Ihsan: Let Your Faith Bring You Ease

This was almost written for my mommy blog. But then I realized that everyone could relate and perhaps benefit, with the will of Allah.

Disclaimer: I am not a scholar of any sort! But I am a mom, a wife, a human and a Believer in Allah. I go through trials and try my best to repent, learn, and change for the better, with the help and guidance of Allah.

As humans, we often look for validation and praise for the things we do. Many of us may not want to admit that. The reason this was initially for the moms was because they do so much that no one will ever see or express gratitude or appreciation for. Sometimes it’s not even enough to know we are doing what’s essentially right. She cleans, cooks, and nurtures the children all day long, but no one is there to notice. She nurses an infant and stays up all night when everyone is sleeping. No one notices. All they see is a lethargic person the next day whose hair is dishelved and voice raspy.  And because of this, many mothers and wives build resentment and some may look for validation within society. When you get an A on a college paper, you receive appreciation and praise for your hard work. When you complete a project at work, you get praised and financially compensated.

What compensation do we receive for doing good deeds?

Ihsan has many meanings. When I was first introduced to the word, it was in the context of God-consciousness. Not just any type of consciousness, but an awareness of Allah so strong that you live your life as if you can actually see Him (in a spiritual sense of course). Do you pray when no one is watching? Are you kind and patient with your infant child, although knowing she cannot tell anyone if you were not? Would you help someone in need even if no one was around to smile at you or pat you on the back? Would you fast if you were in seclusion, with no one to witness the sacrifice you have made?

Allah knows. Allah sees. And the angles are recording what you do.

Do you really believe that? We say we believe, but the real belief is in the practice. Ihsan is a way to live our lives. This Ramadan is the perfect time to strive towards having ihsan. Allah has made it easy for us because doing good usually feels good too. We were created to have an inclination towards the good.

With Ihsan, we will be happier and more content.

Sometimes it’s the small efforts we do to make other’s lives easier. If you vacuum the rug everyday while no one is around, most likely they will not express gratitude for your act. They key is to eliminate that craving for appreciation for every little act. We can start this by shifting our energy towards giving gratitude, instead of expecting it. After completing a good deed, thank Allah that you had the energy and strength to complete the deed. Thank Allah that you were able to make someone else’s life easier, because only through Allah’s mercy is these actions possible. If we expressed gratitude every time we did something good, our faith will be increased, inshaAllah. Our thoughts will turn towards the light instead of the darkness, and we will be content and happy with our lives.

Leaving you with this and a sincere prayer that we can find peace and satisfaction in knowing that Allah is watching all the time and that is always enough. Ameen.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “(Ihsan is) it’s to worship Allah as you are seeing Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you.” (Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 48)

Conscious Existence: Refuting Fear and Living in The Moment

There is a constant stream of LOVE being transmitted throughout the universe.

LOVE has the power to transform our lives.

As humans, we were entrusted with thoughts, emotions, and innovation. Looking at the history of man and invention, it would be an understatement to say that it has worked out really well for us. However, we cannot get lost in our inventions, whether they are of a physical, intellectual, or emotional nature.

Yes, we invent, that’s what we do. We are architects of our environment and our thoughts. We build pyramids and skyscrapers, and we theorize all day long. Our curiosity has uplifted us above the rest of the animal kingdom. We are nation builders and knowledge seekers.

The homo-sapiens are sounding pretty magnificent right about now. We are animals of mass discovery; a quality fueled by necessity and a longing desire to do bigger and better things every generation. In the same breath, we must also consider the downside to being such intellectually evolutionary creatures. I would say it can be summed up pretty easy: we think too much.

Our minds are in constant toil, living in the mistakes of our past and the aspirations of the future. It could be a strong argument that our intellectual superiority comes along with the risk of not living in the here and now.

Take a bear for instance; the bear forages for berries, swipes fish from the stream, protects their young and hibernates all winter. Oh yes, and we must not forget, the bear will almost inevitably procreate given the right environmental factors. The bottom line is that a bear is going to be a bear no matter what, living a life of complete submission to the natural order of the universe.

Do we submit?

Our intellectual capacity can and will hinder us if we allow it, which many of us do because to live a conscious life actually takes quite a bit of concentrated energy directed at that goal. Meditation is one of the age-old methods of reconnecting with the universe and living in the now. However, many of us find it very difficult to quiet the mind and surrender the spirit to nothingness.

Islamically, Muslims are supposed to live life knowing that ALLAH is IN CHARGE. If one really internalizes this notion, obsessing over past mishaps or future goals would not be an option. Perhaps more importantly, living in a state of fear would not be an option either. But, we are only human right? We were created with both intuition and aspiration. The key is to focus more on the intuition, therefore living in a true state of God-Consciousness.

When we are God-conscience, we are open to receive the love of the universe. LOVE: It is in the vibrations of the wind and the circulation of chlorophyll in the leaves. The love runs fluid through our veins and fuels the beating of our hearts: We are all connected. Being open to receive the love is the biggest gift we can give ourselves.

How do we do that?

Call it the whisperings of the shaytan or call it mind-chatter: it is the gook that plagues us, keeping us out of our own existence. Quiet that. It’s like when we make the intention before a prayer; we must intentionally be present. We must desire to want to receive love, happiness and gratitude. 

The beauty of living in the present is that we have removed the gook that weighed us down, so now we are freed up to accomplish our goals step-by-step, not missing a beat, and the rewards of our hard work will be not in the completion, but in the process itself.