knewagnu
29-01-2005, 02:16 PM
Read a little book earlier this week:
SACRIFICE – The Making of a Muslim
by
KHURRAM MURAD
It can be found here:
http://www.al-islamforall.org/Misc/SACRIFICE.pdf
It looks at subjects such as time, wealth, attitudes, and aspirations. So, those who made "New Years Resolutions" which are already forgotten... :p
This writing gives a very readable overview of how to set priorities. Weighing in at approximately 21 pages of text, it can be read at a leisurely pace in a short period of time.
A few points that caught my attention:
Friendships are formed round common temperaments, interests, pursuits and goals. As Muslims you have only one goal and one pursuit: 'one who surrenders his whole being to God'.
I think it is essential to surround yourself with good people. A friend of mine who is very successful in the business world despite having many inherent obstacles lives by one motto: "Who you are is determined by the books you read and the people you associate with." No matter how good your intentions, if your friends don't share your goals, you probably won't get too far.
Only with love for Allah will sacrifice turn into an inner urge, rather than remaining a motion of compliance with an external exhortation. Then you will derive the true delight and pleasure in fulfilling the demands of Iman. Remember: there are two types of Iman. One remains on our lips and that is the Iman which becomes a burden to us. There is another Iman which penetrates into the heart that is the Iman which becomes a pleasure, a delight, a joy. Once you have this Iman, if you are required to give time or money, or sacrifice your likes and dislikes, you do it gladly.
Personally, I'm an exercise fanatic. You will find me at the gym every day. If my car is broken down, and it's pouring rain, doesn't matter, I'll happily hop on my bike and petal 10 miles (that's 16 kilometers for most of the world) to get to the gym. I think most people have something similar in life that really excites them. But when it comes to something important like prayer, or changing a bad habit that has crept into the daily routine, well, there are all sorts of excuses.
The primary motivating force that drives you to make sacrifices must lie inside your own self. The urge should come from within. The roots must lie deep in the heart and soul. Neither group approval, nor conformity, nor organizational discipline, nor any other external pressure, should provide the compulsion to come forward with your sacrifice. Each one of them is important and has an important role to play in shaping our conduct. But if sacrifices are offered for any reason other than Allah's pleasure, it would be extremely difficult to offer large sacrifices, or offer them continually, under
all circumstances. The will and spirit to sacrifice must be internalized.
This is a crucial point. But how do you internalize the desire? I think the first step is being aware that we sometimes only go through the motions because we are expected to. And, on occasion, that is perfectly understandable. But it is essential to really honestly enjoy the simplest things in this world: a stupid weed can be a thing of beauty when you stop to look, the same old food you eat can be made very delicious if prepared differently, the lousy weather can be awe inspiring when you ponder it. Whatever it takes, but do something and give thanks and praise to Allah. I think giving thanks creates a snowball effect -- once you grab ahold of one good thing, something else will catch your attention, then another, and they start piling up. Once you become overwhelmed with the greatness of Allah, you will again be ready and willing to cheerfully do what is good and right.
These were just a couple of the more general notes that I jotted down when reading. I think anyone will be able to pull several good points from the piece. Again, the url is http://www.al-islamforall.org/Misc/SACRIFICE.pdf (which you can right click and download if you don't like Acrobat files opening in your browser.)
P.S.
I am fairly certain I found the link to this article here at Iman Way, but when searching tonight I couldn't find the thread, so I opted to start a new one.
SACRIFICE – The Making of a Muslim
by
KHURRAM MURAD
It can be found here:
http://www.al-islamforall.org/Misc/SACRIFICE.pdf
It looks at subjects such as time, wealth, attitudes, and aspirations. So, those who made "New Years Resolutions" which are already forgotten... :p
This writing gives a very readable overview of how to set priorities. Weighing in at approximately 21 pages of text, it can be read at a leisurely pace in a short period of time.
A few points that caught my attention:
Friendships are formed round common temperaments, interests, pursuits and goals. As Muslims you have only one goal and one pursuit: 'one who surrenders his whole being to God'.
I think it is essential to surround yourself with good people. A friend of mine who is very successful in the business world despite having many inherent obstacles lives by one motto: "Who you are is determined by the books you read and the people you associate with." No matter how good your intentions, if your friends don't share your goals, you probably won't get too far.
Only with love for Allah will sacrifice turn into an inner urge, rather than remaining a motion of compliance with an external exhortation. Then you will derive the true delight and pleasure in fulfilling the demands of Iman. Remember: there are two types of Iman. One remains on our lips and that is the Iman which becomes a burden to us. There is another Iman which penetrates into the heart that is the Iman which becomes a pleasure, a delight, a joy. Once you have this Iman, if you are required to give time or money, or sacrifice your likes and dislikes, you do it gladly.
Personally, I'm an exercise fanatic. You will find me at the gym every day. If my car is broken down, and it's pouring rain, doesn't matter, I'll happily hop on my bike and petal 10 miles (that's 16 kilometers for most of the world) to get to the gym. I think most people have something similar in life that really excites them. But when it comes to something important like prayer, or changing a bad habit that has crept into the daily routine, well, there are all sorts of excuses.
The primary motivating force that drives you to make sacrifices must lie inside your own self. The urge should come from within. The roots must lie deep in the heart and soul. Neither group approval, nor conformity, nor organizational discipline, nor any other external pressure, should provide the compulsion to come forward with your sacrifice. Each one of them is important and has an important role to play in shaping our conduct. But if sacrifices are offered for any reason other than Allah's pleasure, it would be extremely difficult to offer large sacrifices, or offer them continually, under
all circumstances. The will and spirit to sacrifice must be internalized.
This is a crucial point. But how do you internalize the desire? I think the first step is being aware that we sometimes only go through the motions because we are expected to. And, on occasion, that is perfectly understandable. But it is essential to really honestly enjoy the simplest things in this world: a stupid weed can be a thing of beauty when you stop to look, the same old food you eat can be made very delicious if prepared differently, the lousy weather can be awe inspiring when you ponder it. Whatever it takes, but do something and give thanks and praise to Allah. I think giving thanks creates a snowball effect -- once you grab ahold of one good thing, something else will catch your attention, then another, and they start piling up. Once you become overwhelmed with the greatness of Allah, you will again be ready and willing to cheerfully do what is good and right.
These were just a couple of the more general notes that I jotted down when reading. I think anyone will be able to pull several good points from the piece. Again, the url is http://www.al-islamforall.org/Misc/SACRIFICE.pdf (which you can right click and download if you don't like Acrobat files opening in your browser.)
P.S.
I am fairly certain I found the link to this article here at Iman Way, but when searching tonight I couldn't find the thread, so I opted to start a new one.