THE JAILED HEART OR THE SUBSERVIENT REASON? ...where is our faith?

Be! Awake!

I am a nobody,

You are a nobody,

But God said "Be!"

And we were thus done.

How many days have we lost,

Going to sleep as weary sinners,

But in the morning God said "Awake!",

And as believers we greeted the sun.

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

I spent some time with an old friend earlier this week. And he said "Don't allow your iman (faith) to enter your mind-ego." Do not be confused between the calculations of your ego, subtly disguised as moral or theological judgments to sway you from the true centre of your iman. The true core of your spirit and wherein sits the Throne of God."

"And where is that?" I asked.

"Your heart, of course. So think, but let your reason be subservient to your heart! For ultimately, there is where your iman resides."

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

...And how many times have I allowed my heart to be jailed by my mind and ego... My conscience silenced by calculative self interest and hubris? As many nights as I have slept, perhaps? 

Pray for me, sunshine, that I might wake up a believer.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

You THINK you have Faith (Iman). Now that is where all the problem begins...

You have Iman? Think again!

If you think you have iman,

There arises the fear

That someone can come

And overcome your iman.

Break into your soul

And steal away that

Precious faith of yours!

If you think you have none,

What can any devil, mugger or illuminati

Ever steal away from you?

Become nothing, my friend...

For there is nothing in nothing.

Nothing for anyone to steal away from you.

Not even you.

Glossary.

There are many meanings associated to the word 'iman'. Most commonly used is faith or belief. Like many Arabic words, especially those associated with religion, there are several technical and literal meanings, which is beyond the intelligence (or dedication) of this sinner to explore. I would have to study hard and end up writing an entire book on iman. But I just have 20 minutes. Sorry.

YOU THINK YOU HAVE. Of course, you should have faith. You should pursue and make it your ambition to have faith. But that is something very, very different from THINKING you have faith.

INTERFAITH. We are not dicing the meaning of words for no reason. The problem sometimes with people of any religion talking and opening up with people of other religion is because they think that they already have faith. That they have this wonderful and perfect answer in them already. And that to spend time with the unbelievers may cause them to somehow lose this iman-faith that they claim they already possess. So yet again, God gets blamed because of the narrow mindedness of people who assume that they know God best.

WE KNOW THAT GOD IS NOT TO BE BLAMED. So let's be nice to everyone, regardless of how and by which name they call upon our One God. Then maybe God will reward us for being kind and compassionate to ALL of God's creatures, yes?

wa min Allah at-taufiq.