EMOTIONS OF FAITH

A CCORDING to a Hadith, the Prophet of Islam said, God suggested to me, ‘We will change one of the valleys of Makkah into gold for you’. I said, ‘Oh my Lord, No! Instead, I desire that one day I should eat well and be satisfied and the next day remain hungry. So that when I feel hungry, I can beseech You and remember You and when I am full and satiated, I can praise You and thank You.’ It is a fact that emotions and feelings of faith are directly related to the situation or circumstance. Every situation in life presents an occasion for emotions of faith. As there are many different situations that can arise, accordingly there are many different types of feelings and emotions of faith. Man has been placed in this world for the purpose of a ‘test’. That is why for every man and woman in this world many different circumstances arise in their lives, so that it can be assessed which one of them will satisfy the requirements of the test. In this world, situations and conditions of comfort or want are both extraneous. What is of importance is the reaction to the situation and not the situation itself. Given the situation, was the reaction desirable? If this fact is clear to any person then they will not look at the situation of comfort or want but at the reaction they present as testimony. Was it gratitude or pride; acknowledgement or thanklessness; one of patience or one of intolerance? Such people will evaluate and introspect at every situation and not complain about the circumstances. Without such conditions there can be no emotions at all. God desires two qualities from His believers. First, that they acknowledge the all pervading power of God and express their utmost helplessness to Him. Secondly, that after receiving and perceiving of the blessings of God they express their gratitude for the same. Both these desirable qualities have been clearly and explicitly explained in the Quran and the Hadith. The most practical experience of these qualities is one that appears in the form of hunger and thirst on the one hand and satiation and contentment on the other. The pangs of hunger and thirst are the ultimate experience of the realization of man’s weakness, helplessness and dependence. In a EMOTIONS OF FAITH Message of Ramazan Through fasting one experiences both hunger and satiation so that one can be humble as well as grateful to God.