The Muslim Mindset

If I offered you a thousand dollars for reading until the end of this post, would you accept? Unless you think I am an atrocious writer(hope that isn't the case), you most likely would. Now imagine I was actually good for it. Like Bill Gates, good for it. You would pay extra close attention until the very end. But more importantly, you will suddenly feel entitled to that $1,000. The money that never existed 5 minutes ago has now become one of your most prized possessions. If I change my mind at the last minute, I doubt you would let me off easy. "But that's my money", "I deserve it", "I earned it", and you get the point.

We feel entitled to the things we are offered, and even more entitled to the proposed fruits of our labor. We mentally claim ownership over things we have yet to physically possess. When we do possess them, we believe that these things are rightfully ours. We create a narrative in our head that all we own is because of something we did. And all that we do, should bring us the results we desire.

وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمٗا (76:30)

And you do not will except that Allah wills. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. (76:30)

This simple ayah right here explains to us exactly why so many people can never be content. Why the rich feel they haven't made enough money. Why the pro soccer player feels they haven't scored enough goals. Why the brain surgeon feels they have not saved enough lives. Why the teacher feels they have not produced enough A-plus students. Why every human ever feels their results just aren't enough.

It is this man made fallasy that keeps us trapped in a cycle of dissatisfaction. A fallasy that our input must result in the given output we set out to obtain. We feel we either never did enough, or never recieved enough, or sometimes even both. This ayah takes all of our expectations as students, parents, workers, investors, volunteers, etc, and challenges us. Who do we think we are? When exactly did we adopt the illusion that we are in full control?

Imagine a fisherman in a village who successfully catches fish every time he sets out to sea. He knows what time of day to set out, where in the ocean to go, what bait he needs to use, which net or string to cast, how long he needs to wait, and so on. Say he successfully brings back home 10 fish every day. We assume this man has a right to 10 fish every trip because he knows exactly what he is doing. What factors did we take for granted? The wind, the sun, the ocean, the nature of the fish, the time period he lives in, etc. Take that same fisherman to a coastline halfway across the world, back when people fished with spears. He would be lucky to just catch one.

As humans, we become so hyper-focused on what we have control over that we forget its insignificance to the things we have zero control over. You spent hours researching this company, so you must do well on the interview and land the job. Yet the company is only really interested in a female applicant (opposite of your gender) at this stage. You came so early for your appointment, so you must get in and out on time. Yet the person scheduled before you came last-minute and they still let him through, so you will be waiting a while. There are millions of scenarios we can all think of just like this, but I think you get the point.

As long as you feel entitled to what you will, all you will receive is dissatisfaction. Imagine all the wills of human beings competed for one another to get exactly what they desired. 1 out of 8.3 billion. But that wouldn't be fair, animals play a big role in our environment as well. Let's estimate 1 quintillion animals and insects are in the world. Well so do plants. Let's estimate another 1 quintillion. Now, where does that leave your will to overpower those of all the other creations of Allah? Something like:

0.00000000000000005%.

Those are the odds your will will triumph over all other living creatures solely thanks to you. As muslims we know the reality is you are in complete control exactly 0% of the time for 100% of your existence. But this also doesn't mean you have no control. See that percentage up above. That is probably as much control as you will ever have. Which brings us to the other side of the extreme. Those who believe they have absolutely 0% control 100% of the time. They are less common than the first, but live just as depressing lives.

While the first feels entitled to all that he desires, the latter feels unworthy of having any desire. They just accept whatever the world gives them with zero responsibility. Here, your life becomes meaningless. And so the first real challenge we must come to is understanding where we are on the spectrum. Then we must try and answer the following:

1. How do we stay motivated to achieve our goals, knowing we have extremely little control over the outcome?

2. How can we always be satisfied with the outcome?

3. What desires/outcomes should we chase?

For the first question, let us take the following image below:

Imagine all of these dots on the left each make up a fraction of the circle you see on the right. If even a single dot is missing, you will not have a complete circle. Now pick any single dot that calls out to you on the left. That is you. That is everything you have control over and do. Despite the insignificance of your dot, without it, you will never have a complete circle. Everything you do is both insignificant and necessary in achieving the outcomes you desire. Only with that mindset can we give everything we do our full effort without overstepping into arrogance and entitlement.

Now, how can we always be satisfied? Well then, you have to look to the circle on the right and only believe one thing: this is what Allah has willed for me. While we just said your outcomes are highly detached from what you personally do. Your outcomes are also completely for you. Understanding that all the outcomes in your life were willed upon you by Allah, who is the All-Knowing, All-Merciful, and All-Generous (and many more). Then there are no perfect outcomes but the ones you receive. Truly acknowledge Allah, and you will see that your life is perfect.

The final question, however, is a bit trickier. Desire. All we ever do comes from desires. Some big, some small. Some spontaneous, some thought out. Some halal, some haram. As humans, we are one big blob of competing desires. It is up to us to pick and chase the set of desires that will let us live our best lives. But which ones exactly?

The first question we should ask ourselves is: could acting upon this desire lead me to commit halal or haram? A mistake many people make is labeling their desires inthemsleves as halal or haram. Yet as humans, we have little to no control over the desires that spawn into us. What we have control over is how we act upon those desires. A muslim should not beat themselves up for having desires that lead to haram as long as they are never acted upon.

Another reason we must phrase the question in this manner is that it forces us to think beyond fulfilling the immediate desire. There are many times a non-haram desire can eventually lead to haram. For example, you have the desire to hang out with your non-Muslim friends at a bar. Obviously, given that you do not join them in drinking alcohol, this immediate desire seems harmless. But now imagine the setting you will be in, a place of major fitnah. You may commit haram (ex. zina of the eyes) without even trying. Asking if the desire could lead to haram forces you to see the bigger picture and avoid direct run-ins with haram in the future.

The second question we must ask is: if I fulfill this desire, who would it benefit or harm? The rule of thumb here is that the desire with the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people always wins, as long as nobody is unlawfully harmed. The reason our ummah is not nearly as advanced in society as it could be is for this very reason. Why should we care?

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ وَأَحَبُّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ سُرُورٌ تُدْخِلُهُ عَلَى مُسْلِمٍ أَوْ تَكْشِفُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً أَوْ تَقْضِي عَنْهُ دِينًا أَوْ تَطْرُدُ عَنْهُ جُوعًا وَلَأَنْ أَمْشِيَ مَعَ أَخٍ لِي فِي حَاجَةٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَعْتَكِفَ فِي هَذَا الْمَسْجِدِ يَعْنِي مَسْجِدَ الْمَدِينَةِ شَهْرًا وَمَنْ كَفَّ غَضَبَهُ سَتَرَ اللَّهُ عَوْرَتَهُ وَمَنْ كَظَمَ غَيْظَهُ وَلَوْ شَاءَ أَنْ يُمْضِيَهُ أَمْضَاهُ مَلأَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَلْبَهُ أَمْنًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمَنْ مَشَى مَعَ أَخِيهِ فِي حَاجَةٍ حَتَّى أَثْبَتَهَا لَهُ أَثْبَتَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدَمَهُ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ يَوْمَ تَزِلُّ فِيهِ الأَقْدَامُ

6/139 المعجم الأوسط للطبراني

906 المحدث الألباني خلاصة حكم المحدث صحيح في السلسلة الصحيحة

Ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people. The most beloved deed to Allah is to make a Muslim happy, or remove one of his troubles, or forgive his debt, or feed his hunger. That I walk with a brother regarding a need is more beloved to me than that I seclude myself in this mosque in Medina for a month. Whoever swallows his anger, then Allah will conceal his faults. Whoever suppresses his rage, even though he could fulfill his anger if he wished, then Allah will secure his heart on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever walks with his brother regarding a need until he secures it for him, then Allah Almighty will make his footing firm across the bridge on the day when the footings are shaken.”

Source: al-Mu’jam al-Awsaṭ lil-Ṭabarānī 6026

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

The moral of this hadith is quite simple: think bigger. As muslims we must constantly be thinking bigger than ourselves. Instead of competing with one another to be the most successful, we should compete in uplifting one another to make the entire ummah the most successful. This should start from yourself, to your family, to your friends, to anyone in your community, and so on and so forth.

Many of us surrender the full extent of good we could do to the few community members who never rest in helping out. Just imagine what would happen if everyone gave even a quarter of that effort. If money is your means to give back, then donate for the sake of Allah. If time is your means to give back, then show up for the sake of Allah. If knowledge is your means to give back, then teach for the sake of Allah. If speech is your means to give back, then spread awareness for the sake of Allah. Whatever your means are, use them for the sake of Allah to benefit the ummah.

There you have it. You must chase the desires that only lead you to halal and benefit the greatest number of people without unlawfully harming anyone. Furthermore, understanding that any outcomes you receive from doing so are perfect as Allah has decreed them for you. Adopt this framework, and you will cherish every second you have in this dunya. Your relationships will become so much more meaningful. The bounties Allah blesses you with will become so much more valuable. The world around you will become so much more beautiful.

Now, the reason I started this blog was to focus on one specific desire: Money. In future posts, I plan to dive deep into this single desire, how muslims should perceive it, how Muslims should go about getting it, and so and so forth. My ultimate goal, is to make any Muslim reading this properly equipped to become the biggest possible spender for the sake of Allah. So inshaAllah, stay tuned!