Let’s talk about a sinner. The sinner in me, the sinner in you, the sinner in all of us! Why do we become selective over sins of our choices? In the market of free will, individuals also make choices of sins based on their preferences. The free will-power of acting at one’s own discretion, granted by Almighty Allah (SWT), allows individuals to make choices in their life.
If we perform good deeds according to divine instructions, what do we pay in return? We pay with worldly desire; a wish which could have been fulfilled, had we chosen the other way around.
Desires are imbedded in us by nature, but controllable by will. Though billions of humans have come and gone, and more will come, all have a test analogous to Hazrat Adam. He was told to stay away from a certain tree. The order was simple; you are not allowed to eat of it. You have abundance of eatables around in Jannah, chose whatever, with a mere limitation of one tree! He used his free will against the will of Allah (SWT). This is exactly what the human being has confronted since banishment to earth! Live, but under limits imposed by Allah (SWT).
Ideal human behavior is apparently lost to glitter of this world, at the cost of prohibited conduct.
The human of today is greedy to the core – it looks apparently impossible to convince him on less than a trade. Gone are the days of involuntary deeds to please Allah (SWT), with no emphasis on worldly benefits. Unresolved hell bound attitude of human is paving the way for even more immoral, uncharacteristic and aberrant behavior in the future.
The sinner in me questions my uncanny resolve to get pardoned by Almighty. Why and how would I get pardoned knowing that I was a selective sinner? The sinner in me would convince my conscious having abandoned a majority of wrongdoings, and potential displeasing acts, except the one or two which could drag me out of my comfort zone. We, the slaves of our desires, condemn and loathe others over their choice of sin. But we fail to come to terms with our cherry-picked sins.
If an adulterer shuns riba, will it make him a better man and vice versa? A gambler may not be an adulterer, but gambles day and night. A rapist may not fail to comply with religious duties. A murderer may take solace in behaving as the best father to a child and the best husband to a wife. How can these selective sinners feel satisfied for having chosen the sin of their own choice?
We have apparently embraced Islam selectively based on our own terms. Our society has failed to shun the evils which led to destruction of nations before Islam.
The decline of Ummah is nothing but failure to embrace Islam fully. The selective choice and preferences have created perplexed, bewildered and disoriented societies. We preach each other’s Islam based on our personal choices. This has further polarized the society, as a preacher must not lack in any department. Fundamentalists and liberals have defined Islam of their own choice. They advertise their own brands on TV channels, in print media and through social media. They would repudiate each other in an attempt to prove as prudent as no other. They completely ignore the balanced approach devised by Islam.
How to dissolve the captivity of desires? How to get rid of illicit lovers and stop adultery? How to shun addiction to drugs and alcohol? How to change the mindset of having multiple lovers? How to dismantle the double life leading to dissatisfaction? How to beat niggardliness and spendthrift attitude? How to convince our heart and mind that Allah (SWT) is the only provider and illegal means of living cannot help us forever? How to resolve the nemesis of riba from our society? Why do we feel shy to speak truth to ourselves? We may get consciousness momentarily but liberation remains a target too far!
If we believe, then why can we not do it? Why stay in the middle of the river at the mercy of the tides? Why not choose a rightful path? Why not embrace the life of Prophet (PBUH)?
Before you set your children free to conquer the world and march for lost glory and beat the anti-Islamic forces at their own game, why not first teach them true Islamic values?
We must acknowledge those who dare challenge the restrictions imposed by Allah (SWT) and use whatever means of living without refraining from the forbidden – they end up facing the wrath of Allah (SWT). We must move swiftly before it’s too late and when the Angel of Death knocks at our door and we have to say:
'O Angel of Death! Please go away
Leave me alone; I’m not ready today
My parents and family on me depends
Give me a chance to make amends!'