{"id":2917,"date":"2022-10-28T20:03:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.salahadeenmosque.org.uk\/?p=2917"},"modified":"2022-10-28T20:03:06","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:03:06","slug":"following-your-whims-desires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salahadeenmosque.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/10\/28\/following-your-whims-desires\/","title":{"rendered":"Following your Whims\/Desires"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Often the religion of Islam in the West is associated with limited\nfreedom or infringement of rights. The argument is that the laws set in Islam\nprevent us from living a life that we desire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alternative presented to us is the lifestyle where anyone can\nchoose to do whatever they like as this is the freedom that one deserves to\nhave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem with this approach is quite simple. We are designed\nand created by the one who has set the laws. This means that not only do we\nperform an act of worship to the one who has created us, but by following the\nlaws set by Allah SWT, we are actually functioning as a creation of His in the\ncorrect manner in which He designed us to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By going against this function, we are not only sinning but we are\nmalfunctioning as humans and this becomes apparent when we analyse the problems\nthat the hedonistic lifestyle they promote causes in people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear brothers and sisters, following our whims or our desires is\nnot a sin in Islam. We are all allowed to dream, to have goals and to pursue those\ngoals and dreams. However, the only rule to that is that it does not contradict\nthe laws stated by Allah SWT through His Messenger SAWS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, no Prophet or Messenger has ever been permitted to follow\ntheir desires or whims when it goes against the laws set by Allah SWT. This is\na key lesson that has been taught to us through various accounts relayed in the\nQuran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The imam reminded us of the following references to illustrate\nthis point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first was from Sura An-Najm, ayat 3 spoke of whims and\nthis, when understood in context from the beginning of the sura, is Allah SWT\nexplaining that even the Prophet Muhammad SAWS is following the directions and\nguidelines stated by Allah SWT and not his own desires or whims. It\u2019s\ntranslated to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the stars when they fade away! Your fellow man is neither misguided nor astray. Nor does he speak of his own whims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the imam\nreferenced ayat 26 of Sura Saad in which Allah SWT speaks of another Prophet in\nreference to personal whims over Allah SWT\u2019s commandments and instructions. It\nis translated to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02f9We instructed him:\u02fa \u201cO David! We have surely made you an authority in\nthe land, so judge between people with truth. And do not follow \u02f9your\u02fa desires\nor they will lead you astray from Allah\u2019s Way. Surely those who go astray from\nAllah\u2019s Way will suffer a severe punishment for neglecting the Day of\nReckoning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And thirdly, the\nimam reminded us in Sura Nisa, ayat 135 that Allah SWT directly instructs us\nnot to follow our whims or desires if they contravene the laws of Allah SWT. It\nis translated to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O believers! Stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah even if it is\nagainst yourselves, your parents, or close relatives. Be they rich or poor,\nAllah is best to ensure their interests. So do not let your desires cause you\nto deviate \u02f9from justice\u02fa. If you distort the testimony or refuse to give it,\nthen \u02f9know that\u02fa Allah is certainly All-Aware of what you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, the\nimam spoke of the following hadith which is translated to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Messenger of Allah (peace and\nblessings of Allah be upon him) said, \u201cNone of you [truly] believes until his\ndesires are subservient to that which I have brought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear brothers and\nsisters, the point of the reminder today is that there is nothing in our\nreligion that stops us from being ambitious, having dreams, pursuing goals in\nthis life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we must\nalways remember that the sole purpose of our time here is to worship Allah SWT\nand to return to Him with our account in the best possible condition. If our\ngoals and our desires threaten that then we must re-evaluate why it is that we\nare pursuing desires which take us further away from the pleasure of Allah SWT\nand the purpose of our existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reminder\nconcludes with three practical applications of today\u2019s reminder that we can\ntake away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Firstly,\nwe should not blindly pursue any whim that comes into our mind without careful\nthought on whether it is right as a believer to pursue it. This means that we\ndon\u2019t work on knee-jerk reaction to every whim, we ponder, we think, we seek\ncounsel if need be and then we pursue it if it is worth us pursuing.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n