Mystical Mindset and Problem-Solving – Part 1

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 1 March 2024 Is Sin And Disobedience The Primary Cause Of All Problems And Tragedies? Main Points: 1. Everyone experiences various worries, including those about life, poverty, position, honour, dignity, job and circumstances. 2. People strive for contentment, peace of mind, and resolution by self-diagnosing problems. 3. Mystical mindset sees peace and comfort in obedience to God. 4. The Qur'an and Prophet's sayings explain the consequences of deeds in various ways. ------ Everybody worries about something. Some people worry about living a short life; others worry about poverty; still, others worry about position; still, others worry about honour and dignity; the rich worry in their palaces while the poor worry in their huts; still others worry about their jobs and circumstances; still others complain about friends and family; almost everyone worries, gets restless, and feels anxious at some point in their lives. Everyone makes an effort to find contentment, peace of mind, and resolution by self-diagnosing their problems in accordance with their own brains and thinking. People seeking comfort in office, power, or position often face worries about responsibilities and the position's downfall, while those with wealth often fear business loss, development concerns, and sleepless nights due to fear of danger and fortune loss. Some seek relaxation through dance, music, and alcohol, but anxiety and worry persist. Drugs are used for temporary amusement, but permanent loss occurs. Even trying new fashions doesn't bring them peace. The mystical minded group believes that the only way to avoid problems and troubles is to consider oneself a sinner and ask Allah for forgiveness. They believe that peace and comfort are with the Almighty, who owns them. When a servant gives up disobedience and sins, the Almighty God is pleased and bestows peace and comfort on His obedient servant. Actions, whether good or evil, always have an outcome. An individual's actions directly influence the world's circumstances and are linked to the pleasure or displeasure of Allah Almighty. Physical factors during events or accidents are the apparent causes of good or bad events. Ordinary people take preventative action by linking them to external, physical causes after an accident or catastrophe. As Muslims, we are obligated to hold the view that all of this is carried out at the behest of Allah Almighty, who is beyond the reach of our senses and intellect. The prophets and divine revelation have provided us with an explanation of this invisible system of rewards and punishments, which holds that the real and true cause of any event and accident is Allah's pleasure and displeasure. Allah Almighty has connected and associated the circumstances (whether good or bad) with human actions. Therefore, conditions such as profit and loss, success and failure, happiness and misery, rain and drought, inflation and terrorism, diseases, earthquakes, storms, floods, etc., exist according to the nature of an individual's good and evil activities. These are all the outcomes of our actions. Stated differently, regardless of the external factors contributing to these situations, our actions, whether good or bad, are the true causes. Both individually and together, such horrific and enlightening experiences are essentially "alarms" and "warnings" from Allah Ta'ala, intended to make one take responsibility for their deeds and serve as a warning to their careless heart and reform themselves. Human experience, whether positive or negative, bears evidence to the reality that numerous individuals and nations have faced a variety of consequences worldwide as a result of their disobedience to Allah Ta'ala. As an illustration, consider the following: Someone was disfigured, someone sank to the bottom, someone drowned in the ocean, and someone was exposed to a storm. Even now, the remains of these vanished nations' towns serve as a constant reminder that disobedience is the root of suffering and difficulties. In the Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet, Allah Almighty has explained the consequences of deeds in many ways and dimensions that correspond to the nature of deeds. Tens of verses from the Holy Quran and dozens of hadiths from the Holy Prophet amply support this subject, as they have warned the Ummah about the terrible effects of wrongdoing and commanded them to repent. Allah Almighty says in the Quran: “Whosoever acts righteously - whether a man or a woman - and embraces belief, We will surely grant him a good life; and will surely grant such persons their reward according to the best of their deeds.” (16:97) This verse clearly says that the source of a peaceful life is goodness. Therefore, when faith and good acts are present, Allah Almighty promises to grant "Hayaat Tayyibah," which translates to a kind, good, and peaceful life. Upon reading this verse, a layperson can also conclude that if a person lacks faith or good deeds, or both, he would not obtain the "Hayaat Tayyibah," or the "peaceful life," but rather the "troubled life." Allah Almighty says, “And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind." (20:12) This implies that whoever disobeys Allah Almighty's commands and does not follow them will have an extremely tough time in this world, filled with constant worry about advancement, lack of abundance, and worldly avarice. This verse serves as another evidence that obeying the commands of God Almighty results in peace and disobeying those commands results in trouble. Allah Almighty says, “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].” (30:41) “And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have earned, but He pardons much.” (42:30) These two verses also make it clear that human wrongdoing is the root of all problems and corruption in the land. It also makes it clear that violence, riots, and other calamities would cease to exist in the absence of bad deeds. This leads to the conclusion that obedience is the cause of peace and disobedience is the cause of trouble. ---- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://newageislam.com/debating-islam/mystical-mindset-problem-solving-part-1/d/131824 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism