Predisposition of desires, longings and dreams in man, drives him to seek pleasures, joys and comforts in life. We all are oriented with natural software to strive hard, for the fulfillment of physical and mental yearnings. Wishes become the catalysts which add vibrancy and dynamism to our lives. It fuels us to row the boat of life, and to conquer our cherished destinies. Consequently, we are steered by an intrinsic tendency to accomplish materialistic and physical targets. Fame, prominence, savoury foods, precious clothes, automatic cars, big houses, and beautiful spouses fascinate and tempt us all. And it is not illegal or wrong in Islam, to fulfill your desires and dreams through Halal (Legitimate) means.
But, being absolutely consumed by worldly charms is distressing and dangerous. The complete enslavement to desires rusts and blackens human hearts, and thereupon, angelic elixirs fail to penetrate deeper into them. The tar of lust turns them stony and demoniac, devoid of any true human attribute and feeling. The Quran terms such state as “Summum, Bukmun, Umyun “. At this stage, a person begins to worship his/her desires. The extremely avaricious trend has reached to its climax during contemporary times. The curve of rapacity has witnessed a steep rise in the recent past. And without an iota of doubt, we have fallen prey to our desires.
Allah (SWT) admonishes and castigates those in the strongest terms whom desires have imprisoned or subjugated. “Have you seen ‘ O Prophet ‘ (SAW) who have considered their desires as their God? And so, Allah (SWT) left them to stray knowingly, sealed their ears and hearts, and placed a veil on their sight. Who then can guide them after Allah SWT? (Surely none). Will you all not then be mindful? ” ( Surah Jathiyah, verse 23 ). Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was very concerned and worried about our susceptibility, to sink into the deluge of desires. Abu Barzah (RA) reported that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has said, “Verily, among what I fear most for you, are seductive temptations in your stomachs and passions, and the misguidance of whims.” ( Musnad Ahmad ).
Interestingly, most of the people have no easy access to all these worldly joys and pleasures, because these things are exorbitantly expensive. And lo ! Ibni-Adam has put his every effort at stake to acquire the pleasures and comforts. So, the pursuit of these conveniences and amenities has turned the man into a robot who sans sensitivity and human specificity. He toils day in and day out, for the attainment of his set objectives. Ibni-Adam is caught up in a rat-race which leaves him exhausted and baffled. He thrives hard to hunt the prey, but often ends up as a loser, because his greedy whims make him extremely insatiable.
In the quest of happiness, he, very often, stumbles or becomes blind to the extent that he kills the real joy while endeavoring for happiness. Pursual of happiness has made him ambitious. And ambitious people time and again, give rise to anarchism and absolute chaos. Such extremists go on to remove every obstacle in the way of their materialistic destinies. They don’t care for even uterine relationships. History corroborates the fact that zealots have not spared their parents and progenies, because ambitions blind eyes to see the truth. Unlike religious fanatics, who would consider divine assent and approval as their ultimate goal, the greedy radicals worship their whims. They attire in satanic robes to satiate their animalistic urges and desires. They embezzle and snatch the rights of their own brethren, to irrigate their taste buds. Grabbing the lion’s share by hook or crook, has become their manifesto.
Ibni-Adam often crosses the delicate line of ethics whilst realizing his dreams. He forgets to stick to the basics of morality and honesty. He gives little or no weight-age to moral uprightness and social integrity. Mean means hardly mean anything to him, rather he is concerned about the produce only. He doesn’t shies out to slink on the path of Lucifer. Cupidity of materialistic comforts has completely enslaved him. Though it caters his certain physical requirements, but, he has become slave of materialism which is quite absurd. When a person attains such state of mind, he then becomes a dastardly beast. And the beasts hardly give any space to values and ethics.
Wealth and money grabbed through illegitimate means never contents and satiates our gourmand bellies. The maxim ” More we have, more we want” rather defines our character. We continue to grind the mill, and accumulate piles of wealth and money. But, contentment, satisfaction, peace of mind and tranquility of heart fails to visit us. At the end of the day, we neither succeed to please our own dear ones including our progeny, spouses and relatives, nor our Lord. We spoil our world and hereafter. Big irony is it ! We forget and ignore our health and personal priorities to make others happy. But, we ultimately fail. Our own children hardly acknowledge our sacrifices made for them. Isn’t it being stupid and doltish to ruin our here and hereafter for others? I don’t want people to stop caring for their children and others. But it should never be at the cost of your own joys, comforts, priorities and obligations.
Desires are unbridled horses. They gallop, and pulverize everything coming under their hooves. A rider falls victim to his own racehorse when he fails to control it. Likewise, we should not let our Nafs grow too corpulent to it devour our own souls. We should learn to keep our desires under check, lest they will yoke us. When desires and longings shackle us, we lose the essence of being Ashraful Makhlooqat (King of all creations) because the grandiosity of a true king can’t be subdued by an ordinary whim.
(Author is a Teacher and Rising Kashmir columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]
