What's holding us back?

Written by Fariha Khalid

Five thousand years of philosophy and it is still abstruse as to what essentially is the ultimate purpose of the human life. However, we have been quite successful in building up our own aspirations. The grades, the career or the ‘way of life’ we want to attain primarily designs our lives and even our day to day activities. Paradoxically, where we are headed to defines what’s holding us back.

Our religion has profoundly enlightened us on the differences between the worldly and the eternal lives. It is not the fallacy in our understanding, but our penchant for the tangible which makes us work more and more for this world and condone ( most of the times unintentionally) the next. Hence Allah S.W.T says: “Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” 57:20

What we really need to work on is the reversal of our mindsets. Once we start reviving the already established belief that this life, no matter how real and proximate it seems to be, will someday perish  and that the only certain fact about it is its end; then we shall soon enough or rather instantly realize its triviality as compare to the coming life and the futility of our purely worldly engagements.

We keep on distressing over our marks, paychecks and promotions. And in this endeavor often forgo the rights of our parents, the destitution of the needy and our obligations towards society. We stay up for hours at night to study but rarely do we do so to repent for our misdeeds. It is hard for us to accept academic failures but we easily forget to remorse on our missed prayers. Last but not the least (since the list can incessantly go on) we are never late for an exam but for some reason we have excuses of not getting time to read the Holy Book and we keep delaying our prayers.

We as human beings are bestowed with a free will. Everything else has been created to supplement our existence and survival in this world. However, these very same creations may distract us and hinder our struggle to work for the hereafter; this is precisely where our true trial lies. Nothing can hold us back but our tendency to be held back. Where even the worst forms of persecution could not make the early Muslims in Arabia to falter a bit from their firm commitment, we live on a free land, in shelters of our homes and with all the luxuries life can offer and still have difficulties in accepting and following the way Islam has laid down for us.

We have all the time and the energy to fight over minor discrepancies that exist in our traditions, but not enough spirit to stand for the foremost principle of indiscrimination. As soon as we realize that Islam is not only a religion but also the source of our liberation, ease and progress we will be able to fathom its true meaning and the true picture of this life: a trans-state which is a medium to make preparations to meet The Lord.