We're all looking for it - success, but what is it and how can we get there? When the veils, garbs and blindness of success, fame and money are lifted, a person is left wondering, 'is that it'? Introspection is a worthy, noble thing. Without it all the famous footballers, sportspeople, businessmen and politicians would care not for a moment what effect their actions have on the thousands, even millions who watch them, adore them, listen to them and even worship them, let alone what effect their actions have on themselves. Is that what is to be pined for, to be striven for - to become like them, simply for fame or money? Or is there something else, more noble, worthwhile and lasting which we may term as 'success'? Whether those we call successful and famous care for others or even themselves is a matter of introspection. It's easy to lose track of what matters when you're immersed in fame, luxury and success. However these things never last and often give rise to arrogance, egotism and disillusionment in the long run which is why we must always self-reflect and redefine what success actually is. It can't be fame since we find many actors and celebrities die of depression, overdosing on drugs. Nor can it be power when leaders and politicians are ousted and defamed on a regular basis while those who are on the lower rungs of the ladder work themselves to exhaustion and even death. Can success be equated with wealth then? Well how can money or possessions be the cause of happiness when there is still a burning desire for power, influence and recognition? No, money can't buy success or happiness, nor can we equate success with anything material. There is something more to this mundane, worldly and transitory existence. This is something testified to by many millions of adherents to religions and spirituality awakened souls. We are forevermore on the search for what we are meant to become, what path to take and how we can get there, if indeed we can. In a time when many theories, philosophies and ideas are thrown about, we lose sight of what makes us happy and feel as though we have succeeded. A man at peace can be content living in a hut while one can be living in palaces yet be malcontent. This is a phenomenon too true and one which many are realising today. Success certainly isn't what your parents want you to do or what society pushes you towards or what your culture thinks is right. Everyday, people find how following the expectations of others leaves them disillusioned, discontent and ironically unsuccessful. The very pursuit of success (the false sense of success) which we are pushed towards by the world is what inevitably breeds our failure. In fact, at times it is that very failure we need to realise where our true success lies. This held true for Steve Jobs, J.K.Rowling and Bill Gates who not only have followed their destiny and achieved success after battling expectations from those around them, but have also managed to succeed in a way which benefits the world, gives them fulfilment and is free from the ills which comes with most fame and success. The very pursuit of what is deemed as 'success' is killing the initiative, creativity and prosperity of our people. It drives students to suicide in Asia, disillusionment, confusion and dissatisfaction in Europe and anger elsewhere. The pursuit of success itself is a false notion, what should be pursued is development of self, purification and trust in yourself - for trusting your heart and your inner voice amounts to trusting in the inner faculty God has implanted in each one of us which tells us which direction to go. Call it our moral compass, the soul or our sub-conscious, we all have it. However, how do we know if it really is leading us right? This is why the quote 'successful are those who purify themselves' resonated with me so much. The person who purifies his mind, heart, body and therefore soul of all vain desires, egotistical passions and false pride will augment his sense of self and sense of right and wrong. This will then direct his heart aright. We should remove all obstacles to leading a pure, simple and clean life for in this is lasting joy, contentment and purity. This is nothing less than what the great spiritual and moral, religious teachers have taught mankind. Whether it was Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Abraham, Confucius or any other, they all shared a common purpose and teaching striving to illuminate mankind and draw them out of the dregs of infernal existence otherwise known as the passions of greed, rancour, hatred, malice, jealousy and contempt. Similarly, success is individual to all of us and as long as we follow and augment our inner voice and moral compass, we can be sure that it'll lead us to where we're meant to go. But for that, we must purify ourselves of negativity and degradation. In this age of materialism and vice, another such religious teacher seeks to impart and reassert the same principles and values once taught by the former ones. In a hamlet of the Punjab, India named Qadian, a man was born who claimed to be the Messiah awaited by all major religions of the world and prophesied in world religious scriptures. His name was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He said he came in the name of all previous Prophets and Divine religious teachers to unite mankind in the Latter Days through truth, love, peace and prayer. I'm one of his many millions of followers. In his early days, his father also wished for him to get gainful employment somewhere at which his reply was that his father worried unnecessarily and he was already employed to Whom he wished to and wasn't interested in employment by men. He put his trust in God and wasn't interested in wealth, fame or glory. He was content reading books, living in solitude, studying religion and holding discussions with friends and acquaintances. Later, he established a community of followers by Divine command to unite people of all religions under one banner. Now, after 126 years, as per his prophecy that his message would spread across the world, his community spans 207 countries, with tens of millions of followers, united under one leader, broadcasting a 24 hour international TV channel, publishing thousands of books, leaflets and literature for the peaceful propagation and revival of the true, original teachings of Islam, which has been corrupted by self-styled so called scholars of today. He taught me success isn't in worldly glory or fame but in relinquishing base desires and striving to inculcate pure and noble qualities to benefit mankind at large. As Gandhi put it, 'be the change you want to see in the world.' Muhammad said God looks not at your appearance or wealth but at your hearts and actions. Ahmad explained 'you can't be accepted in the presence of your Lord unless you are pure inside and out' and 'if all worldly honour is lost to you (as a result of your noble struggles) then God would grant you everlasting honour in the Hereafter,' It is his teaching that neither wealth, power nor any kind of worldly acclaim can lead to salvation or lasting peace. True success is in purifying one's self of all negative, harmful, immoral thoughts, beliefs and practices, for in this lies lasting prosperity. 'Verily, he truly prospers who purifies himself' - Holy Qur'an 87:15
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I was delighted when the BBC Inside Out programme came to meet me and a bunch of young British Muslims at the London Mosque (London’s oldest Mosque) to get our views on Islamophobia. Here are some of my experiences and thoughts on the issue. It was broadcast on Monday 7th September at 7.30pm. The full programme can be viewed here. I'm on an almost daily battle with Islamophobes whether online or in my mind trying to figure out why these people have so much hatred against Islam. Today, Islam has been demonised, scapegoated and unjustly equated with terrorism as the media typically over-sensationalizes the actions of some extremists. It’s convenient for both Islamophobes and the media alike - Islamophobes find another excuse to justify their prejudice and hatred against Islam while the media loves any story which makes a shocking headline. As a freelance writer and British Muslim, I have to try and refute those who seek to spread hatred of Islam and mislead people about what Islam really teaches. People who haven't done their own research or know little about Islam get misled and misinformed by Islamophobes, the media and some so-called extremist Muslims. Much of what I’ve experienced is online and by the media, after all the media is a powerful tool. However, despite there being a significant Islamophobic problem, much of it is due to complete ignorance about what Muslims truly believe and the majority of people I meet are very open-minded, understanding and tolerant. I organise peace leafleting campaigns for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the south of Surrey and we always get smiles, compliments and appreciation from householders when we explain that we’re here to give the message of love, peace, loyalty and freedom - the same values Islam stands for. Only around 5% or so actually refuse the leaflet politely saying they’re not interested. Comments like ‘you should do this more’, ‘we completely agree’ and ‘I have no misconceptions or issues with Islam’ are not uncommon. So while we do see much negativity in the media and online against Islam and Muslims, my overall experience as a British Muslim has been a very positive one. The British public overall are very understanding, open-minded and educated. This is an era when we can easily access information about anything, and as long as people do their research and keep a fair, unbiased perspective, they’ll see Muslims are nothing to be scared of. People asked questions in school and college about purdah, marriage etc. It was a pleasant experience since my classmates were taking an interest in my faith and I was given the opportunity to explain my beliefs. If people were more curious, had goodwill and realised that regardless of all our differences, we are all still one (despite some seeking to divide us), Islamophobia wouldn’t exist and we’d all get along very nicely. Having said all that though, Muslims have caused issues at home and abroad, there’s no doubt about it. But so have many others, not forgetting all the wars our nation and the West are responsible for. A more forthright person might suggest Islamophobia is due to our politicians making questionable foreign policy and starting needless wars in the Middle East. If we’re at war with Muslim nations, is it any wonder why natives would be suspicious of Muslims. Islamophobia has existed since the very inception of Islam when the Holy Prophet was labelled a ‘madman’, ‘magician’ and ‘dangerous’. A lady carrying some bags was on her way back to her town fearful of being victim of the ‘magic’ of the Prophet Muhammad. As it happens, he walked by her and offered to help her with her bags. She told him she’s very afraid since there is a man named Muhammad who is tricking people, corrupting the youth and misleading them. The Prophet remained quiet and helped her take her bags home. When she arrived home, she was so surprised at the entirely altruistic and kind nature of the man she desired to know his name. He replied I am the same Muhammad you were so afraid of. Needless to say, she accepted him and believed in Islam. Many were convinced of his truth simply by his sublime character and supreme moral qualities. Moral of the story being that we shouldn’t just follow rumours and propaganda since ‘hearing is not like seeing’. We must investigate and search for the truth for ourselves and then we’ll arrive at the right conclusion. Misconceptions and Islamophobia will be removed if people come and see for themselves what Muslims are like. Come to our Mosques, meet us, question us and speak with us. People who see the true Islam completely change their perspective - Jason Leger, Nick Ferrari and Tommy Robinson to name a few. Jason Ledger who protested against Islam wearing an offensive shirt stating ‘F*** Islam’ in Phoenix, Arizona, USA had a change of heart when he was invited inside a Mosque. Afterwards he declared: 'Out of respect for the Islamic people, knowing what I know now, because I have talked to them and spoke to them, no I would not do that again, just because I don't want to offend or hurt those people. When I took a second to actually sit down and listen to them, and actually enter their mosque, and go in and watch some of their prayers, it is a beautiful thing, and they answered some of the questions that I had.’ If everyone actually came to a Mosque, met Muslims and spoke to them, they’d realise 99% of us are normal, law-abiding, peaceful, contributive citizens. Nick Ferrari also changed his stance somewhat when he visited the largest Mosque in Western Europe - the Baitul Futuh Mosque after which he realised that Islam is peace, serenity and love. Islamophobes are largely to blame for fuelling the fire of Muslim extremists. By firebrand hate-filled rhetoric they create Islamophobes and deliberately provoke ignorant Muslims into committing atrocities in the name of Islam justifying it under the guise of free speech. Why don't they use their free speech to speak good words and work with true, peaceful Muslims in condemning such acts and declaring that violence is against the teachings of Islam? That way simple-minded Muslims wouldn’t be duped by radical hate preachers nor would Islamophobia spread.
Islamophobes, some who have made it their life's work to attack Islam and Muslims would have us all believe that the Qur'an teaches nothing but violence whereas the vast majority is about peace, love, good works and truth. The teachings of violence are in a very limited context under specific circumstances, such as war or when you are attacked - self-defence is permitted. The Jewish and Christian scriptures contain far more violent teachings. We don’t see them attacking those scriptures or communist ideology or capitalist imperialistic nations who subjugate weaker nations around the world. Such bigotry, prejudice and intolerance of some Islamophobes will always be exposed for all to see. As for others who are fearful of Islam, it’s quite safe to say that it’s mostly down to ignorance since we witness as staunch opponents of Islam when they realise what Islam truly teaches and what Muslims really believe - immediately apologise and change their views. People have nothing to be fearful from Islam. The fundamental teachings of Islam are and always have been of love, peace, loyalty and unity. Extremists have and always will use anything, twisting and misconstruing verses to suit their own agenda. It's nothing new. What were the crusades about? ISIS and Muslims extremists say the same thing - justifying their political ambitions using Islam whereas Islam is primarily concerned with a person's inner reformation and relationship with God - our Creator. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community across the world strives by way of their peaceful ‘jihad’ to stem the tide of Islamophobia and extremism with peace campaigns, leafleting, charity walks, blood drives and many other initiatives. So kudos to the BBC for getting our side of the story and for doing more in general to have a balanced perspective. It's about time. How we're heading for a major global catastrophe, that is, unless we change our ways. We’re all forgetting why we’re in this mess in the first place. Amidst the worst refugee crisis since World War 2 and the deplorable humanitarian disaster we’re witnessing, some still feel as though housing refugees in Europe will solve the problem. It won't. It may ease it for some time but for how long will we continue fighting wars and killing our own, displacing them from their homes and adopting stringent, harsh policies? Europe should take the burden of the refugees, it’s our moral, human and lawful duty. More so we should take it since it was our very nations in the West who created this convoluted situation in the Middle East. Now that Europe is experiencing a backlash for its actions, how it reacts may change the destinies of nations and the course of history forever. Those who accept the refugees will no doubt prosper and be favourably looked upon by coming generations, however those who shirk their responsibility and even at this critical juncture turn a cruel and uncompassionate head, will live to regret the day they showed such cold-hearted response towards their fellow beings. The earth is the common heritage of all people. Our humanity transcends all barriers of race, culture, nationality, religion or anything else. The entire world should be waking up ready to accept the refugees coming from conflicts which we, the West partly created. How soon do we forget the lessons of World Wars. Not even a century has passed since WW2 that we seem to be on the brink of another global conflict. Do people not learn? Is human life not sacred enough? Are the resources in our own countries not sufficient? Is there not enough provision in the world to sustain all human life? Yet from the beginning of man, to these current days of the world, we seem to forget our common humanity and allow base urges to dominate our actions. We shouldn't forget what led us to this inhumane situation though. Unjust, needless wars in foreign lands, supporting rebels groups and propping up puppet dictators has been an unfortunate ghastly imperialistic trait of the West in the last few decades especially. Had we not meddled in the affairs of sovereign nations, we would never have had to deal with such a crisis. If we still don't learn our lessons today (doesn't seem likely we will unfortunately) then a global catastrophe is likely to follow. It seems on the horizon with Russia and the West supporting opposites sides in the Syria conflict. There's always hope however, that our leaders will wake up and some indeed are taking a very magnanimous approach. It’s heartening to see how many have responded so positively, compassionately and well, humanely. With Finland’s Prime Minister (which is way up top of the map, nowhere near any conflict) offering his own home, Germany cheering refugees arriving with sweets and Europe pledging to house our human brothers and sisters, there certainly is much hope. When difficulties arise and disasters strike we see the true face of people. For some, their inherent goodwill comes to the fore in leaps and bounds. For others, the darkness of their hearts, selfish desires and apathy for the suffering of others takes precedence over the greater good. Even here in the UK, I listened in dismay as radio presenters and callers refused to harbour the thought of allowing a Syrian refugee to stay with them in their home saying 'you don't know them, how can you trust them'. My answer was, when did humanity die in the pits? And I do know one thing about them - they're humans just like ourselves. Stone hearted people boldly talk today about how refugees aren't our problem and we shouldn't help them yet if the tables were turned the same people would be crying out for some saviour. Why can't we put ourselves in other's shoes?
Iceland is a little Island far removed from the conflict happening in the mainland. Yet thousands of Icelanders have offered their homes, money, education and even toys! Perhaps we should take a lesson from what is described as the most peaceful country in the world. As for Hungry, what an absurd, irrelevant, xenophobic, Islamophobic, inhumane statement by the Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. He cites Ottoman conquests and Islamic culture as reasons to prevent Syrian refugees from entering Europe. He's allowing his prejudice and ill-founded thoughts about Muslims to cloud what is a larger human issue which has nothing to do with the race, religion, history or culture of the refugees. Such a narrow-minded approach is what leads to warfare and genocide. It's little surprise Israel have refused to take any refugees, they're more content at creating them, having displaced Palestinians for decades. Same is the case with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf regions who are drunk with oil, content in their own comfort and luxury. Little do they realise that they're not safe either. No one is today. In a world where everything is inter-linked, everything affects everyone. Until and unless the world unites, lets go of its egotistical passions and vested interests, our problems won't be solved so readily. The simple solution would be for all nations to work through the UN, construct an international strike force consisting of soldiers from all major nations and put boots on the ground to take out the ISIS disease once and for all. If this happens then world nations can altruistically help build back Syrian and Iraqi infrastructure and re-house the rightful occupants. There is a way back for our mistakes, but some devious souls in this world chillingly enjoy and profit from murder, war and bloodshed. Further, opposing Assad and funding rebels is only intensifying the conflict. When will we learn to stop meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations? Russia is supporting Assad, and we're supporting the rebels - it's a ready-made ticking time bomb for another World War. We mustn't get involved. Does the UN still even exist? One reason for WW2 was that the League of Nations - which was established after WW1 to prevent another catastrophe happening - failed to resolve the problems it was created for. It failed to keep peace and stop war and conflict. The same is happening with the United Nations today. The Guardian reports that the UN's humanitarian agencies are going bankrupt and can't meet the needs of the growing number of needy people. So much for an international agency created for the benefit of mankind at large. UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon similarly admitted that the UN security council is failing Syria due to divisions between the 'big powers'. Suffice to say, we really are looking at a repeat of the events leading up to WW2. History always repeats itself when we fail to draw lessons from it. The shame of the matter is, it's been less than a century and we're already on the brink of another global calamity, due only the the corruption and inhumanity our own hands have wrought. It’s time we all come together before we destroy ourselves. Those nations which act magnanimously today will forever be remembered and protected. Do good to others, one day you might be the ones in need. Who is to say, some day Europe may be in a dire state and we’ll be begging Syria and the Middle East for help. Things can change very quickly. It’s time we come together. Sometimes it takes colossal calamities for us all to unite and come together. Let’s hope and pray it doesn't take too big a calamity. ‘But those in whose hearts is perversity pursue such thereof as are susceptible of different interpretations, seeking discord and seeking wrong interpretation of it’ (Holy Qur'an 3:8) ‘and they deceive none but themselves; only they perceive it not.’ (Holy Qur'an 2:10) Fear, terror, threat and intimidation. Man will go to extreme lengths to exert his superiority.
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AuthorAtif Rashid writes about faith, extremism & mental health. Categories
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