بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In spite of our best efforts there are times we feel lost. We may be amidst our loving family, in a cozy home with yummy food to relish; we could be young, healthy and rich with plenty of free time to do as we wish; yet we feel sad as though we need something. Why is that so? This is not greed or ungratefulness. This is a call of a hungry soul. We care to improve our physic and increase our bank balance. Our soul needs to be enriched too. What could we do?
What would we do if we are unhappy with our small/untidy dwelling? To keep our home adorable we would- arrange (clear up) and dust it(Clean up). Oh! don’t forget to keep the window open. It connects us to fresh air and light. That’s healthy! Now that, the home is sparkling can we forget all about it. Are you kidding? It needs to be nurtured and cleaned over and over again. Ah! It’s a chain reaction. L Strangely, the pleasure of seeing a clean home is so rewarding that we start enjoying the maintenance as well! Next we focus on enhancing our home’s look with wall hangings and flowerpots.
Coming back to our hungry soul, what could we do? Let’s start with, what is it hungry for? Unlike our home, it is not for show. Or is it? Who knows all about it? He is our Creator- Allah. So, its hunger can only be satisfied by pleasing the Almighty. We have dumped a lot of junk into it our life. A soul that dwells within us needs more attention than our home. With this revelation, let us focus on operation: Satisfying a hungry soul with following steps:
(Note : Obligatory acts of worships are absolute must. Apart from that, here are few simple tips to feel the depth of peace and happiness.)
1. CLEAR UP:
Throw the junk away. Switch off the TV. Stop listening to the music. Say no to PlayStation, Wii or any other online game. To face our soul limit/prevent exposure to facebook, twitter, WhatsApp and net. Disconnect from anything that would distract and drain the time away.
2. CLEAN UP
Now it’s time to repent. Repent for what? It’s so unfortunate that we are so engrossed in this life that we even fail to see our sins! At least can we accept as humans we are bound to be less than perfect? When our furniture needs to be dusted time to time doesn’t our imperfect soul need to shed its sins too?
Do ablution. Wear something comfortable and modest. Insha Allah, now we have room to nourish our soul.
3. CONNECT:
- Connect with The Creator.
Listen to what He has to say. How could we? It’s time for a healthy dose of Quran. Listen to it. Read Quran(preferable the portion heard) with meaning. Settle for detailed explanation. This would give plenty to ponder upon.
Walking is a simple way to feel refreshed. Where will you walk to? How about visiting a closest masjid and spending some time there? Every step towards masjid could lighten the soul.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah ( رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever purifies himself in his house then walks to one of the houses of Allaah in order to perform one of the duties enjoined by Allaah, for every two steps he takes, one will erase a sin and the other will raise him one degree in status.” [Muslim]
- Connect with creation.
Give charity away from the eyes of others, without expecting anything in return. Look for someone lost in work (a poor laborer or cleaner). A genuine invaluable smile on their face due to these few dollars/ pounds/ Rupees could revive deep appreciation in our heart for what we have. Indeed Allah is very merciful to us.
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire.” [saheeh]
Help those around home. Help spouse and kids with their chores/work. Smile and say salaam to subordinates.
Scatter few grains by window/garden. Provide for a hungry cat. Every deed counts.
The Prophet Muhammad [ ﷺ ] said: “There is reward for kindness to every living thing.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
All this would give a new reason to wake up.
- Connect with nature.
Sleep early! Wake up early. End and Start your day by praising Him. Early hours are to be spent on things we are passionate about. Learn new stuff. How about spending that time in memorizing a new surah? The joy one could get by reciting newly memorized surah in prayer is matchless.
Eat fresh and seasonal food. Don’t overload. Sometimes we are too obsessed with food. Try fasting.
This could help us improve our tolerance level too.
4. CHAIN REACTION
Insha Allah, this will make us happy, contended and peaceful. We can see reflection of such acts in those around. Do not take a U-turn and let the soul starve. It’s time to take heed and continue providing our soul with more good for here after. Incorporate morning and evening supplications. Take up an islamic course. Improve and quench the thirst of your soul and the souls around you.
These are mere suggestions like a drop in a ocean. Our soul has a great appetite to learn. Let’s nourish it with clean and beneficial knowledge. May Allah help us improve and shine throughout our life. Aameen.
MashaaAlllah….very nice, informative and practical tips! Keep sharing. Barakallahu feek.
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Wa iyyaka.
Jazak Allahul khair for all your encouragement.
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Best thing i read today.
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That’s a big complement. Jazak Allahul khair.
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Aameen 🙂
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It’s very important that we have a complete balance in our lives working on our heart, soul, mind and body.
1. Heart -“Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be sound, all the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all of it is diseased. Truly it is the heart. al-Bukhaaree”.
2.Soul – “He has succeeded who purifies the soul, and he has failed who corrupts the soul.” #Quran 91:9
3.Mind – اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ “Read in the name of your Lord Who created.” Quran 96:1
4. Body – Eating healthy, training Martial Arts, strengthening body working out, etc. -“strong believer is better than a weak believer” Prophet Muhammad Saheeh Muslim
So let’s try to keep a good balance in our lives focusing on all of these elements insha Allah
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Jazak Allahul khair for adding your comments.
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Superb points, JAZAKALLAh
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JazakAllah Khair for this reminder… we always need to clear up the clutter to make ourselves free for Him…
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Masha Allah…so touching and a good reminder.
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Ameen! Indeed, our sould is always looking for a natural high. Masha’Allah, thank you creatively bringing a way to feed our souls with this angle. Houb salam! 🙂
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Masha Allah … very concise and timely reminder.
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True…digital detoxification is really important from time to time to connect with your soul. This is the main reason I made a facebook account once and then deleted it and never looked back. I Just manage my website page from there now with no friends in the list even when social networking is really important when running a blog or so. I choose a minimalistic approach.
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I started socializing on net after starting a blog. I still have to learn to balance. When i find this addictive, just cut my WiFi connection for a while.
I also learnt a lot from this. May Allah direct us towards that which is best for us. Ameen.
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This is exactly what I needed to read now as I’ve been feeling down due to a “hungry soul” – I love the way you’ve explained the steps.
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excellent and very timely reminder.. May Allah SWT reward you for taking the time to compile this informative list and article
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Ameen
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Love this post masha’Allah. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Great Post and wonderful reminders!
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Great reminders…
Indeed ”a hungry soul can only be satisfied by pleasing the Almighty”.
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a beautiful reminder, thanks for such a post!
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Mashaa allah, love how practical it is. Jazakillah khair
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Mashallah!! Thanks for the beautifully informative and beneficial article. May Allah reward you.
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The first 2 steps are extremely important. Once we remove the distractions, its easier to focus. Thanks for writing this.
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Masha’Allah love reading your articles. JazakAllah Khair for sharing
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