bad acts because of our state of natural disposition.
The dungeon, the dirt and the destruction that comes with an evil personality is always tied to a long and lethal rope of inordinate desires with layers and layers of tangled mess of desperation that is usually presented tantalizingly as achievements.
We commit sins every day, some may be grave and others may be light, but they are all sins anyway. The greatest architecture of evil is the soul, it designs the road to sinful life and it shows the direction in a bid to reward itself.
The path to melancholy is the same for all sinners. For evil doers, their game of life ends in tatters, reprehension and defeat. The world collapses right in front of their eyes ahead of humiliation on the day of judgement.
While the soul unleashes its majestic power in the background, in reality, the tangible body will pay the ultimate price of the actions of its soul. The body in its entirety, including its organs will always be a prisoner for the untamed soul.
For failing to control actions of the soul, the human body will face toughest troubles and vexation of life. Unabated evil therefore becomes the next door neighbour of an individual who suffers from weakness of the soul.
The soul’s weakness is presented in an individual’s negative desires for lust, greed, wealth and power. A purposeful life requires a positive connection between the soul and the heart for proper reasoning and understanding of actions.
To avoid falling off the grid of life, a total emancipation is required. It all goes back to purification of our souls which is done through acts of worship, avoiding sins, being conscious of Allah, obeying Allah and a total submission to Allah.
Is it the end of it all ?
Now that Ramadan is over does it mean the end of it all? Our beautiful struggle of fasting should not go to waste easily and immediately after Eid Day. The battle against our egoistic soul must continue if at all we plan and hope to achieve success in this world and in the hereafter.
The spirit of Ramadan must live on with us for long and forever. Over the thirty-day period we have heard enough lectures, a lot of powerful stories and experiences, if all these cannot present a new beginning then we are surely at a big loss.
Now Satan is unchained, the gates of Jahannam are wide-open and evil is once again all around us. Lucky is the one who holds onto the straight path of piety and righteousness. The struggle against sin and evil is endless, an everyday affair with overpowering temptations that can make us fall to the lowest level of self-destruction.
The tussle against destructive lures are real and enormous, requiring a great deal of spiritual awareness throughout the year. With this in mind and with a world full of confusion, success is found in remaining true to the blessed religion of Islam.
We have tightened our belts during Ramadan when Satan was chained, now that he is tantalizingly out with a magnetic force it means therefore that we must fortify our souls with the remembrance of Allah by developing Taqwa.
Of course old habits die hard but with clues from Ramadan, we can create a new roadmap for personal change. Our spiritual transformation must focus more on developing true Islamic morals away from being cultural Muslims.
At least by now our thoughts and actions should be energetically directed at how we can quit committing sins and avoiding spiritual negligence. Our bad habits must end through systematic acts of worship intended to bring us back to the fold of faith.
Death beckons, you never know when you will die. The least you can do is to prepare yourself and those under your care for that unknown day.
Hasan al-Basri said: “Do not sit idle, for indeed death is seeking you.”
