Beware of your inward state!

My respected Brothers and Sisters,

As Ramadan approaches, we all must take stock of ourselves. It’s a good time to make sure that our body, mind, heart and soul are in good health. Ramadan is a much needed time for training our body, mind, heart and soul. Please allow me to remind myself first, then all of you:

Be aware of your inward state. Whatever we do here and now has consequences elsewhere, and perhaps, forever! We perceive the world around us through our five senses, but our senses are limited. Even through a whole lifetime we only experience a very small segment of reality. Even then, that reality, or rather, our perception of reality is coloured by our own prejudices, our limited knowledge and experience. But beyond the threshold of our senses is the realm of the ghaib or the Unseen. This realm is far more complex than we can possibly imagine.

For example, Prophet Muhammad said that whenever people are studying, seeking knowledge for Allah’s sake, then Allah’s angels are there, surrounding them with their wings. You and I cannot see the angels but they are certainly there, protecting us right now. In the same way, we cannot see the devils, the jinn, the subtle beings that try to mislead us from the Straight Path, the Sirat al mustaqeem. But they are there, nonetheless, waiting in ambush to entrap us!

We sometimes act under the influence of these dark forces, without even being aware of it. That’s why an entire Sura, Al-Naas, is devoted to our seeking Allah’s protection from Shaytaan,the Evil Whisperer who whispers evil inclinations into our hearts. That’s why, many times each day, we take refuge in Allah from Shaytaan, the Cursed One:

“A-oothu bil-Laahi minash shaytaanir rajeem!” We are taught to say this even before we say, “Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem!” In the Name of Allah, The All Merciful, the All Compassionate.”

Ayatul kursi, The Verse of the Throne, reminds us that no human being will gain any knowledge except what Allah has allowed. Allah has gifted some of His beloved servants with knowledge of the Unseen. For example, Sura Al Kahf we read about Sayyidna Khidr who had a deep innersight, the gift of Divine Wisdom. Allah gave him special knowledge of the Unseen, the realm of the ghaib. Moses, Prophet Musa alayhis salaam, had much to learn from him.

How can we protect ourselves from all these hidden dangers and dark forces that lay in wait for the unwary? How can we ensure a safe journey through this life so that we reach the goal of Allah’s Ridwaan, Allah’s good pleasure, in the next life? The answer is quite simple.

You and I have to do our do our regular good housekeeping. We must vacuum, scrub and polish our spiritual heart, the qalb. We must constantly remove the rust and debris that’s built up over the years: all the anger, the hate, jealousy, greed and vanity that pollute the innermost recesses of our spiritual hearts. We must ensure that the fu’ad, the kernel, the inner core of the spiritual heart, is pure and pristine as it was the day we were born. This job is never done. It’s a lifelong struggle. When we start to wage this jihad al nafs, the war against the Lower Self, then Allah will illuminate our hearts with wisdom, with love, with generosity with inner peace and contentment. This is how we can cultivate the ‘pure, sound heart,’ the qalb saleem that will open the door to Allah’s Garden, Al Jannah Firdaws. That’s were we all want to be, forever…

As the Holy Quran reminds us in Sura 26:89 (Al-Shu’ara, The Poets)

“Il-Laa man atal-Laaha bi qablin saleem.”

“None shall enter the Garden except those with a sound heart.”

My dear Sisters and Brothers, I pray that Allah will help you and me, and all our loved ones, to reach the end of our lives with a pure, sound heart. I pray that we will constantly be ready to leave this world and ready to enter the next world with full confidence and trust in Allah. Only when we are ready for our departure, then we qualify for a safe arrival!

No matter how stressful life may be, no matter how messy and confusing the world out there might be, we know that everything is in Allah’s good hands: “Biyadikal khayr.” “In His Hand is all good.” We know that Allah allows people to think they are in control. But that’s a delusion. Allah allows us all a little bit of control over our lives, and over the affairs of other people that Allah has entrusted to our care. But ultimately, Allah alone is always in full control of every part of His entire creation­, from the tiniest subatomic particle to the greatest cluster of galaxies and supernovae. “Wa huwa alaa kulli shay in qadeer!” says the Quran in so many places… “And Allah has power over all things.”

Sometimes people forget that. But true believers never forget The One Who has ultimate power and control. We can take real comfort from that faith, that re-assurance that the ups and downs of life are only tests of patience and gratitude from our generous Life-Giver.