INTROSPECTION IN ISLAM

In contrast to ‘unjustified evils’, it is difficult to recognise ‘justified evils’. Indulging regularly in evil over a long time and justifying them as ‘good’, conditions a person. To come out of this, one needs appropriate deconditioning. This requires deep introspection, only through which you can purify yourself. The Quran says, “…he will abide forever in the Gardens of eternity, through which rivers flow. That is the recompense for those who purify themselves” (20: 76). Only purified souls will go to Paradise. Nowadays Muslims are engaged in a number of ‘justified evils’—hating people of other faiths, engaging in suicide-bombing and terrorism. They brand others as ‘enemies’, although there is no enemy. They accuse others of being involved in atrocities and conspiracies against them. But this is wrong. There are a number of verses in the Quran that tell us that one is responsible for one’s own condition, and not some enemy. If you are suffering, if you are deprived of something, it is the price you have to pay for your own backwardness. To realise this and to extricate yourself from the predicament in which you find yourself, you need to introspect. You need to discover the ‘justified evils’ you are indulging in, de-condition your mind and reform yourself. You cannot purify yourself without this sort of deconditioning based on introspection. According to a Hadith report, the Prophet said: “A man’s feet will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgment until he is asked concerning four matters: his life – how he spent it; his youth – how he utilized it; his wealth – how he earned it and where he spent it; and how much he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired.” (Tirmidhi) You will have to answer all these questions. It is a very serious matter. From another Hadith report, the Prophet said: “Anybody whose record of deeds is questioned on the Day of Judgment will surely be in trouble.” (Bukhari) Given this, we need to prepare ourselves for the Day of Judgment and avoid punishment. And for that, we need to constantly engage in introspection and self-correction. Introspection in the present can save you from punishment in the future. Introspection in the pre-death phase of your life can save you from punishment in your post-death phase. Introspection is thus an integral part of faith, of Islam, of being God-conscious, of piety. Without introspection, there is no Islam. Without introspection, there is no Muslim character. o