Lockdown is something new for all of us
Lockdown is something new for all of us, and everyone around the world. Please do not be hard on yourself if you are feeling a bit lost. Besides the fear and the discomfort, it is natural to feel a bit uncomfortable with being alone.
Solitude might seem a bit weird or uncomfortable at first. We live in a world of 8 billion people, and with so many people it can get noisy. All this noise can force us to forget the importance of knowing ourselves and enjoying silence. We have been socially and psychologically conditioned to avoid solitude – e.g. - urge to blast the radio when driving home, urge to be in one party after another, one meet after another, one class after another for our children, one travel destination after another, one breaking news after another, one sports game after another, one show or movie after another, one business deal after another, one piece of information after another, one interaction after another, one social media post after another – we are constantly fed this feeling of being left out if we are not constantly busy or interacting with society in some way shape or form.
We hear that life is all about having fun – constantly chilling out, entertaining or feeding ourselves. We also hear that life is about constantly over-performing and multitasking. We are constantly bombarded with unrealistic expectations – to be a perfect mom/ dad, wife/ husband, cook/ money maker, social diva/ charmer etc. It is easy to let ourselves drown in all this noise. In all this external noise, the inner voice of our hearts might be unheard, unfulfilled and malnourished. Sometimes in saying yes to everything that the noise demands from us, we are saying no to ourselves!!!
Unplugged – is it a blessing in disguise? When our appliances are getting slow or crashing – we usually unplug them for a few minutes and reboot them and they start to work again. This is true for us too.
Lately, so many of us have been running running running... a bit of break can do wonders. For example - one mother remarked my body hasn’t had this kind of physical rest in ages. Einstein got his best ideas when alone, Bill gates invented Microsoft. Disconnecting from external noise and settling into solitude, quietness and stillness might seem uncomfortable at first ... but… it is important. We need some regular time outs and solitude - because when we are alone, we are free from obligations, we don’t need to put on any show, and we can hear our own thoughts. A time to ponder. In solitude, we are able to see truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood. Moments of isolation and deep reflection have guided and continue to guide people to truth and disconnect from falsehood and illusions of society that we live in.
Allah ﷻ has put a light inside each one of us. When we truly seek, He opens the heart to receive what it needs, what it has been searching, seeking and longing for. If you have been feeling a void inside you or an emptiness, this might just be the time to receive what you need to spiritually thrive and grow. There are great examples and lessons for us in the stories of our great scientists, scholars, pious and successful people like people of the cave, Hajra RA and Maryam RA and even prophets like Yunus AS, Yusuf AS, Musa AS Nabi Akram ﷺ – How they handled their time by themselves and turned it into a blessing rather than misfortune; how they separated themselves from the external noise purposely and connected with their Rabb and themselves and their higher calling!
Give yourself the permission to pause ...
None of us can serve from an empty vessel; an empty tank can take us exactly nowhere, take this time to refuel yourself... When we take time to replenish our spirits, it will allow us to serve others from the overflow. This is a time to reconnect with our fitrah - some relief from pressures of the society and chance to develop individual expressions. A sort of freedom to explore ourselves. They say - Soul always knows what to do to heal itself - the challenge is to silence the mind. We all know that our hearts have been calling out to us for sometime – dil dhoondta hai phir wahi fursat ke raat din, and now we have those precious moments with us. Be grateful that we have this time, as we probably would never have taken this time out ourselves.
Solitude is a time to find joy for your soul, to re-energize the body and mind. Engage in your favourite dhikr, learn your favourite surah, your journal writing, your power naps, your reflecting and contemplation (soul searching and listening to your heart), muhasaba (introspect and assess yourself) and hold yourself accountable for your words and deeds, finding your true purpose, clearer goal setting, making your heartfelt duaas…
Isolated but not alone … This doesn’t mean we avoid people altogether or forever. In our deen, both infiradi and ijtimaai (individual and community) life and actions have their own importance. Our deen teaches us balance… There is a time to be with ourselves and a time to connect with others in beautiful ways that will please Allah ﷻ and fulfill us too… Yes, we will all miss the community practices under the restrictions, but there are several great initiatives online to help us at this time.
The farishtey (angels) are not in lockdown… we have angels protecting us, praying for us, listening to our tilawat. Most importantly we all have Someone Who is always closer to us than our jugular vein – Allah and أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ “It is in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace” - (Qur’an, 13:28)
Take this time to connect, renew and strengthen your most important relationships – your relationship with Allah ﷻ, your relationship with yourself and your relationship with your family.
Ramadan in social distancing.
Many of us will be missing our usual activities during Ramadan: No congregational acts of worship outside the home, no taraweeh prayers, and no iftar parties. But, so much of the essence of Ramadan can be maintained during isolation.
Ramadan will be at a slower pace, giving us more opportunity to be closer to God and to our families. With less distractions than usual, the spiritual aspects may be heightened for some of us. Make the alone time intentional and purposeful... escape people, cellphones and laptops for idle talks and train yourselves to invest in what truly matters. Utilize duaa and tahajjud.
Our deen teaches us to tie our camel and put our trust in Allah. It is a requirement of our deen to follow the laws of the lands that we live in. Please do not be zealous and try to host iftar parties or get into any social gatherings unless the health authorities of your region allow you to. Please follow social distancing and put your trust in God at the same time. Despite everything anyone says or does, the real and complete control is in hands of Allah ﷻ alone. If He decides to let harm come to us, then nothing can save us; and if He decrees to save us - nothing can harm us. As a believer, there is khair for us in every matter and no matter what comes our way in the coming months, as long as we keep our connection with our Rabb strong and secure, He will take care of us. As Allah ﷻ tells our Nabi ﷺ and by extension to all of us in Surah Duhaa:
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
وَلَلْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ الْأُولَىٰ
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ
Your Lord has not taken leave of you, nor has He detested you. And the Hereafter is better for you than the first life. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied.