Inner peace comes from God. It does not come from material things.
Do you find life always filled with stress?
Does it seem like there is always something that happens which encompasses your entire attention, and thus drain your positive energy?
If you have, then join the club. As society grows more and more complex, finding true peace becomes more like trying to find an oasis in the desert.
Many people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, live their life for many years failing to understand that inner peace is a choice. Sometimes we ourselves are not sure what we think.
Sometimes I used to wonder how anyone could feel a lasting peace inside (especially those happy early rising morning people who would not only hand out smiles but whistle too through the process never failed to keep me in awe). It’s important though that we understand that even our own feelings of peace are transitory.
I remember there were times in fact I actually believed inner peace could only be achieved by those who had lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).During the last couple of years, because of events both on a general and personal level, I had struggled to find this inner peace at times (ok, many times). There were many ups and downs in my life, too many claims on my time and too many difficult situations to be dealt with.
In short I thought inner peace was for the companions or anyone living a reclusive life who didn’t have to deal with everyday struggles, and I admit I envied them and wished for a back to the future gadget which would transfer me to those days.
Stuck in a world of confusion, wondering how peace could be mine when there was always something, some drama going on in my own life or the lives of those I loved, I knew something had to be done.
After much reading, I learnt, or rather re-learnt, that inner peace is the source of all peace. When a person is at harmony with himself, he is able to live in harmony with others. I re-learnt that inner peace was an inside job, regardless of era, regardless of destination.
The Quran says: {When you enter houses, greet yourselves with peace,}
And again:
{Peace be upon us and upon Allah’s pious servants.} (24:61)
Research in fact has shown that people who are deeply devoted to their faith have a higher life expectancy and are less likely to have diseases such as cancer. This is because they experience more inner peace, which is important if you want to increase the quality of your life.
All well and good, but what does this inner peace or ‘sakinah‘ in Arabic really mean?
We must learn to accept there is only so much we can affect. What we cannot change, what we cannot influence no matter what, should not be a concern to us.
This is what I notice with so many people, myself included, in that we focus and linger on things which we have no control over. Why worry about something that all the worrying in the world will not change?
Why care about what other people think of us when we’re not even sure what it is they are actually thinking?
How to Gain Inner Peace?
| nothing exists except by the will and decree of God is in itself a cure to our worries |
As Muslims, we are blessed with the knowledge in the beautifulhadith which reflects all of the above. We are taught in the book of decrees that “The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried” meaning nothing else will be written after that is finished.
Acknowledging that nothing exists except by the will and decree of God is in itself acure to our worries, as it offers us a ticket you may say to be assured that destiny is not in our hands. This by no means is a cue to sit back and do nothing (I know I for one have tried to do it), it means we must reflect on the state of ourselves and on areas we need to improve. Remember God says:
{Indeed Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.}(13:11)
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To attain this peace and inner strength we need to draw on God and strengthen our relation with Him through what is called purification ortazkiyah. Now here is where the work has to be done. Tazkiyahdoesn’t just mean our daily shower, it goes much deeper.
Islam lays significant stress on cleanliness and purity of thought, word and deed, expressed as mental thoughts and intentions, physical, moral and spiritual sustenance needed for God-consciousness, piety, righteousness and tranquility. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) teaches us that:
“Cleanliness is half of faith.” (Muslim, 223)
After purifying ourselves we find that like a well-led orchestra, everything falls into place, and we realize we want to please God, and want to remain clean and pure. We want to do what pleases Him because after all we have an ultimate goal. Paradise.
One of the beautiful hadiths which comes to mind whenever I think about making a change in myself and reaching the inner peace aided by sakinah and tazkiyah reads:
“Whenever My servant comes walking to Me, I go running towards him.” (Al-Bukhari, 7536)
The Prophet also cites:
“Say: ‘I believe in Allah.’ Then be upright.” (Muslim, 85)
This means that we must have strong faith and trust in God and remember Him as much as we can since it truly brings comfort, and we must follow the right path of Islam.
In doing this we take the first step to helping ourselves get better, God will do the rest. It’s a win/win recipe we can’t go wrong.
In a nutshell, we need to set goals on all levels, both for this world and the hereafter. Small simple goals, but we need to continue to improve; we need to continue to grow.
Steps to Inner Peace
| Deeds of charity bring real inner peace and brownie points too. |
There’s no going back, we must maintain what we have reached in order to have ourinner peace. This will in turn strengthen and deepen our faith, so that it can be a pillar to support us through all of life’s trials and tribulations.
During our process of reflection and cleansing, it is important to remember that inner peace comes from God. It does not come from material things. It does not come from drugs or painkillers. It does not come from corrupt lifestyles. Unless our relation with God is good, we can never have real inner peace. In order to have inner peace, we must be ready and equipped.
Patience
Here are a few tools and a reminder to myself first and foremost to be patient in all circumstances.
Difficult yes but it can be done. It has to be done.
We must do our best to be with good people and be good to others, and here’s the hard part, even to those who hurt us.
Charity
Deeds of charity bring real inner peace and brownie points too. No one has ever lost or become poorer by giving. Try it.
I have taught my children to give to those less fortunate, and remember nothing is too little.
“Give”, I would tell them, “even if it’s a smile.” My youngest always being my challenge would smile to all rather than hand out some of his pocket money. When I told him try giving out money too, wait and see what God will reward you with, I made a deliberate effort to discretely give him a few extra dollars that night to show him that nothing was lost by giving and being the kid he was, he told his brother it works.
It was here I suggested he return to his toothless smiles since I found I was paying out more pocket money than I’d like to, but in all seriousness, all is not lost. The boys, older now, have a back pocket in their jeans which is what during the years we called God’s pocket. They have learnt to give and for this I am grateful.
Forgiveness
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Lastly, and the most hard for myself, is forgiving.
I have read countless times that forgiveness is the best healer and it first heals the person who forgives.
Sadly, I admit I can’t grasp the idea, but I promise I’ll try.
So as I finish this piece, I will make an effort to forgive those who hurt me especially as my husband reminds me that one day I will stand before God and will also want His forgiveness.
After attaining this inner peace through strengthening your relationship with God, embrace your beliefs, live in the present and continue to learn.
May peace always prevail in our lives.
Ameen.
-onislam.net
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