Friday, 14 December 2012
i love this article !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
n would like to share wit like-minded people with me... JOM
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n would like to share wit like-minded people with me... JOM
source
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
As-salamu `alaikum Dear Youcef,
Repetition of positive thoughts or affirming thoughts are like the zikr (remembrance) of Allah. In the same way we repeat the attributes of Allah to grow closer to Allah, we also repeat our own attributes to help us grow closer to them.
For example, when one repeats “Allahu Akbar” over and over while holding the Tasbeeh (beads), the person is not actually giving that attribute to Allah, nor does it imply that it was not there before.
In the same way, when you repeat, “I am a great Muslim” over and over you are not bringing something about that is not true and you are not inventing things, you are simply bringing yourself closer to those things that are within yourself- your potential.
Additionally, one must remember that although we can be given the illusion of controlit is not control we are taking, it is a choice we are making – a choice to reach closer to those good things Allah has put inside of us.
In the Qur'an (26:68) it says “And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses.” and, “To whomsoever among you who wills to walk straight. And you will not, unless (it be) that Allah wills, the Lord of the worlds (81:28-29)”.
A Hadith by Muslim states, “And the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "If the whole of mankind gathered to do something to help us, they could not help in anything which Allah had not already written for us. And if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm us, then they would not be able to harm with anything which Allah had not already written for us."
So, it is clear that nothing happens without His will. So if you were not created with success, happiness, goodness, and strong faith as a Muslim, no amount of positive thought would bring you there. Perhaps the answer to your prayer was in you finding this method. Prayers are rarely answered in the way we expect them to be.
If the positive thinking techniques are working for you then they are working only by the will of Allah and they are working because those traits were in you already, you just needed to grow closer to them.
The Cherry Tree
You can also think of it this way -
Pretend that you woke up every morning and said (instead of a positive thought), “I am so tired. I wish I could sleep one more hour”. You would imagine, over time that you were so sleep deprived.
You might become obsessed with it and you might even start trying to find ways to get more sleep. You would become focused on your lack of sleep – that which you did not have. You would wake up each day in a very bad mood.
Now pretend that, instead, you wake up every morning and you look out the window and you notice the lovely cherry tree in the front lawn and how it changes colors with the seasons and how it is so beautiful every morning with different birds and the way the sun rises behind it.
In the second case you would imagine that you must be the luckiest person on earth to wake up every morning to such beauty. You would start the day with love and joy in your heart.
Looking back, however, we can see that both things are true. You did need an extra hour of sleep every day AND the cherry tree is beautiful. But the one that becomes “true” and “alive” in your life is the one you focus on. It does not matter that each are equally real. What matters is what you focus on.
In the same way, when you choose to focus on the positive you bring it to the surface. It was always there. You just didn't notice the “cherry trees” of positive attributes you had before because you were too busy focusing on the lack of sleep.
Positive thinking really just helps you see what is already there or what Allah has already put into your path.
***
There is another Hadith that states, "Each one of you will find it easy to do what he was created for." In your case, you found an “easy” way to do what you were created for – using the tools of positive affirmation. Because this tool is not directly from the Qur'an does not make it wrong.
Ali ibn Abi Talib related that the Prophet said, "One's final destination, in Hell or Paradise, is already determined for each one of you." A man then said, "Should we depend on this, O Messenger of Allah (meaning to abandon working deeds)?" He said, "No. Perform deeds, because everyone will be helped (to go on the path that he chooses and reach his destiny)." Then he said, "All will be helped to satisfy what they were created for." The Prophet ordered the companions to perform righteous, good deeds and not to depend on Al-Qadar (destiny).
Although this Hadith relates to one's perspective of Al-Qadar and to performing good deeds it also shows that the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was encouraging his companions to “create their own reality” in some ways.
There is a famous saying that says, “Acquire knowledge even if you have to travel to China”. This honors the fact that people speak and think in different ways and that there is wisdom in many methods and cultures. Thus, what makes a tool wrong is not that it is from a source outside the Qur'an. What would make a tool wrong is if it went against something in the Qur'an.
In this case we already know that nothing can come about without the will of Allah and that we will find the path that is easy for us and the one we are meant to be on. Positive affirmation is helping you to find your path and grow closer to it. And the fact that is it working is by the will of Allah, for if He did not will it to work, it would not.
***
When you recite affirmations and participate in positive thinking techniques you can add “Insha' Allah” to the end. Many people perceive this to mean that they are putting their affirmation into the hands of Allah to decide. However, since many things are predestined, this is not the case.
When one says “Insha'allah” it is a way to remind us that things happen with the will of Allah and for us to remember to be thankful for that. It is not meant to discourage us and make us think that we cannot choose to take one path over another.
Positive thinking and reciting affirmations is a way to reach out to the goodness that is already within yourself and bring that to the surface “by the will of Allah” who placed it there to begin with.
Therefore, it is not haram to use positive thinking and affirmations.
However, one can also realize that it does not cancel out one's positive thinking and affirmations by putting “Insha'allah” at the end of them.
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POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS DAILY:
We Get What We Strive For
TRY SAYING SOME OF THESE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS DAILY:
- Insha Allah, I will see stressful situations as challenges.
- Challenges bring opportunities.
- Insha Allah, I will choose to focus on the good things and not the bad.
- Insha Allah, I will deal with whatever Allah swt puts before me in the best way (with patience and prayer).
- Insha Allah I will strive to get and maintain balance in my life.
- Insha Allah, I am loveable and open to giving and receiving love.
- With Allah swt is my success.
- I have good intentions (niyyah).
Repeat the affirmations faithfully ever day and you will find over time that these concepts will re-program the way you think, turning you into a more positive person Insha'Allah.
Allah swt tells us in the Holy Quran that man gets what he strives for. We know that what we put our focus, energy and efforts on is what we ultimately strive for.....we can get there from here....just believe in the power of faith and good deeds, surely Allah swt hears the prayers of every supplicant!!
Explanation of this Ayat from Tafsir
"That no bearer of burdens can canbear the burden of another. That man have nothing except what he strives for. That (the fruit) of his striving will soon come to sight. Then will he be rewarded with a reward complete."(Quran 53:38-41)
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We Get What We Strive For
Our inner conversations, words, thoughts and feelings determine the kind of life and reality we experience. If we occupy our mind with negative thoughts and expect difficulties and problems, we will draw them into our lives. If we constantly think of success we will achieve success. If we find it difficult to think positively, affirmations can help us change the way we think!
The greatness of our human mind is that we can think and imagine what does not exist right now. We can envision situations and circumstances that are different from our current reality, and in this way we can create better situations and circumstances.
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