suhaib
15-03-07, 06:38 PM
I was doing a little reading on various topics (random topics I choose off the top of my head to read about when i'm bored), and I thought i'd share a little bit of my thoughts since i feel it's pretty important to us as muslims.
When you think about everything you see in relation to islam and it's teachings, you realize everything leads back there. It's human nature to search for the truth, as children we're obsessed with the truth, the whole truth, asking why this and why that. We know as bin adan that there is something important in this world that we do not know, that we can't see or touch. A higher power. Something buried and branded deep in our roots or mind that tells us a higher power exists, and something more important than this world. This is the same area of our soul that we defrentiate between right and wrong. It's written in that same code.
Now that I said that, i'll say this....Every honest human being (that does not lie to themselves) is trying in their own way, to find the truth. Spiritual truth, not the often frivilous and shallow thoughts that cloud your mind, but the deep understanding that feels like a combination lock that just clicked into place. The feeling you get when you know something is right. That's why I like reading things and seeing things from other people's prespective. The most honest people I can think of are the ones who face every day ready to die.
This is why I started reading about books written by warriors long ago. One of them was a japanese man by the name of Musashi Miyamoto (a samurai of the pre-meiji period in japan, when dueling to the death was a very common event), the man that is widely accepted to be the greatest warrior of all time by modern day historians (even though those of us that have read about hamza and other ashaabs of the prophet peace be upon him know better). We as people seem to gain our greatest wisdom when faced with life threatening situations. This man was said to have won over 60 duels (not including battles).
So I went ahead and read a book he wrote called "Go Rin No Sho" or "Book of Five Rings" in which he discusses military/war strategy and mindset.
The most important area he stressed, right in the beginning of the book is "The way of the warrior", which he explains to be the "resolute acceptance of death". To see death, not as something to be in terrified fear of, but a sacrifice that every warrior must be ready and willing to make for the greater good. Now this is the part that really etched itself into my mind and heart.
Why? This is the same way in which the muslim is supposed to live. To think that a non-muslim from way back when understood this better than us present day muslims is truly sad. This is the muslim mind set, to be absolutely willing to die for our diin (religon). While their mindset was to die for their cause, what ever their cause might be at the time (defending family, country, pride and such), the muslim mindset should be for allah and diin. This is a part of the diin many of us forgot about. A very important and under used part of our iiman.
When you think about everything you see in relation to islam and it's teachings, you realize everything leads back there. It's human nature to search for the truth, as children we're obsessed with the truth, the whole truth, asking why this and why that. We know as bin adan that there is something important in this world that we do not know, that we can't see or touch. A higher power. Something buried and branded deep in our roots or mind that tells us a higher power exists, and something more important than this world. This is the same area of our soul that we defrentiate between right and wrong. It's written in that same code.
Now that I said that, i'll say this....Every honest human being (that does not lie to themselves) is trying in their own way, to find the truth. Spiritual truth, not the often frivilous and shallow thoughts that cloud your mind, but the deep understanding that feels like a combination lock that just clicked into place. The feeling you get when you know something is right. That's why I like reading things and seeing things from other people's prespective. The most honest people I can think of are the ones who face every day ready to die.
This is why I started reading about books written by warriors long ago. One of them was a japanese man by the name of Musashi Miyamoto (a samurai of the pre-meiji period in japan, when dueling to the death was a very common event), the man that is widely accepted to be the greatest warrior of all time by modern day historians (even though those of us that have read about hamza and other ashaabs of the prophet peace be upon him know better). We as people seem to gain our greatest wisdom when faced with life threatening situations. This man was said to have won over 60 duels (not including battles).
So I went ahead and read a book he wrote called "Go Rin No Sho" or "Book of Five Rings" in which he discusses military/war strategy and mindset.
The most important area he stressed, right in the beginning of the book is "The way of the warrior", which he explains to be the "resolute acceptance of death". To see death, not as something to be in terrified fear of, but a sacrifice that every warrior must be ready and willing to make for the greater good. Now this is the part that really etched itself into my mind and heart.
Why? This is the same way in which the muslim is supposed to live. To think that a non-muslim from way back when understood this better than us present day muslims is truly sad. This is the muslim mind set, to be absolutely willing to die for our diin (religon). While their mindset was to die for their cause, what ever their cause might be at the time (defending family, country, pride and such), the muslim mindset should be for allah and diin. This is a part of the diin many of us forgot about. A very important and under used part of our iiman.