Spiritual Makeover

While working on an important task, suddenly my laptop died which happens frequently to most of us, doesn’t it?   However, lately, while pondering over life in general, a few thoughts occurred to me during this event that now, I feel the need to delete the word “important” from “task.”  What task is not important is the question we should be asking ourselves?

Life has taken its toll on all of us.  Whether you are a student/professional juggling with school/work load or a soccer mom doing your kids back to school shopping, we are all constantly busy and occupied with our quotidian lifestyle.  Amid all this, it never occurs to us to be connecting to our reality.  That is, where do I come from, what am I doing here and where do I go…these existential human questions just get put somewhere on the back burner.  These questions are engrained in our human nature, they are there for all of us, but we have other priorities pertaining to what is at hand in my world right now.  And we are all on the same boat in this regard, that is how the system is.

Usually, when something disrupts our routine, then we get alarmed.  Just like in the case of the laptop, we are so much occupied with the task at hand, that when the screen went black, I immediately thought of “death”.  Yes, death is a reality that no one can escape i.e. the only news about the future we have and so in a way it is Mercy.  It wakes up one’s consciousness and makes us realize our real position in this universe.  All of us are here for a certain allotted time frame and so the question of where do I go and what am I to do here surfaces.  It makes us realize that we are guests here, Someone cared to send us here and is our Host.

What is the duty of a guest?

When you are a guest at someone’s house, you acknowledge the host’s favor unto you and you thank the host for providing you with their hospitality.  You are in the know of the things as not your own property, rather as belonging to the host and you acknowledge the host’s generosity.  The more you acknowledge what has been provided to you, the more appreciation and trust in the host you develop.  Similarly, as a guest of the Owner of our existence, we should be checking in on how well are we performing our duties?  In other words, how much am I making myself aware of my Owner’s Proprietorship over me?  Am I acknowledging that I am being sustained at every moment?  Our lives are no different than the laptop that died.  However, as human beings, we are given the consciousness to be in acknowledgment of the reality that we do not own our Existence and it is a valuable gift given to us.  So why are we wasting ourselves?  In other words, why are we not being ourselves?  Our duty is so simple, just live as a guest and be in acknowledgment of the Host which leads to love for the Host.  When you love the Host, you trust them with all your hopes and expectations about your existence.  “For us, God suffices, He is the best disposer of affairs” Quran (3:173)

• Is our life full of trust in the Host? Are we living with the awareness of the Host?  Just like a baby, who trusts his/her parents for taking care and fulfilling all his/her needs.

Unfortunately, we have polluted ourselves and we may not realize it.  The need to cleanse our spirit is innate to all of us.  Most school of thoughts and ideologies encourage “spiritual cleansing” and so this need to change and go on an inner cleansing journey, a pilgrimage (Hajj in Arabic) is very human.  However, it is not an easy task to commit to as one must prepare themselves well in advance.

Are you ready for a change?

The whole idea is to recognize who I am existentially, my position in this universe and what my purpose here is.  Do I feel a void in my life as if I am not living the way I ought to?  Then, in that process, identify what false values have I acquired in my journey in this universe thus far which does not sit in well with my true human nature.  Also, how am I utilizing my human qualities, is it in line with how my Maker willed me to as instructed by His envoys, the Messengers?  Only then, can I make up my mind to undergo a surgery of transformation as to get back to my pristine state, just like a new born baby and not go back to the old state.  Is it easy to stay in that pristine state?  Y’all can answer that for yourself!

Well, at least we can lay some ground work for ourselves as to prepare for a real physical Hajj (pilgrimage) somewhere down the road.  Here are some rough guidelines:

1. Strip yourself from all your acquired identities (what has become your idol) and be a drop in the ocean which cannot be distinguished from the rest of the ocean. That is to say, you are no different than any other created being as far as your creation is concerned.
2. Accept your mistakes and justifications about the mistakes (false whisperings) and seek refuge in the Source of your Existence.
3. Live in the presence of the Source of your Existence by attributing everything to It and acting in Its name.
4. Make a firm decision with #1, #2, #3 and decide not to go back to the old you!

These are just a few “important tasks” that we can all try to work on as our spirit prepares itself to undergo a process of transformation i.e. a spiritual makeover.  If you are interested in knowing the concept of Hajj, then click here https://ifw.ha-mim.org/tag/hajj-series/ and check out Hajj series (3 parts only).  Finally, here is a verse to leave you with to ponder over:

“Look, then to the signs of God’s Mercy – how He restores life to the earth after its death – verily He it is Who quickens the dead, for He is powerful over all things.”  Quran (30:50)