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Tranquility and Peace of Mind |
Tanveer Hussain, PhD
All human beings seek
tranquility and peace of mind, searching for ways and means
for attaining real mental satisfaction. But the question is
how is it obtained really?
The Quran has associated
tranquility and peace of mind with the fulfillment of
physical needs.
One cannot have mental satisfaction unless one’s basic
physical needs are fully met. Allah sets forth, in the Quran,
the example of a city which enjoyed perfect peace and
tranquility and means of sustenance were coming to it in
abundance from every quarter.Here, Allah has mentioned tranquility and peace along
with ‘means of sustenance’ and has contrasted tranquility
with ‘hunger’ or ‘emptiness of the belly’.
In Sura Ar-Rad verse 28, Allah says that being mindful of
His Laws & Commands ensures the tranquility of the hearts.
“Whoever turns away from His Laws & Commands, his means of
subsistence will be restricted”.
Here again, there is a connection between means of
subsistence and the tranquility of the hearts.
Although fulfillment of
one’s basic physical needs is important for having a real
peaceful and tranquil mind, Allah has warned in the Quran
that those who content themselves only with the petty
delights of the worldly life and do not look beyond it, and
neglect Allah’s Messages, their abode will be the Fire.
Allah says, “Woe unto him whose efforts revolve around
gathering (merely) material possessions and counting them;
thinking as if his wealth will help him live forever! Nay,
he will be flung into alhutamati;
that is the fire ignited by Allah, the flames of which
engulf the hearts.”
Besides, Allah says, “The mutual rivalry for accumulating
(more and more wealth and other worldly gains) diverts you
(from the real purpose of your life), till such time that
you reach your graves.
So there has to be a balance between meeting one’s basic
physical needs and indulging in the race of accumulating
wealth and worldly possessions for their own sake.
The Quran not only mentions
the tranquility or peace of mind related just to the
fulfilment of physical or material needs but it also alludes
to the mental satisfaction that comes after intellectual
contentment and removal of psychological perplexities -
after getting answer to the “how?” question and not just
staying content with the answers to the “what?” and “who?”
questions. It reminds of Abraham who said to his Lord, "My
Sustainer, show me how You revive the dead."
Allah said, "Do you not believe?" Abraham said, "Yes I do,
but I wish to reassure my heart."
So in order to have a reassured heart devoid of any doubt or
perplexity, it is important to have the “how?” questions
satisfactorily answered. That is, it is not only important
to know what are Allah’s Laws but it is also
necessary to know how these Laws work. This is the
way of Abraham, the way wherein, Allah says, is an excellent
example for us to follow.
In summary, it can be said
that the tranquility and peace of mind comes through being
mindful of Allah’s Laws and Commands (which is not just
knowing what His Laws are but also understanding
how His Laws work) and then living by His Laws and
Commands. By doing so, not only our physicals and material
needs shall be met but we shall also achieve psychological
and intellectual contentment. However, Allah tells those who
have attained tranquility and peace of mind by following His
Laws, that they cannot enter the blissful society of
Jannah individually but through collective living by
joining the group of people who are obedient to Allah.
11/04/2006 |