Human beings, by nature, are always slaves to something. We’re always overcome and overwhelmed by one need or another.

And this can be the source of our honour and dignity or a means of degradation and ruin.

We have the power to choose. What do we fill our hearts with?

I once heard a revert to Islam say, “Hedonism is like a Black Hole, it never fills you up.”

Hedonism is ‘the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.’

Many people know no peace and struggle with questions surrounding existence; ultimately, they conclude that life is meaningless because of all the suffering and injustice, and because they believe this, they live life in such a way- following no higher purpose than their everyday needs and lusts.

If we think about it, evil and sin are not logical, but they have a pull that many cannot resist despite the clear consequences and many levels of regret, even in this world. Our power of reason and morality are often enslaved to our nafs (base desires).

However, there is a part inside of all of us that raises us to light, truth, and clarity- a compass of sorts that points us to Allah with a yearning that every human being experiences for His Perfection, Completeness, and Goodness. It is our Fitrah -our innate disposition to recognize Allah, Our One and Only Rabb.

This is a beautiful quote from Dr. Tamara Grey that perfectly encompasses this beautiful neediness of ours:

“Fitrah is your deep longing for Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎. Your deep longing for a relationship with God, a deep longing and need for God. And the second piece is Muhammad ﷺ. This is our action. This is our lived faith.”

Everyone has this emptiness that needs to be fulfilled, but not everyone fills it adequately.

Some try to satisfy it with intoxicants, casual relationships, careers, wealth, and seeking popularity. Others look for it in man-made philosophies and religions that offer only a little solace because of the false beliefs and baseless rituals present in them.

This is why people overdose on the pleasures of this Dunya, why they break through all limits until they are just a shell of themselves and have lost all happiness in existing.

If you’re not a friend of Allah, then Shaitaan claims you as his close companion and follower.

The Qur’an distinguishes between these two types of friendships.

Allah says,

“Satan only makes them ˹false˺ promises and deludes them with ˹empty˺ hopes. Truly Satan promises them nothing but delusion.”

[An-Nisa:120]

Afterward, in direct contrast, Allah talks about the outcome of those who choose Him as a Protector and Friend.

“And those who believe and do good, We will soon admit them into Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever and ever. Allah’s promise is ˹always˺ true. And whose word is more truthful than Allah’s?”

[An-Nisa: 122]

When we say “Ashhadu An La Illaha Il Allah”, we are saying, “I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah.”

Consuming our hearts with other Ilahs only leads to destroying ourselves because our hearts were designed to be fulfilled only by the love of Allah, accompanied by sincere actions that follow the pattern of His Chosen One; Muhammad ﷺ.

It’s not something we can survive in peace and happiness without, my brothers and sisters, it’s neediness that is an integral part of us, and we need to let it honour, elevate, and beautify us in this world and the Hereafter by submitting ourselves before the only One worthy of our submission.

Even those who are conceited, boastful, and obsessed with themselves, believing that they are self-sufficient, are in dire need. These could either be people who mock all types of religion and disbelieve in the existence of God or people who believe themselves pure and good enough to enter Paradise with minimal effort or doing actions that are the opposite of Imaan.

Just to better understand and refute (if need be) the mindset of these kinds of people, let us look at some of their rather audacious claims that sadly challenge the faith of many Muslims even.

One such statement is that there is no absolute Truth. That everyone should stick to their own way, and that human beings have the right to follow whatever makes them happy.

While this may sound perfectly aligned with our interests at face value, the very statement that is so subtly and passionately advertised, ‘There is no absolute Truth’, directly contradicts itself. We can reply to them, “If there is no absolute Truth, then why should we believe you, since any one Truth apparently doesn’t exist?!”

This statement unjustly makes everything meaningless, baseless, and false in a world that was created with purpose, precision, and harmonious perfection.

We spend our whole lives discovering and learning about the world we live in, but how many of us willingly look beyond it and try to know and discover its Maker?

Now, let’s say that a person cannot dispute that God exists and that the Truth of our existence is our duty to Him.   

Then he or she might ask the question, what if every way of life or religion has Truth in it?

The simple answer is that in His Perfect Wisdom, Justice, and Mercy, Allah would never make us go through that! Allah would never mix the light-bringing Truth with the darknesses of shirk (polytheism), sin, superstitions, and excesses of man-made or tampered religions and ask us to spend our lives following half-truths while simultaneously worshipping falsehood and evil.

Allah tells us in His Book,

“Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from them, and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers.”

[Ali ‘Imran: 85]

There can only be one clear, straightforward, true religion in the Sight of Allah that is practical, accessible, and doable to all of humanity.

 And this is Islam; submission to the One True God, worshipping Him as He wishes to be worshipped, and not according to our convenience, whims, and desires.

This brings us to the second group of people, who act like they’re the confirmed chosen ones of Allah, and that they can do no wrong, yet though they look ‘perfectly Muslim’, some of their actions, such as backbiting, gossiping, and behaving immodestly present a startling contrast.

These people are different from those who are aware that they are imperfect and struggle to make amends, seeking forgiveness from Allah every day.

Since this group believes that they are so pure and righteous, and they are not willing to admit their mistakes and improve themselves, this leaves them in the dangerous position of not humbling themselves before Allah and not giving people their rights.

The truth is only the Messenger of Allah ﷺ can claim to have perfect Islam, and the rest of us, his Ummah, is prone to falling short.  Therefore, we should never praise ourselves for our good deeds, and we should seek forgiveness constantly because even the good we do is riddled with flaws and human weaknesses. Amazingly, Allah is still ever ready to appreciate, overlook, and forgive! SubhanAllah.

And we should not fall into the trap of letting other Muslims, however admirable and eloquent they are, influence our relationship with Allah, His Book, and His Messenger ﷺ.

In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, we need no one but Allah ﷺ, and if we have Him on our side, we have everything we’ll ever need.

Even if we have nothing but a handful of sand of this Dunya, slipping through our fingers every moment, we’ll still have everything because the Dunya is the same temporary, fleeting, emptying wilderness for everyone- but Eternal Jannah and the Pleasure of Allah are for only those who sincerely seek it.

I shall leave you with the words of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, the living embodiment of Allah’s Revelation, who said:

 “Whoever is focused only on this world, Allah will confound his affairs and make him fear poverty constantly, and he will not get anything of this world except that which has been decreed for him. Whoever is focused on the Hereafter, Allah will settle his affairs for him and make him feel content with his lot, and his provision and worldly gains will undoubtedly come to him.”

[Sunan Ibn Majah 4105]