Journey of Tarbiyyah: Life Lesson #3

Branches of life.

Life is not easy. It has never been. Through the path of life you will always slip and fall.This is an established reality of life.

(4)لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

We are created in difficulties. Hardship, challenges and tests are innate nature of our life. In fact, if we deeply think about it, we just can't live without them. We'll never grow without facing difficulties. We just won't. E.g We grow up because we eat and we eat because we feel hungry.

"Hardship, challenges and tests are innate nature of our life "

So, life will always be problematic. There are instances where we are demanded to do something. Yet when we did, we are demanded to be sincere. You feel guilt enough for not doing it but likewise when you already did it. When we were given ni'mat we need to be grateful at the same time when put into test we need to be sabr and persevere. It's a conflict. Or is it?

Thus, life is our long live struggle. As long as we breathing the air, struggling is the state we are to be in.

One of the biggest struggle is the struggle within ourselves, jihad an-nafs, the struggle of the soul.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ(40)

We are monsters full of desires (الْهَوَىٰ). We desired almost everything, girls, statuses, leisures etc. The society that that we were born into which was constructed on desires as its main driver of survival, make the conflict even worst. Now the struggle is doubled, tripled or maybe more. So, Allah says نَهَى.

نَهَى (in my limited knowledge) is one of Arabic word of negation. But it is not as simple as denying like saying "I do not..", instead it is an active action of saying no, "Do not..". So, Allah make it clears that the struggle is real. Of course it is. Everybody can testify on it. And it is endless. And the divider is death. I think that's why death is said to be a form of rest upon the believers.

And.

I know.

It is.

Hard.

Really, really hard.

There are so many ups and downs that we sometimes feel tired. I know. I feel you. I sometimes fell helpless and tired too. It is just...argh.

......إِنَّ لِكُلِّ عَمَلٍ شِرَّةً وَلِكُلِّ شِرَّةٍ فَتْرَةٌ

So, once the Prophet (pbuh) shared the above phrase with his companions. He said there is always a state of vigours and in every vigours, there will always be فَتْرَةٌ.

The stopping points.

This is what scholar regarded as the state of futur. Literally, to stop after being actively moving. One important thing that we have to know about futur is that it is in one aspect same as the Iman. It is something that can't be taught but can be acquired /felt. We can only learn/feel by having it. Thus, futur is a feeling that we acquired through our previous experience with Iman. So, we cant' have futur without having Iman in the first place.

Thus, being futur signifies one big thing!

That once we were STRONG.

Once our hearts are vigours, fulled with Iman!

Indeed our downfalls should always be our motivations to get back up. Our struggle is essentially meant to be the source of our strength. And that is my point.

"We cant' have futur without having Iman in the first place"

Do not give up ya akh.

It is what it is. It's hard but many people before us had pull through. We can surely finish ours, with success.

Oh, and one more thing. We all know that the biggest reward that we can achieve is to enter paradise and meet Allah SWT, seeing Him in person.

Allah, in the above mentioned ayah does not just end it there. He added:

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ()فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى()

Allah know that we are tired. That's why after we had struggle our best he prepared for us الْمَأْوَى . The resting place. Jannah.

The struggle is our ticket. The ticket for us to check-in into the rest house from Allah SWT.

..................................................

Ya akh, do not despair.

The meeting is certain.

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيه