Skip to main content

Balance is the best key

Image
By
Last Ramadan I resolved to soften my heart and I wrote about it in my blog post. This Ramadan I resolve to find balance. I am a big proponent of holistic living. I think that everything has advantages and disadvantages and we are always trying to balance both of these. I did not know what I would set as my theme this year but then I remembered my favorite prayer (or dua).

Rabbana atina fid dunya hasanatan wa fil akhirati hasanatan wa qina azaban naar.

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the punishment of the Fire!

Sometimes we are attracted to that which is not good for us. Sometimes we want and ask for things that are not good for us. Sometimes we end up on the wrong path going in the wrong direction. Sometimes we focus on this world and neglect the next life. Finding balance means wanting good in this life and the next life and working towards this. Life is a test and we endeavor our best to pass this test. We can be tested with both good things and bad things. Finding balance means being humbled by our imperfections and making the best of what we have.

If I see balance as the key then what is the door that is being opened? I think the door leads to God's mercy and favors. My original title was "balance is the key" then I figured out I could make it 19 letters and 23 with spaces by adding the word best. But why would I want to add the word best? Maybe there are multiple doors and different levels and this is a master key that can open all of these? Maybe this is the key that leads to all the other keys? Maybe this is the best one for me. Maybe my mind is trying to tell me something through rhyme like "life is a test and to get the best out of it you need balance and leave the rest up to God and you will be blest". That might be the best way to end this blog post and I could say that's a w-rap!

*Ahsan is an Arabic word meaning best and I read that Ahsan is the superlative of Hassan

*Surah 2 verse 143 tells us: Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger (saw) a witness over yourselves;

*Some translation say "middle nation"

*143 is exactly half (the middle) of the 286 verses of that surah
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do we fix this world?

By
It is 4:39 pm and I have decided to write. It is a peaceful and quiet day. I am thinking about God, and how this life is a test. There is so much happening in this world that could make us sad. But we do not have to remain in that sadness when we put our trust in God. God wants good for us. God wants us to experience peace, and even happiness, despite what surrounds us. How do we fix this world? My friend Chatty suggests that maybe a better question is: What kind of person do I choose to be in this world? Because when enough people answer that question well, that is how real change begins. I want to be the kind of person that God is pleased with. Someone guided by God, not by ego. Someone who chooses patience over anger, humility over pride, and sincerity over appearances. I am doing reasonably well, but I am not perfect. And maybe perfection is not the goal. Growth is. Awareness is. Returning to what is right, again and again, is. I want to grow, and I will keep adjusting myself when ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mundane

By
It is 123am and I have decided to write. I have this new idea for a book called Mundane. It would be me writing about the ordinary. We chase the extraordinary but there is beauty in the ordinary. There is beauty in the simple. There is beauty in the everyday. What about God? We often think about God in grand terms. But what if God is simple too? What if God is mundane? What if we look for God in the everyday moments? I sit in this dark room with the air conditioning on. The fan is also on. The curtain is down but I imagine the moonlight shining on the grass outside. The cats are probably sleeping. I wonder if anyone else in the neighbourhood is awake at this hour? Is there another writer around who is also writing about the mundane? The fan breeze helps the air conditioning cool me down. These nights are warm otherwise. A mosquito flies across my screen. Hello friend or foe. I cannot quite decide which one. If I had a swatter you would be gone. I check my notifications and there is an ...
Post a Comment
Read more

We are explorers

By
It is 215pm and I have decided to write. I had this question. What does God really want from us? Then I remember that God does not need us, we need God. What I am really wanting to ask is why create us, why life, why test us, why the mystery? Why not? It is human nature to ask questions. No matter how much we know, we will ask questions. We are always looking for reasons. We are always looking. We are always seeking. We are explorers. We could have been anything but God chose for us to be explorers. There is joy in exploring. There is joy in discovery. There is joy in not knowing. What I have arrived at is a reminder. Appreciate the now. Appreciate what is. Appreciate that one day things will make sense but for now we get to live. To live, to learn and to laugh. I like this quote by Frank Borman that I found, "Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit." If there was nothing to explore we would be static. There would be no movement. There would be no existence. Exi...
Post a Comment
Read more