Thoughts Can’t Be Neutral

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, TMO

“…By the soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its inspiration as to its wrong and its right. Truly he succeeds that purifies it. And he fails that corrupts it…”

Holy Qur’an 91:7-10

You must be either going forward or backward…but don’t just stand there. You are going forward when you choose to purify your own heart. Purifying your heart can’t be a neutral action. You must actually DO something to purify it. And you must do something to corrupt it. You will succeed if you purify it…you will fail if you corrupt it. But the thought process must be either positive or negative. Simple!

Whatever you want out of life, your faith in ALLAH gets it for you. The only criterion is you must expect the best to materialize. You must expect, look for, and accept a miracle when it comes to you. ALLAH can bless you and you can be afraid to accept. We sometimes have a fear of success because it will put more responsibility on us.

There are other people are in a dire situation and actually don’t expect a positive change to happen. They feel they will only get worse. They say, “After all, isn’t that the way it’s always been?”

But if you expect the same no-good existence, that’s exactly what you will get. If you are planning to be a recipient of sadaqua funds next Eid ul Fitr, you will probably be the first in line to receive it. But suppose you saw yourself having enough money to make a large donation for the poor. It would be an entirely different situation. Your lifestyle would change. Your finances would also have to improve because your donation would only be a small part of the total finances you have. Simple, isn’t it? And don’t forget to factor in the law of return ALLAH has made. One grain of corn can produce seven ears, and each ear producing a hundred more grains. And it goes on and on.

Our brains work by repetition. Whatever it allows to enter its confines will affect and insure its future course. That’s why you should expect the best. That’s why you should always think positive. Look to the high point of the mountain and you are assured of reaching it. ALLAH’S favor is forever. Expect His goodness to first be on you and then permeate throughout the society.

I know a fellow who has a mind brilliant enough to see lot’s of potential problems way ahead of the problems materializing He always says “this might happen if we do this, or “there’s a possibility that someone may want to stop it.” It’s good to have that kind of foresight. The problem is he lets that knowledge prevent him from making a move. He sits there because something might happen. So a potential enemy wins without any effort – just a persona has succeeded in impeding his progress.

People often ask me “what keeps me going? The answer? I expect the good. I expect people to like me. Not because I’m such a dynamic individual and irresistible person. Also, it’s not because I’m without a whole lot of faults. I expect people to like me because I don’t go out of my way to harm anyone. To the contrary, those who know me know I’ll go out of my way to help if I can. So if someone just arbitrarily hates me, I feel something is wrong with them.

There is hope from ALLAH for all of us. Blessings are imminent for those who serve Him with gratitude. But first you must get your life in order. Think positive. Think the best – and it will happen.

As Salaam alaikum
(Al Hajj) Imam Abdullah El-Amin

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