How would you react if you played a game where the rules of what’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’ change every time you level up? One minute you are gaining points for a move, and the next, that same move gets you banned. You would feel lost, right?
Life can feel the same when you don’t have a solid compass to guide your choices. Without a clear standard, it is easy to drift aimlessly, making mistakes while genuinely believing you are doing the right thing…
‘Because I Feel So!’
Most people go through life without a solid yardstick for their actions. This leads to some major contradictions:
- The Trend Follower: A Muslimah dresses a certain way (crop top and denims accompanied by a hijab) while roaming through the streets because it is aesthetic or popular, thinking it is a good move while actually crossing boundaries set by Deen.
- The Silent Observer: A person might spend all their time in a mosque but refuse to speak up against injustice, thinking they are being good by staying silent.
In both cases, they are missing the point because they are using their own ‘feelings’ or what the society ‘accepts’ as their guide.
Why Your Own Mind Isn’t Enough
If you rely solely on your own logic or the ‘ways’ of the world, your moral compass will constantly spin.
- It’s Unstable: What feels right today might feel wrong tomorrow. In the US alcohol was legal, then the 18th Amendment made it illegal, and then the 21st Amendment made it legal again. Millions of people went from law-abiding citizens to criminals and back without changing their behavior!
- It’s Relative: What’s considered ‘good’ in one country might be ‘bad’ in another. Live-in relationships are a social norm in the US, while Pakistan views it as contrary to Islamic social values.
- It’s Risky: You end up doing things that hurt your soul while thinking you are winning. Taking off your hijab for a special event! relatable? and skipping out on good deeds because you want to ‘fit-in.’
A Permanent Criterion
To stop the guesswork, Islam provides a permanent criterion: the Shari’ah. This is not just a list of rules; it is a constant, unchanging standard for once and all. It helps you see reality for what it is.
- Consistency: In Islam, ‘good’ doesn’t become ‘bad’ overnight because the year changed or a new TikTok trend started.
- Awareness: When you make Shari’ah your criteria, it is easy for you to traverse through life with clarity; the good and bad, the yes and no, are as clear as day.
- Success: You base your actions objectively on whether they are good or bad in the eyes of Allah swt, and not because they are popular or convenient.
The Takeaway:
To live with purpose instead of ‘existing,’ you need a standard that is bigger than your own opinions or the latest social media discourse.
One small step changes everything: Pick one habit you have, maybe something you do every day, and look it up through the lens of the Shari’ah. Is it ‘good’ according to Islamic criteria, or are you just doing it because it feels right in the moment?