Aboard Noah's Ark - 2

It is interesting that in the Quran, there is almost no mentioning of the situation of the people aboard the ark during the flood. The two exceptions to this are the communication between Noah (pbuh) and his son and the prayer taught by God to the believers, both of which are linked to the beginning of the voyage. Following these, we are only told that the ark was cruising under the supervision of God Almighty. Then we are provided with a conversation between Noah and God after the flood, in which a message of blessing is given.

And when you have boarded the ship, you and those with you, then say, 'Praise to Allah who has saved us form the wrongdoing people.' Say, "Lord, grant us a blessed landing from the Ark; You are the One who provides the safest landing". (23/28-29)

Sailing under Our observation as reward for he who had been denied. (54/14)

It was said, "O Noah, disembark in security from Us and blessings upon you and upon nations [descending] from those with you... (11/48)

A rather plausible idea about what happened while on the ark during the flood is that the passengers all slept. If you read through the Quran, you see that sleep is a blessing that has been given to the servants of God on special occasions. The first of these cases is that of prophet Joshua pbuh. We are told that God made him sleep for hundred years, and then woke him to show a sign about how He is going to resurrect the dead (2/259). The second case of sleep is that of the Seven Sleepers, who were among the believers to the message of Jesus pbuh and who were made by God sleep for three centuries (18/25). Their sleep was a protection from the oppression of their people who were pushing them to revert to idolatry. Their awakening generations later was a sign of resurrection both for themselves and for the people living at the time.

The third example of sleep as a blessing is that before the battle of Badr between the first Muslims and the Meccan disbelievers. It was a situation where the intention of the believers was nothing more than retrieving their belongings and goods that were plundered by the disbelievers and were being sent to the markets of Damascus. So, the believers were not really there for a war, but God's plan was different. All-Seeing God descended upon them serenity and they couldn't help sleeping, whereas the opponents were overstressed. When the war broke out, with the help of angels sent by God, it didn't take too long for the believers to defeat the disbelievers.

When He made the slumber fall upon you as a reassurance from him and sent down water from the sky upon you, that thereby He might purify you, and remove from you the fear of Satan, and make strong your hearts and firm (your) feet thereby. (8/11)

When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike above their necks and strike every fingertip of them. (8/12)

With all these in mind, if we return to the believers on the ark during the flood, the fact that nothing mentioned about them on the ark could be a sign that there actually was nothing to be mentioned after all, because they were sleeping all along the journey, which was overseen and guided by God. Furthermore, when they woke up with all the serenity from the sleep, which probably happened shortly before they came out, they were mentally and bodily ready to tackle with everything else. 

At this point, it is noteworthy to remember that sleep is an essential part of brain operations. During the sleep, unlike what we suppose, brain is very active; especially during the deep sleep that is referred to as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It has been scientifically proven that sleeping is an integral part of memory consolidation and the ability to perceive. In other words, thinking critically and deeply and making thoughtful decisions require a brain that has had its proper sleep.

Having had their deep sleep and a good rest, what were they thinking before they fell asleep: Why did all this happen and how to prevent a replay? Now, they can analyze things better and arrive at more objective conclusions thereof. Thanks to the events they have witnessed within their own lifetime, they can more wisely establish whys, what fors and hows. And in fact, this is a must on them, because they have the duty of starting a new line on a clean page that is going to trace a picture pleasing to their beloved Lord.

Aboard Noah's Ark - 1

To be or not to be in the ark... That was the stark line that separated life and death. But it also revealed for many the result of an exam on an eternal bliss vs eternal loss... Still, the life on the ark was that of this world and the passengers were confined to human conditions. That meant all of the worries, fears, hopes, angers, desires and question marks composing the human nature.

Are we going to survive these mountain-like waves? Even if we survived, how are we going to start life again, given the destruction of the flood? We've got limited food and water supply... 

These and many more uncertainties would face a strong answer, though.

We could have been among the crowd that has already drowned. God saved us by our faith and He is the guarantor of everything else during our voyage on this ark. His messenger is with us, too.

Yes, outside, the monstrous waves are smashing the hull of the ship, the wind is roaring wildly, which are scary, but at the same time, you are protected inside despite all that turmoil. You just need to learn to trust your Lord, the Sustainer. And with that trust, comes calmness that penetrates your body, and you fall asleep...

When you wake up, you see that you are still alive. Yes the waves are still smashing the hull, the wind is still roaring, and you are still protected. Although you are in a confined space, from another perspective, it is the events outside that are in a cage. They can't and don't penetrate the ark. So, you get used to this situation. Then, you start thinking more subtle and serious issues. Why and how did all this happen?

Yes, why did all this happen? Simple answer, because the others not only did not believe but also created a social system in which nobody could dare to approach Noah, let alone become a believer. They made sure that not only themselves but also future generations, too, are not going to fall to the calls of Noah. So, when all was done on both sides and when every attempt has failed, Noah prayed for the destruction of the disbelievers, for their society is going to bear none but those who violate and manipulate the freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and who create conflict on earth.

He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day. But my call has only made them flee the more. And verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride. (71/5-7)

Noah said, "My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss. And they have devised a tremendous plot. (71/21-22)

And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant. If You leave them, they will mislead Your servants, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers. (71/26-27)

So he invoked his Lord, "I am defeated; so, help!" (54/10)

Seeing the before and after of the events, you would definitely be engulfed in a mix of feelings. Relieved of the constant pressure and mockery of the disbelievers, but grieved at the loss of loved ones. Angry at the stubbornness of the wicked people in their despicable lives, but fearing your own existence and future... But an eventual thought would hit you. If you and other believers are saved along with the messenger of God, that means there is a continuation to this story. If there is a continuation, that means there is life, prosperity, family and a community of believers who are committed to each other. But would this dramatic end repeat itself somehow?

First of all, whether there is a possibility of a replay or not, you are responsible of teaching the faith to the new generations. For that, you sure are going to tell them what happened in the past, and the ark is going to be the ideal school building for that purpose. A school, a worship place, a sign for all future generations to come... This is all good but, what else can you do to ensure that people are not going to revert to the same atrocities against each other, even if they are personally in disbelief?

Anger Engine - 6

The connotation of anger is heat. Indeed, when angry, our body temperature increases and it becomes manifest on our faces. This state of ours, when explosively relieves itself, causes destructive results. Breaking things apart as such does not have to be the case, however. The same energy and power can be channeled to make permanent changes for the better.

In our study of anger towards God, we came to the point where we voluntarily decided to change things in ourselves. We started to work on a more direct and unmediated relationship with him. We were hoping to find, at last, peace with God and peace in our soul through such efforts. To our surprise, however, we realized that our All-Wise Guide wants us to do more and risk more! Why is it not enough for Him that we want to change ourselves?

There are several rays of wisdom shining from this enigma. First, God has different names and attributes, each having a different manifestation. Our state of anger towards Him, although forgivable through His mercy, requires a payment or a sacrifice as atonement. That is why we are pushed towards our limits, which may seem exacerbating the situation; but in fact, that state is a precursor to the peaceful days, as required by His compassion, mercy and generosity (2/214).

Second, the final word of God, Quran, is sent not as a library classic (25/30, 62/5) but as a genetic code to be brought alive through our deliberate and thoughtful actions (13/31, 59/21). Failing to do so is against the will of God. Therefore, He wants us to embrace the Quran wholly, and practice it even if it means going against the status quo, prejudices, social pressure or even if it means material loss (5/54). By pushing us to our limits in different aspects of life, several of them at the same time, the All-Wise Educator is ensuring that we are going to be obliged to explore the entire universe of the Quran. After all, it was us who had invited the tribulations by acting conservatively and risk-free by orbiting around the same, old planet (2/85).

Third, when we make a decision to change things in our selves, while crushed under the pressure of the unfortunate events, this is a reactionary state that is destined to fade by time. It does not warrant a permanent change (44/15). That is, even if we do things for a little while in the way pleasing to God, in the long run, as our feelings and anger sooth, we are likely to return to a robotic and conservative state, devoid of life and change. Quran is there to bring life to our relationship with God through His different names. So, our Lord pushes us to make irreversible changes both in ourselves and around us to cast a permanent improvement. He wants to ensure that we are not going to go back. Of course, He could do this using His infinite will and power, but that is against the notion of free will. So, our tolerant Lord prepares the grounds upon which we are going to take actions willfully. What those actions are depends on who we are and the circumstances we are in. We must read the Quran through the lens of the conditions surrounding us, which are likely to help us see the points that were previously invisible (50/22).

Fourth, if we are amidst unjust and unfair treatments, on one side it is us who must change, but on the other side, our environment must change, too. If God is telling us the signs of change through the tongue of misfortunes, He is also telling us by the same token to change things around ourselves as well. After all, justice and solidarity among people can not be established without healing the existing injustices. After all, the same mistakes are inevitable without changing the minds and paradigms. Ok but, how can you accomplish this daunting task, given that it is your failure thereof that has led to the tribulations and oppression crushing you?

This is where your faith goes into a challenge. If you do what is due to you and change yourself for the better, than on the other side of this contract is your Lord (2/40). He is the one to change what you are unable to. How He makes that happen is a matter of wonder. One thing is for sure, though. When He gives the reins to your hand in order for you to steer things towards the good, you must be ready for it. Realize that you cannot get ready for such mission if you don't get rid of the psychology of herd, if you cannot break free of slave mentality. You cannot prepare grand projects for the future, if your greatest ambitions are about recreating the past, which has been devastated by the Almighty. Looking into prosperous days requires you to trust in the power and will of your Merciful and Wise Lord, who is the cause of all causes.

So, the best time to make changes to ourselves is when we are angry and under pressure. It is also the best time to draft comprehensive plans to be  realized in the future. The readiness of those plans and your commitment thereof are not going to be wasted by the Exquisite Designer of the universe, who dislikes waste (6/95, 7/31). He is going to prepare not only the conditions but also the people so that you can achieve in short time what would be impossible for you otherwise.

GET READY.

Relevant Quranic verses to the topic: 

Children of Israel, recall My favors which you enjoyed. Fulfill your covenant with Me and I shall fulfill Mine. Revere only Me. (2/40)

... So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do. (2/85)

Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said,"When is the help of Allah ?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. (2/214)

And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, "Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?" (4/75)

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah , witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (5/8)

O you who believe! Whoever of you reverts from his religion, (know that in his stead) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who loves Him, humble toward believers, stern toward disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer. Such is the grace of Allah which He gives unto whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. (5/54)

O believers, look after your own souls. He who is astray cannot hurt you, if you are rightly guided. Unto God shall you return, all together, and He will tell you what you were doing. (5/105)

Indeed We sent to nations before thee, and We seized them with misery and hardship that they might be humble; Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing. Then, when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, and lo! they were dumbfounded. (6/42-44)

Surely Allah causes the grain and the stone to germinate; He brings forth the living from the dead and He is the bringer forth of the dead from the living; that is Allah! how are you then turned away. (6/95)

O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters. (7/31)

And if there was any qur'an by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur'an], ... (13/31)

And the Messenger cried out: O my Lord! surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing. (25/30)

And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. (29/69)

We shall remove the torment for a while but you will revert to your old ways. (44/15)

Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp. (50/22)

Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect . (59/21)

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (62/5)

Anger Engine - 4

"Till, when the Messengers despaired, deeming they were counted liars, Our help came to them and whosoever We willed was delivered. Our might will never be turned back from the people of the sinners." (12/110)

If you are subjected to unrelenting misfortunes, that means you are forced by the destiny to change. You may be aware of this or not but, things will never be the same again because of the sufferings that have carved their memories permanently into your memory. You subconscious has developed an immune reaction towards the conditions that brought about your misery. Even if you consciously have not understood this situation yet, your brain is more intelligent than you! That's why it thinks on your behalf, when it realizes that you are not taking proper action. If, on the other hand, you have pondered on the events and critically analyzed things, you sure have made some conclusions to seed the change in your life.

Thus was the situation of the Muslim world a century ago. Wars and conflicts that claimed the lives of millions and killed the hopes of the survivors forged the people in ways that was impossible otherwise. I am saying this, but that should not be understood as an indifference to human suffering. Rather, I want to take a picture of the past, now that we are far enough from it. The signs of a need for change were knocking on the doors of the believers, but they consistently managed to convince themselves otherwise, and backed up their position using the holy sources. So, until those cruel times, the Muslims, especially the scholars, had full conviction about their truthfulness according to their understanding of the revealed word of God. Accordingly, they went on with their critique-lacking and politically-guided ways of life that they had learned from their intellectual forebearers. So, they repeatedly worked hard to disregard the deteriorating situations in favor of their millennium-long understandings. Doing so, they closed their eyes to the creation unfolding before their eyes, but they forgot the fact that creation is also the word of God in the process of revelation, if you are willing to heed. That is why ease comes out from embracing the creation, and the oppposite from deeming yourself immune to the winds of change.

But as for him who is a miser, and self-sufficient, And rejects the best, We will ease him toward difficulty. (92/8-10)

The discrepancy between what has been told you about God's will and what is happening outside was the reason of your anger against God. Now that the body of scholars and their teachings have lost reputation, and now that the community of believers, that has been acting not as a support for the good but as an obstacle against change, has been dismantled, you are ready for a brand new meeting with God, His messenger and His word. A meeting that will take place along with other individuals who are ready to embark on an adventure towards God through uncharted territories, using the vehicles of insight and will power:

Say: "This is my way: I invite to Allah with insight (on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes), I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah!... (12/108)

O you who believe! Whoever of you reverts from his religion, (know that in his stead) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who loves Him, humble toward believers, stern toward disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer. Such is the grace of Allah which He gives unto whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. (5/54)

Nevertheless, as the saying goes, flowers make their blooms with the rain, while the snakes make their venom with the same. A time of rebirth brings its own challenges. That is, the properties of those blessed ones foretold in the verses above can also be understood as admonishment for not straying once again!

That is because Allah would not change a favor which He had bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves. And indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (8/53)

Anger Engine - 1

In the common experience of everyday life, anger is treated as a negative emotion. It is seen as the top manager of a destructive power. Overall, we are told to manage it in order to keep it at bay. I think, this scary image about anger is not fair when you consider the big picture about it. One of three powers of the ego, anger is our immune system's behavioral manifestation to repel evil, avoid loss or prevent damage.

However,  the definition and description of evil show variations from person to person, despite some universal commonalities. Plus, at the core, every individual prioritizes their personal or their own family's/company's/etc. well being, which sooner or later may contradict with the well being of others, or even with their existence and life. Such contradictions are the birthplace of anger.

When we get angry, the famous fight or flight response mechanism is triggered in our body. That is, we become more energetic to take action, and our attention is focused precisely on what threatens us. This state of psychology is very much like an arrow, placed on a bow and the string pulled all the way back. As you would appreciate, if in case of a war, this is exactly what you need; but at the same time, this is exactly when mistakes are made, hence the negative fame of anger.

So, anger is like fire. It is powerful, and needs care when handling; but it is by no means evil in the absolute sense. Anger management is born from this conclusion. It is aimed at harvesting the advantages of anger while avoiding the disadvantages. Expressed differently, what we call anger is a state of mind when anger takes the lead of other two powers of the ego. So, in case of untamed anger, wisdom and lust serve to warrant self-interest at the expense of what is in the target. Conversely, tamed anger, or you can call this anger management, ensures well-being of the self within the framework of certain rules. These rules can be due to laws, traditions, or religious/ethical values.

In life, we get angry towards people or events, and sometimes towards ourselves. These situations have been the focus of much thought and many studies. A simple search on anger can lead you to countless online sources. So, I am not going to spend time with this branch of the topic other than employing its results to understand the human psyche in context of anger. What I really want to do is to understand how anger affects our relationship with our Creator. That is, I want to explore "the anger towards God".

Before we embark on this subtle and sensitive topic, let's garner the lessons learned from the study of anger. First, it is a behavioral immune response in the face of a threat to our well-being materially, psychologically or spiritually. Second, anger focuses our attention towards the threat, which has the side effect of narrowing our perspective, as well. Third, getting angry makes us more energetic; in fact, too energetic. Fourth, anger utilizes the pathways in our minds that ensure the shortest and quickest, but not necessarily wisest, way to defeat a threat. Five, fear and grief are two factors that seed anger. So, untreated grief or fear yields anger towards their source in the long run.

You may be asking yourself "why would anyone be angry towards God?". Or, you may be thinking that a person who gets angry with God can not be a believer, but an arrogant disbeliever. It is also possible that you are relieved upon seeing this discussion, for you have seen at last that you are not the only one angry with God. Or you may just be wondering where this discussion is going. Whatever the case, if you make a search on "angry with God", you are going to see that this is not a new matter at all.

In fact, it is part of an all-time discussion on existence of evil despite a God who introduces Himself as merciful and compassionate. The general discussion of the problem of evil is not going to be my focus here. Rather, I want to explore from an Islamic perspective the individuals' relationship with God when clouded by anger. I thought this is worth exploring, because, one, Islam means submission and that notion is dictated to the Muslims as an obligation to suppress their feelings and thoughts if they mean objection to God's decree, two, the modern times are getting ever more full of situations where people find it hard to justify what befalls them with the compassion and wisdom of God. In short, how do you accommodate your anger towards God in context of Islam? Or, do you, in the first place?

As a start, consider the following sample cases:

• You were a child. Your father was killed by the soldiers of an invading country that wants to exploit the natural resources there. Your mother and sister were raped, and killed. And you were beaten until you fell unconscious. As these were happening, you constantly prayed to God, but nothing happened. Later on, you were rescued by volunteer groups who took you to another country, where you were raised near a foster family who were atheists. When you grew up, even the thought of God drove you crazy. 
• You were born with non-traditional sexual traits, but these were left unnoticed until your adolescence. When things surfaced, your family and your close friends became your enemy. They outcast you as if you were devil, and must be annihilated. Left alone, you found yourself a new set of friends, who had similar traits as you or who did not bother these issues. However, unlike your religious family, your new social environment was rather far from God. Since you have done nothing wrong, but just had the God-given properties at birth, you cannot justify in your mind and soul the animosity from your family and the older group of friends. You are suffering deeply in your heart, praying from the depths of your heart, but the God, who created you as you are, seems to be indifferent to your suffering in the face of unfair animosity from people.
• You served to the education of people and did your best to proclaim the message of mercy from God. One day, you were slandered, and were put in prison without any questioning or trial. Nobody asked you anything nor made any explanations. You didn't know what was happening and why. Then, occasional tortures started. Your cries and flowing blood were considered as a sign of success by the guardians. And the One who admonished you to pray for help stayed silent while witnessing all of the injustice. The thought of being abandoned by your Protector to the hands of lions suffocated your heart, but you resisted, thinking that this is but a trial. However, days, weeks, months followed, and nothing changed. Not being able to see the end of the tunnel, you increased your prayers. You added your tears to your implorations for God. Still, nothing changed in your situation. You started fighting against your own mind in order not to accept the picture surrounding you: you are left alone. As time went on, more people were added to the list of unfairly treated. Even the new-born babies were imprisoned along with their moms. You are not able to defeat that thought anymore. All evidences show that even the One for whom you risked everything is siding with the wrongful enemy!

If these three stories seemed too harsh for you, I should tell that I wanted to use some story telling techniques to enable you to empathize with those characters. Nevertheless, you should at the same time know that they are rather realistic. Still, if these scenarios seem unacceptable to you, it is quite possible that you never went through a trial in your life where your faith was shaken from its foundations; that is, it is easy for you to speak so boldly. If, on the other hand, you had similar experiences in your life or have observed some closely, then you can very easily appreciate the burden crushing the souls of these characters.

If you say that you went through such heavy burdens, and never felt shaken in your faith, even a minute, either your faith is real and strong, thank God, or you are lying to yourself, because you deliberately suppressed your feelings and thoughts since they were flavored with rebellion against God's decree. This, however, does not mean that your subconscious is accepting whatever you are dictating at it. Rather, your subconscious goes on with its job unbeknownst to you. Your worship gradually becomes robotic and repetitive. Your thoughts and explanations of faith matters evolve into being irrational and dogmatic, because rational thought necessitates tangible evidence and in your case, the rational evidences point at the discrepancy between your faith and the existing conditions around you.

"Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction? And certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly know those who are true and He will certainly know the liars." (29/2-3)

"When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats, and you were harboring doubts about Allah." (33/10)

Emotion Management - 5

A machine is a machine because it does exactly what we design it for. However, there are machines that do the same thing no matter when and where, and there are machines that can learn and adapt to who, when and where. Today's smart technologies are distinguished from the past technologies, mainly because they can evolve and do things that were not explicitly registered in their memory in the beginning. More technically speaking, they "learn". How do they do it? Of course by "reading", "analyzing", "predicting", "trying" and "not fearing failure".

Wait a second! I said "not fearing failure". A machine has no emotions. How can it fear? If you think so, too, this is exactly the point I am trying to make. A machine has no conscience and no free will to deliberately try something. If there is no intention, there is no failure. So, failure and the feelings and emotions coming with it are the things that we, humans, have in our minds. That's why it is meaningless to shout at your car when it breaks down; or a car is not guilty in case of an accident but its driver, although it is the car what made the harm and damage. Therefore, both success and failure comes with a prerequisite of intention.

Accordingly, when we talk about the learning of the machines, we are automatically considering the intentions of the designers and manufacturers manifest in that machine and its actions. Also, when we say that machines don't fear failure, we are basically confirming the famous observation that "success usually comes from consistent trials and learning from errors, without succumbing to the shame of failure."

Although virtually everybody is in favor of the development and deployment of technology, which feeds from the tolerance shown for the mistakes on the way, we humans are not as welcoming to the human mistakes. We have a tendency to curtail the "courage to stand up and try again" in others and in ourselves. Except for babies and sometimes little children!

Remember, failure or success has a prerequisite of intention. A baby or a little child has no clear intention, and are innocent. That's how they get away without being reprimanded or punished for their mistakes as an adult, and that's how they go on trying.

Why is this topic important for us, when we are discussing emotion management? At the end of the previous episode, we had said "So, we need to develop an emotional immunity to travel on the questionable grounds, build brakes to avoid sins and acquire connections to recovery methods in case we sin." A rule of thumb in all of the three cases in this sentence is to keep going. That is, no matter what happens, as quickly as possible, as much as possible and as diverse as possible, go on doing good deeds.

"Indeed, Allah leaves astray whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him]. Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured. Those who have believed and done righteous deeds - a good state is theirs and a good return." (13/27-29)

In order to better digest this verse, remember that in the Quranic terminology, heart does not refer to the biological heart (7/179). It refers to our thinking ability with common sense. If anything, the word heart in the Quran refers to the brain. One can ask at this point why, instead of saying brain directly, is the heart mentioned? If you think in terms of our topic, you can have a glance of the answer. Thoughts are not free of emotions, and emotions are linked to the heart in the public speech. So, the concept of "a heart that understands" comprises all of these.

The verse quoted above admonishes that Allah guides those who return to Him. In order to return, you must first be heading away! Upon your experiences, whatever they might be, you must return to Him through remembrance of a thinking heart that energizes good deeds. With this state, you are promised a warm welcome with your Lord. And such warm welcome is the manifestation of the fact that your Creator does not define you through your mistakes but through your returns; a fact that encourages further attempts of discovery and an attitude that fosters love and belonging to your Friend.

In this context, you can remember the story of Nuayman ibn Amr, a companion of the prophet Muhammad pbuh. This companion, although fought in the name of God in many battles and pursued other good deeds in his life, could not give up alcohol despite the clear ban by Allah. Nevertheless, he never succumbed to his failure to give up, but always stood up and tried again. And for this attitude of his, he was praised by the messenger of God.

Emotion Management - 1

Emotions are one of the elements that separate humans from machines. What transforms a piece of metal to a valuable memory is the emotions associated with it. What makes a human being special for us is the emotions we harbor for them. And what inspires a good lesson out of any experience is the emotions that are triggered by it. So, it is important to explore the emotions and learn to manage them, because they are part of the secret behind the fact that we are alive, conscious and are accountable for our actions.

You must have heard of time management, anger management, risk management, crisis management, perception management. How about emotion management? This is a concept that is newly emerging and gaining popularity due to its relation to how satisfied we are in anything we do or in life in general. I should say that I have a problem with this framework on emotions, because I think that emotions are not "an animal to be tamed and put into our service". Rather, I think that emotions belong to a larger picture that extends to infinity, where we are not necessarily the center of everything but where we are in relation to everything. The foremost of these relations is, of course, with our Creator, who equipped us with the emotions.

Reading through the Quran, you can come across with the situations where emotions are evident. In this first episode of "Emotion Management", we are going to start a journey through the Quran, during which we are going to see some examples and reflect upon them.

And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful. If after his hardship, We grant him a blessing, he grows proud and rejoicing and says, "All my hardships have gone". Except those who are patient and do good, they shall have forgiveness and a great reward. (11/9-11) 

But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me." And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me." (89/15-16)

Here, we see a person who, first, falls into despair due to hardship. Such despair, actually, stems from the subconscious supposition that "the good days are gone for ever". Depending on the depth and duration of the hardship, grief calls its twin-at-birth, i.e. anger. When not properly treated, grief triggers anger, which is originally aimed at destroying the cause of grief (see the story of prophet Moses in this context, 20/83-98). This is a psychological immune response for our well-being, but its uncontrolled action here is carrying its owner away from God. Remember that what exacerbates the situation is the magnitude and size of the misfortune, not in reality but, in our imagination. It is all about our expectations of the future. Just like getting angry towards your teacher, who is challenging you to improve yourself and thus destroying your comfort, is pointless, building mountains of imaginary losses when there is actually one or a few is irrational.

Our Sustainer wants us to see and stick to the reality, and He doesn't like despairing of Him. Then why did He create the link between grief and anger, which in turn creates complications on the way to Him? Yes, it is true that He created us and everything in us, but remember that He created us with a free will and with an auto-pilot. Our free will is the real us, but if we don't exercise our will in the proper way, then the auto-pilot kicks in to ensure our stability in existence. This is when the undesired results emerge. Plus, God clearly tells that He does not burden the humans with a load beyond their capacity (2/286), but sometimes the load may be more than what you are used to or greater than what you think you are capable of. In such cases, we humans may lean towards despair and rebellion as an auto-pilot reaction. Nevertheless in the long run, we are asked to take the reins of our free will and pull the stick up, as implied by the "forgiveness" mentioned in the above verses. Our merciful and compassionate God wants to see us and accompany us as we emerge from darkness to His light. And sometimes, He wants us to break the walls around us in order to open the way for other blessings.

Allah is the guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light; and (as to) those who disbelieve, their guardians are the evil ones who take them out of the light into the darkness; they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide. (2/257)

Returning to the above verses on human emotion in case of alternation of blessings and misfortunes, we are told that when God removes the restriction on the person, who has been hopeless and ungrateful until then, they go to the other extreme of "supposing everything will be fine for ever", a subconscious and irrational overgeneralization leading again to ungratefulness to the granter and sustainer of those blessings. So again, our Guide wants us to realize that neither the blessings nor the misfortunes occur on their own, nor are they unbounded. Everything takes place through a plan, and we are asked to trust our Supporter.

No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being - indeed that, for Allah , is easy. (57/22)

These same notions, and more, are depicted in other verses, too, where, for example, the person goes on subconsciously thinking that they receive blessings either because they are special or because they deserved them.

So when harm afflicts a man he calls upon Us; then, when We give him a favor from Us, he says: I have been given it only by means of knowledge. Nay, it is a trial, but most of them do not know. (39/49)

The notion of deserving the blessings and honors, i.e. self confidence, is a reflection of ego, and it also exhibits itself in "the acceptance of the great trust by humans", whereby they accept being tested by the free will:

“Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.” (33/72)

Feeling valuable and having self confidence for taking risks and accepting challenges are essential dynamics for the human soul. They are also helpful for taking refuge in God and seeking His accordance and help, because who, other than the infinitely powerful One, can meet the needs of a creature that has unbounded appetites and passions!