Thursday, April 21, 2016

Breaking the Law of Nature

Breaking the Law of Nature
Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

We adopt many habits and hobbies during our adolescence. Some happen to be constructive, whereas others destructive. Any propensity or side interest that we once turn out to be so used to is exceptionally hard to dispose of. Even some habits make us feel guilty. Waseem had fallen prey to two such habits. Although not all people agree that watching porn and masturbating are bad habits, Waseem always considered them to be quite filthy because Islam forbids from every deed of vulgarity. Despite his negative view of his tendencies, he struggled to get rid of them.

Waseem was a Muslim, and he strongly believed in the God, the Hereafter, and the Resurrection Day. He knew that he would have to account for his deeds eventually, so he was always filled with the fear of God, grave, and hell if he committed any wrongdoings. “O God, you know I don’t actually want to do all this, but Satan beguiles me. I want to thwart Satan’s all conspires against me, so please help me. Take me under your mercy. Help me get control over myself,” he said in the Eisha prayer (the nighttime prayer.)

Waseem attempted to bring an end to his inclination for watching porn for countless times, yet he fizzled. He even wrote the dates on the windows of his room that from those specific dates he would never practice those things again. Lamentably, he could scarcely avoid his unethical practices for a week or two. Waseem felt that he had spoiled his consecrated soul and violated the law of nature, so for that God would not be content with him. “O Lord, I have polluted my pure soul that you had given me. I couldn’t keep it untainted and clean. I have overstepped your law. I am your creature; I am prone to sin. Forgive my all errors that I have committed knowingly or unknowingly,” he said while looking at the sky.

It is difficult to break such habit when you are surrounded by the things which can influence you into doing it. Waseem was also besieged by such things like a laptop, a smartphone, and the Internet. “Staying away from a laptop or a smartphone is not possible when you live in the 21st century. Now who can help me make myself free of these dirty activities?” he asked himself after he finished watching an immoral movie and masturbating. “Why can’t I leave this? I am always regretful and unhappy after doing these things. Even then why can’t I stop this? These acts make me hate myself,” he thought regretfully.

One day, he went out in the evening to stop himself from his nasty habits. He came to a road and sat on a footpath near an old man who had a beadle in his hands. The old man kept saying Astaghfirullah, which means I seek forgiveness from Allah, as he moved beads with his fingers on a tesbih. (A tesbih is a string of beads which is often used by Muslims to keep track of counting of dhikr. Dhikr involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences in the praise and glorification of  Allah.)

“Are you homeless, uncle?” Waseem asked the man.

“No, I am not. I live in God’s house.”

“So you reside in a mosque.”

“Yes.”

“What have you done that you are asking pardon from God?”

“I have done a great deal of sins in my life. Especially, when I was young I committed lots of sins. I had no self-control.”

“I also have no control over myself. What should I do?”

“Go to God’s house, offer prayer five times a day, and purify your soul with God’s remembrance and his forgiveness. God listens to the prayer of young people. Your one prostration is equal to my hundred bowings because you are young and I am old. Refraining from sins in adulthood is more difficult than in old age. That’s why the prayer of youth is more rewarding. You are young; don’t waste yourself like me.”

“How did you waste yourself?”

“It is a long story. It is something that I shouldn’t ever mention.”

“Please tell me. It might help me.”

“It is a really obscene tale about me. Nobody knows it except Allah.”

“What is it?”

“In my teenage, a man tried to seduce me. I never had sex with anybody. I was afraid of that man. I was shivering and ran away from him. After that day, he constantly tried to draw my attention to him. He wanted me to do lewd work to him… For some days, I somehow stayed away from him. Yet, he never quit trying to persuade me. I was brimming with hormones, so I couldn’t keep for long. I was attracted to him. We began to kiss and touch.”

“He was a gay?”

“I don’t know. But after that, I had a tendency toward males. Our affair continued for four years. I always kept it to kissing and touching nothing more. He needed me to exceed all the limits, but I was a boy, with no experience. I was fearful. Above all, I never really wanted to do all that, but I was derived by my lust. As I grew up, that man felt ashamed of himself and stopped it. I wish that lustful man hadn’t come into my life. Because of him, I misused my entire youth in watching gay pornography. I never tried it with anybody else, though. I just kept watching gay porn and playing with myself for years. When I got married, I didn’t even enjoy my married life. That man had ruined my life.”

“Now you are old. Are you still derived by your desire?”

“No, young man, not at all. Now I have no desire.”

“Uncle, to tell you the truth. I also have a habit of watching porn and masturbating. I have endeavored to abstain from them, but I have failed.”

“Look, son. I know how hard it is. However, it is not impossible. I sometimes think that whatever I did after that man, was my own fault. If I truly had wished to give up those practices, I could have. God has sent us in this world for praying for him. We have to go back to him and answer him for every single deed. See, forget whatever happened in your past. Still, you have time, God will excuse you if you regret and stay away from that unhealthy stuff. You should get married. It will help you.”

“I cannot get married at this age; I am only 18. In my family, it is a rule to get an education and a job first. My parents won’t permit me. These days, people wed after 30.”

“I know. And that is the reason, we become infected with all these terrible things. I have now realized that if you get hitched as soon as you become mature, you will have a better married life and you will save yourself from many evils too.”

“Is that the only option?”

“No, there can be other alternatives as well. The best way is to follow the God’s commands and His Prophet’s teachings. Our religion, Islam, is a complete code of life. The worldly pleasure can misguide you. Satan is all the time trying to trap us as he did to Adam and Eve. You have to control yourself always. Make some other good habits instead of pursuing bad ones. Try to socialize with good people who have the fear of God. Now that I am aged, I have turned to God. I hope He will forgive me whatsoever I did in my adulthood. You better not waste your youth. Turn to God before it is too late, and stop breaking His law.” The two were still talking when the voice of Adhan (a call for prayer) came from the speakers of a nearby mosque. “Come with me. Let’s go for the prayer,” the man suggested.

Waseem felt incredibly relaxed that day when he offered the prayer. He felt peace in his mind and heart, so he decided to offer the prayer regularly from that day. He made friends with that old man. Waseem read the Holy Quran in translation every day. His belief in God had become stronger than before.  The old man gave him two other books for reading: Fazail-e-Amaal (The Importance of Deeds) and Seerat-u-Nabi (The Character of the Prophet). 

“Asalam-o-Alaikum (may God’s peace be upon you),” Waseem said to the old man as he reached the mosque. 

“Walaikum Salam (may God’s peace be upon you too.)”

After they offered prayer, Waseem said to the elderly man, “Uncle, it has been many days since we have met in the mosque, but we haven’t introduced each other.”

“Yes, my son. Well, my name is Zahid.”

“And I am Waseem. I am thankful to Allah that I met you.”

“It is all His mercy and blessing that sooner or later He protected us from vices.”

“Uncle, I would like to assist other people who are in these harmful habits. Will you help me?”

“Sure, I will. It is a good work to spare humans from such filthy activities.”

“All right. We will raise awareness in the light of the Quran and Hadiths. I have already talked to the Imam of the mosque; he will join us since he is an Aalim. (Aalim is someone who has more knowledge about religion.)

“What can be better than raising awareness? If we saved others from these sins, Allah might forgive us as well.” They went to different mosques, streets, and other places and preached the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet. 

In one of the Friday Khutba (a speech during the Friday prayer,) the Imam quoted, “How good poet Rizwan has said that:

I have a sacred soul;
The devil conspires to make it foul.
Sins will give me regrets–
I won’t be a fool.

My sanctity, my purity can be retained
Only when I refrain from sin,
So I won’t be a fool 
And sell my sacred soul. 

So Muslim brothers let’s not be fooled and sell our sacred souls.”

The Imam further instructed the people saying, “When Allah showers his benevolence on his people, they become purified as Waseem and Zahid. Allah likes repentance, and He forgives those who repent and shun away from sins. Let’s bow our heads and request amnesty from Allah because we all have to return to Him. Let’s follow the Quran and Sunna (actions performed by the Prophet–peace be upon him) and make our both worlds–this world and the Hereafter–prosperous.” 

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