A
Allah
BECOMING AUTHENTIC
Today, modernity views guilt as a liability, a brake on our freedoms.
Guilt naturally inhibits excess, but society seems hell-bent on short-circuiting this safety switch. Without this built-in protection, aberrant notions such as You only live once, Just do it, Life is short, You’re still young, and many more iterations take hold.
With the relegation of guilt as a virtue, and the unfettered life now the rage, the individual has risen to the supreme godhead. Such extreme atomisation and unrestrained behaviour bind more and more to the ephemeral, drive us towards oblivion, and will, as surely as the night follows the day, destroy us.
We say it’s in pursuit of authenticity. But what we are doing is conflating authenticity with individuality. The individual’s neuroplastic range regarding his authenticity is limited. When we exceed the limits of our adaptation, we enter the realm of the unnatural, viz-à-viz, we become inauthentic.
If authenticity is sincerely our goal, we must remain within our natural habitat, as God intended. This means a life within the framework of the Quranic and Prophetic mandate. Only here can we thrive and become who God created us to be.
P
The Prophet (s)
THE ACCOMPANIED
Separating the soul from good connections, whether Divine or human, is Satan’s endeavour. It is thus no exaggeration that in the absence of meaningful connections, a void enters the soul where Satan’s whispering takes hold.
During his caliphate, Sayyiduna Umar (ra) warned of this danger when he quoted the Prophet (s) during a Friday sermon: ‘Behold! A man is not alone with a woman, but the third of them is Satan. Connect to the Jama’ah (good companionship), beware of separation, for indeed Satan is with one, and he is further away from two. Whoever wants the best place in Paradise, then let him stick to the Jama’ah. Whoever rejoices with his good deeds and grieves over his evil deeds, then that is the believer among you.'”
Having Satan as a companion is an aberration of the worst sort. But this does not only mean The Satan. We must also guard against the satans from amongst men. Both kinds distort our nature and fracture society by driving individualism.
“A society that fails to value communality—our need to belong to care for one another, and to feel caring energy flowing toward us,” writes Gabor Mate, “is a society facing away from the essence of what it means to be human. Pathology cannot but ensue.”
M
Think
Colonialists fear independent minds. And their worst nightmare is an independent country of independent minds. The nightmarish kind, those they overthrow.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
Join Allah, the Prophet, and me
Inspiring thoughts and ideas to deepen your connection with Allah and the Prophet (s).
Join me on this journey—enter your email now.
Follow me on Upscrolled, Instagram and X for short but powerful APM excerpts, quotes, and reminders throughout the week.
ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER
The APM Newsletter is a weekly Friday feature, sharing thoughts and ideas to help cultivate the link between Allah, the Prophet and me (meaning YOU).
- APM: Objectified Women, Limitless Generosity, and Organised Power
- APM: The Losers, Building the Base, and Scrambling Genocidaires
- APM: Halal but Un-Islamic, Friday Etiquette, and Encyclopaedias are Dangerous
- APM: A Self-Willed Rebellion, Let’s Prepare Now, and Losing Yourself
- APM: Confederate Temptations, Idol Worship, and Killing Shame
A
Allah
BECOMING AUTHENTIC
Today, modernity views guilt as a liability, a brake on our freedoms.
Guilt naturally inhibits excess, but society seems hell-bent on short-circuiting this safety switch. Without this built-in protection, aberrant notions such as You only live once, Just do it, Life is short, You’re still young, and many more iterations take hold.
With the relegation of guilt as a virtue, and the unfettered life now the rage, the individual has risen to the supreme godhead. Such extreme atomisation and unrestrained behaviour bind more and more to the ephemeral, drive us towards oblivion, and will, as surely as the night follows the day, destroy us.
We say it’s in pursuit of authenticity. But what we are doing is conflating authenticity with individuality. The individual’s neuroplastic range regarding his authenticity is limited. When we exceed the limits of our adaptation, we enter the realm of the unnatural, viz-à-viz, we become inauthentic.
If authenticity is sincerely our goal, we must remain within our natural habitat, as God intended. This means a life within the framework of the Quranic and Prophetic mandate. Only here can we thrive and become who God created us to be.
P
The Prophet (s)
THE ACCOMPANIED
Separating the soul from good connections, whether Divine or human, is Satan’s endeavour. It is thus no exaggeration that in the absence of meaningful connections, a void enters the soul where Satan’s whispering takes hold.
During his caliphate, Sayyiduna Umar (ra) warned of this danger when he quoted the Prophet (s) during a Friday sermon: ‘Behold! A man is not alone with a woman, but the third of them is Satan. Connect to the Jama’ah (good companionship), beware of separation, for indeed Satan is with one, and he is further away from two. Whoever wants the best place in Paradise, then let him stick to the Jama’ah. Whoever rejoices with his good deeds and grieves over his evil deeds, then that is the believer among you.'”
Having Satan as a companion is an aberration of the worst sort. But this does not only mean The Satan. We must also guard against the satans from amongst men. Both kinds distort our nature and fracture society by driving individualism.
“A society that fails to value communality—our need to belong to care for one another, and to feel caring energy flowing toward us,” writes Gabor Mate, “is a society facing away from the essence of what it means to be human. Pathology cannot but ensue.”
M
Think
Colonialists fear independent minds. And their worst nightmare is an independent country of independent minds. The nightmarish kind, those they overthrow.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
Join Allah, the Prophet, and me
Inspiring thoughts and ideas to deepen your connection with Allah and the Prophet (s).
Join me on this journey—enter your email now.
Follow me on Upscrolled, Instagram and X for short but powerful APM excerpts, quotes, and reminders throughout the week.
About The Newsletter
The APM Newsletter is a weekly Friday feature, sharing thoughts and ideas to help cultivate the link between Allah, the Prophet and me (meaning YOU).
Previous Posts
- APM: Objectified Women, Limitless Generosity, and Organised Power
- APM: The Losers, Building the Base, and Scrambling Genocidaires
- APM: Halal but Un-Islamic, Friday Etiquette, and Encyclopaedias are Dangerous
- APM: A Self-Willed Rebellion, Let’s Prepare Now, and Losing Yourself
- APM: Confederate Temptations, Idol Worship, and Killing Shame
