As said previously, I’d breakdown the talk by Moez Masoud in a number of posts. So if you see “Soul Cruch” in the header, that’d be part of the “series”. Sounds like a TV show now, doesn’t it? Huhuhu. Soooo…righty ho!
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We are living in a time where greed takes a predominant role in our lives and in our society. We keep wanting something that we don’t really need. May it be a new pair of branded stilettos despite already having a cupboard full of them; or a need to cut off more trees to build more shopping complexes despite already having shopping complexes that are still half empty. Once we start thinking that we need what we really don’t need, we’d begin to desperately search for more “space” to accommodate these needs – whether or not it’s on the expense of others (humans, non-humans, earth). It doesn’t matter. As long as we can get what we THINK we need, that is all that should matter. As the saying goes; the ends justify the means. But we can’t really have enough of what we don’t really need.
The Prophet used to say, “If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would love to have a second one; and if he were given a second one, he would love to have a third, for nothing fills the belly of Adam’s son except dust.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Our time today is ruled by this “materialistic philosophy”. This greed in humans is like a cancerous cell. It multiplies and kills. Let’s just look at the state of our environment today. Flash floods, landslides, excessive raining, thinning of the ozone layer. Why are these happening? So that WE could have a taste of what we have done.
Corruption have appeared on land and in the sea because of the hands of men; Allah wants them to taste a part of their doings, so that they might return to the right path. (Surah Ar Rum:41)
What’s happening to the environment today is caused by man himself. US! (us as in we..not the United States) Their desire to gain profits, and more profits, and MORE profits. The “need” to meet the infinite materialisitc demands.
Inside of us, there is the nafs which could be defined as soul, self, ego. Take your pick. To understand its nature, we would then have to look at Surah Yusuf, ayat 53:
And I am not free (from blame), for the inner self (nafs) is inclined to evil, except when My Lord bestows His Mercy (Upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
With this nafs, we could either:
- control it and command it to do good, or
- allow it to go wild and ruin us and our surroundings.
Thus, it’s this raging nafs that is causing us to become disillusioned by the short-term and temporary gratification that we attain from the splendours on earth. So how do we get around this? How can we put a leash around this raging nafs to benefit ourselves AND the whole of humanity? That, my beautiful people, I shall elaborate on the next “Soul Crunch” post 
‘Till then…peace 
