Striving

I remember sitting down in an Ethics class with Dr. Mattson one day when she asked us, “Why were the companions around the Prophet (sas) considered the best generation to have ever lived? They had their fair share of problems- addictions, divorces, family disputes.” We all offered some type of feeble attempt at a deep and profound answer. And then she responded by saying, “Because they never gave up. They continuously strove to be better.” 

Every time I feel like throwing in the towel, I remember Dr. Mattson’s words. And the older I get, the deeper I understand what it means to strive. When I started practicing Islam more seriously, I initially approached it as a religious checklist. As long as I fulfilled my duties, my Islam was okay. Now, however, I think of it as a gift. It gives me the opportunity to delve deeper into knowing myself and offering something to Allah (swt) that He would be proud of. 

I truly believe that many of us miss the first part of knowing who we are and how we’re meant to function. We’ve been fed this consumption culture idea that if I collect bigger, faster, shinier items, it will fill the void inside of me. Allah mentions in the Qur’an:

أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ ﴿١﴾ حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ ﴿٢﴾

“Competition in worldly increase diverts you until you visit the graveyards,” (102:1-2). 

Once our senses acclimate and become accustomed to the bigger house and faster car, we will end up looking for the next best thing and the void is only filled temporarily. Allah may have given us this quarantine time to wean ourselves away from that thought process. He (swt) may want us to dig deeper and unleash the potential we have inside of us. 

Each and every individual has a creative being that is either being properly fed and nourished or is starved for some love and affection. We may not all be artists or authors, but intrinsically, we all want to produce something and offer it to the world. We may have convinced ourselves for years to fly on autopilot. We may no longer question why we do what we do and we no longer push ourselves beyond the bare minimum. The problem with that approach however, our mental and emotional state will find ways to fill the empty space. It is no wonder that the Prophet Muhammad (sas) would ask for protection from worry and grief coupled with weakness and laziness. We see how our internal afflictions have a direct correlation with our physical response. We are rendered stagnant, paralyzed from cultivating a beautiful life. 

We are currently experiencing a potential turning point in human history and it will force us to re-evaluate our priorities. I am sure that beautiful artwork and literature will be produced during this time of self-quarantine and physical distancing. Once the fear of missing out is erased from our psyche, the inner voice that calls us to create will get louder as the outside noise is muted into a gentle hum. The work that one commits to doing during this time will, inshaAllah, pay off in dividends later on. 

As we reflect on this new world order, we find that Allah has stripped us of our previous excuses. We are no longer rushing to pick up and drop off kids to their schools and extracurricular activities. Our social get-togethers have been put on hold. Pockets of time that were once used for the getting and the going have been preciously given back to us. We’ve been given this semi-clean slate to establish new habits, create a new family dynamic, and most importantly, to really hone in on what we’ve always wanted to tackle but have been putting off.

I think the scariest part of that gift is knowing full well that we can no longer rely on the “no time” excuse as a crutch. If we end up changing nothing, that’s really a reflection of our own internal shortcomings, not our external circumstances and that’s a tough pill to swallow. When the entire routine has changed, it allows us to incorporate something novel and new that we never made previous space for in our rigid schedules. 

Maybe we’ll avoid that nagging feeling for a few more days. The one that whispers to us to refocus and reorient and tackle the tough stuff because even though it will be hard and difficult and may cause us to cry, our souls need to be nourished by the tough stuff. It’s only through the hard, slogging, day in and day out work that one’s masterpiece can finally begin to take shape. Make a promise to yourself that you will start to chip away at that looming goal that refuses to unstick from your psyche. Turn your fear of failure into a guest that is allowed to stay in your headspace but cannot take over the driver’s seat. Remember Allah’s beautiful words:

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا ﴿١٩﴾

“Whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it while he is a believer - it is those whose striving is ever appreciated [by Allah],” (17:19). 

And while you strive, don’t forget to ask Allah for His generous help.