PEACE OF MIND
Everyone has a mind but peace of mind is a rare phenomenon. Everyone wants to live in peace but peace eludes almost everyone. Perhaps it is the greatest problem of the human world. What is the solution to this problem?
The Quran gives a solution to this problem in unequivocal terms. It is recorded in the chapter Al-Ra‘d (Thunder):
Those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of God—surely in the remembrance of God hearts can find comfort. (13:28)
Here ‘remembrance of God’ does not mean that simply reciting the word ‘God’ (Allah) can give you peace of mind. It means that, in reality, contentment is only for those who accept the creation plan of God.
More particularly, this means that this world having been created by God and God having laid down all the laws of nature, anyone who wants to live with a peaceful mind in this world must know the creation plan of God and try to live in accordance with it.
According to this divine plan, man was created as an ideal-seeking animal. Everyone is therefore an idealist by birth. But the present world is not an ideal world. Man’s mind may in its capacity be unlimited, but our world is one of limitations. It is this contradiction between the two that creates problems. Tension of mind is a result of the gap between seeker and achievement.
Fulfilment of all desires cannot be a goal for a person in this world. You should learn the art of desire management rather than try to fulfil all your desires.
No one can alter the course of divine creation. In this situation you have only one option and that is to adjust yourself to the external world, rather than try to mould the world according to your own desires.
Fulfilment of all desires cannot be a goal for a person in this world. You should learn the art of desire management rather than try to fulfil all your desires. But here is good news for every man and woman: although the material world is limited, the world of thought is unlimited.
We must set our goals in life in terms of intellectual achievement and not in terms of material achievement. The intellectual world is so vast that there is no end to intellectual activity. The intellectual journey can go beyond space and time, while material activities cannot.
The present situation is a blessing from God. It is God’s will that man should adopt the principle of contentment as regards material things. But as far as intellectual achievement is concerned, there is no limit at all. God Almighty wants to see every man and woman as a super achiever—but in terms of intellectual goals and not in terms of material goals.
If you travel westward across the Atlantic and start your journey from the African coast, the American coast will be the limit. But if you try to discover the laws of the universe, then there is no limit. The world of facts has no limits, so you can continue your journey in it forever.
If you want to have a peaceful mind, adopt the formula—simple living, high thinking.
