Part of The Pre-Dawn Breeze (series completed)
· Lesson 28 of 30
Breeze of Magic | Episode (28) | There is happiness in contentment
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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The breeze of dawn.
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Contentment is the source of happiness.
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The soul brings upon its owner either happiness or misery.
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It clothes them in either comfort or hardship.
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Yet, the human being is the foundation of this final outcome.
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For if they discipline their soul and strive against it until it stands firm upon the path of goodness and contentment,
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they shall become happy.
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But if they neglect it and grant it its every desire,
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letting it roam freely in the pastures of base passions, they shall become miserable.
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By its very nature, the soul yearns to increase the demands of desire.
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It loves to ride the waves of wishful thinking.
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It is never satisfied with little, nor is it content with a small portion.
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So, whoever leaves it to its own devices,
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will be led to the poverty of need, for which there is no end.
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There, they shall encounter all forms of misery,
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even if they possess gifts that no one else has.
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However, the wise among people
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are those who take hold of the soul’s reins, letting it go only where it is praiseworthy to do so,
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and restraining it where it is praiseworthy to restrain it.
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They strive against it until it yields its reins to them.
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This trains the soul in contentment and satisfaction with what has been apportioned.
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A poet once said:
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"The soul is desirous if you encourage its desire,
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but if it is turned toward little, it becomes content."
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Another said:
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"The soul is like a child; if you neglect it, it grows up loving to suckle,
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but if you wean it, it is weaned."
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So divert its desires and beware of letting it take control,
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for desire, when it takes control, either wounds or kills.
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Whoever succeeds in striving against their soul
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has embarked upon the vast ocean,
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and has managed to cross its terrors to the harbors of happiness and a good life.
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Many people
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feel a fierce misery raging within their souls,
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a misery called greed and the breathless pursuit of worldly hopes.
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This happens when they believe they have not received what they deserve,
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whenever they see or hear that others have been given more than them.
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How many people live in a state of misery
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because so-and-so has more wealth than them,
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or is more beautiful,
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or has more children,
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or a more beautiful spouse,
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or a larger house,
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or higher status,
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or more talent and creativity,
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or more knowledge,
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or is better accepted among people?
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From the offspring of these greedy miseries
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are born sins,
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such as objecting to Allah’s decree,
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hatred, envy, and aggression.
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So, if you wish, O human being, to live happily,
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cast off the garment of greed,
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and put on the robe of contentment.
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By doing so, the fruits of everything that brings you comfort will be gathered for you.
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For a good life
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is one of the fruits of contentment.
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Allah the Almighty says:
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﴿Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female,﴾
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﴿while he is a believer -﴾
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﴿We will surely cause him to live a good life.﴾
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Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted this,
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as did al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him,
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as meaning contentment.
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Some sages have said:
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"I have found the most sorrowful of people to be the envious one,
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the most pleasant in life to be the content one,
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and the most patient under harm
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to be the greedy person when they covet."
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And the lowest in life
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are those who reject the world.
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Success is a sweet fruit of contentment.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"He has succeeded who has submitted,
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has been provided with what is sufficient,
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and has been made content by Allah with what He has given him."
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Spiritual richness is another fruit of contentment.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"True richness is not the abundance of worldly goods,
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but true richness is the richness of the soul."
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A poet said:
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"It is contentment, so hold fast to it and you shall live like a king,
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even if you gain nothing but peace of body.
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Look at those who possessed the entire world;
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did they depart from it with anything other than cotton and a shroud?"
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Al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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"I saw that contentment is the essence of wealth,
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so I held fast to its hem.
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Now, no one sees me at their door,
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nor does anyone see me obsessed with them.
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I have become wealthy without a single dirham,
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walking among people like a king."
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Yet, after all this, we say:
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We must understand contentment
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in its correct context,
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so that contentment is not confused
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with lethargy, coldness of ambition,
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or settling for inferiority.
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Contentment does not contradict
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a person striving in the fields
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of religious and worldly goodness,
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and seeking to excel in them.
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So be content,
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but do not let that prevent you
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from being more knowledgeable and wealthy,
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and higher in status and standing.
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For the contentment that is considered a secret
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of happiness
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is to plant within yourself
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satisfaction with what Allah has apportioned for you,
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to abandon resentment over what you have been given,
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to refrain from looking longingly at what
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others possess,
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and to distance yourself from envy, hatred,
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and harming them
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because of the blessings Allah has bestowed upon them.
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The fruit of this planting
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will be happiness
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that fills your heart,
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expands your chest,
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illuminates your mind,
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makes you beloved to people,
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and makes people beloved to you.