Answer
Short Answer: All Muslims are encouraged to work on self-development, the struggle against the self. It involves dissolving negative emotions such as greed, jealousy, envy, deceit, and hypocrisy. When we do that, we are more able to have control of our ego and our will, and we find inner peace.
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Salam (Peace) Janet,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
Islam is a way of life that focuses on social order.
For that social order to be maintained in a balanced way and for the individual to have a valid role in society, he or she must, in turn, work on self-development.
In Islam this is acknowledged as being a major type of jihad (struggle). It involves dissolving negative emotions such as greed, jealousy, envy, deceit, and hypocrisy.
When we dissolve these negative emotions, we are more able to have control of our ego and our will. We are then more able to recognize our own rights and the rights of others and be more just in our daily transactions.
One can say: well lots of people do this.
This is especially – as today – there are a lot of self-realization and self-development courses and workshops.
Still, once those workshops and courses end, one is entirely on ones own.
If one is fortunate, one is able to refer to a teacher or a guide when in need. But, how many of us are that fortunate?!
The Inner Jihad
In our self jihad, also called the inner jihad (striving against ones negative desires and impulses), our one and only guide is Allah (God in Arabic).
In fact, Islam does not recognize human existence without the Creator, Allah. He is to us the Creator of all that is life, both visible and invisible.
One might understand this if one was to refer to the law of nature, which for Muslims is the expression of Allah, it is only for us to recognize those signs or forms of expression and to meditate.
Thus, realizing the purpose of that life form and then from that we can deduce what we can learn from it. This also includes humans as creations of Allah, altogether, which we refer to as the oneness or tawheed of all that is from our Creator.
Now you might say we are down here and Allah is up there, but that is not but of our understanding.
The Quran tells us in chapter 50 verse 16:
{And certainly We created man, and We know what his mind suggests to him, and We are nearer to him than his life-vein.}
Also in chapter 2 verse 186:
{And when my servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me, that they may walk in the right way}
So, if you know that your Creator is wherever you are and you remember that, this makes the Muslim more mindful of his/her thoughts and actions.
Energy and Faith
In terms of modern day spiritual practices, this can be translated into the human energy field…
Healing therapies like acupuncture, homeopathy, gem therapy, and hands on healing– for example– are based on the knowledge of the human energy.
You become aware of it, for instance, when for some unknown reason a stranger walks into the room and you instantly have a bad feeling, or when someone not within your field of vision is staring at you.
This is the human energy field at work – communicating. All of nature is communicating.
Another example is that when we take a walk in a natural environment full of vegetation, we feel calmer. This is nature sharing with you its energy field and as previously said, all life forms are from the Creator.
With all this energy radiating outwards who is to say how far it extends, our thoughts, ideas, and actions.
Like radio waves we are all communicating with each other including the visible with the invisible, like for example, the wind.
So through these means, Allah Almighty is able to be present wherever we are.
When we Muslims pray five times daily, we are putting ourselves in touch with our Creator, reminding ourselves of what is important life. When we are in need, we turn to Him–only-for He is ready and waiting to help us, in our hour of need.
On the other hand, sometimes we supplicate to Allah for something and we see that our question is not answered, so we might begin to question. But, later we realize that what we asked for was not in our best interest and that Allah has the best knowledge on the matter, as He is All-Knowing. Remember the proverb: ‘Be careful what you wish for, because you might regret it’.
So, Islam tries to instill in us patience, self-respect, mutual respect, and self-sufficiency, as well as interdependence. This is what the holy month of Ramadan–for example-reminds us of, every year. All in all, we know that all that we need emotionally, psychologically, and materially comes from the Creator, Who guides us and wants only the best for us.
This is unlike Man, who wavers between self-interest and common good. When we know this in our hearts, we understand that there is balance in everything that we may face. Allah gives us no more than we can bear, even if we think we cannot. It’s all to do with presence of mind.
We hope this answer would be sufficient and if you have any other inquiry, please don’t hesitate to send us again. Keep in touch and have a nice day.
Salam.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
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