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In the world today people seem to be in a frenzy trying to understand themselves, each other, and the role that human beings shoulder in life.
Some people come to the conclusion that everyone is simply a consumer, a means of keeping the economic wheels of society turning, so all people have to do in this framework is get educated so they can make money and buy.
Some other people come to the conclusion that everyone should be free to do anything they like and live in any way they like. Freedom, they say, is the key. But these people reach an obstacle when it comes to defining where the point is that the individual is responsible for harming others because, in fact, we are not completely free because we all affect each other.
Some other people are distracted because they see themselves and mankind as being inherently evil and prone to do bad actions, say bad words, and harbor wrong beliefs. So they look for a way for man to be exonerated from this black cloud of evil that hovers over him so he can live a life with a noble purpose. They conclude that mankind needs a savior or saints to intercede. And so goes the story of mankind’s constant search for meaning.
The truth is that man belongs both to Paradise and Hell and that it is only Allah’s mercy that saves him. Islam reforms the life of mankind by reforming the individual. So for the individual to attain self-realization, that is, to achieve his or her potential in life, Allah in His infinite mercy sent prophets and messengers from the beginning of time to guide mankind to know himself, his real nature and his role in life. The self of man—his individual goals, efforts, and striving—is the axis of life.
Man cannot be whitewashed, for if his inner self is evil it will eventually show itself no matter how decorative the façade might be. It’s like a person can pretend to be good and honest and put on an innocent face, but if the heart is evil then somewhere, some time the truth of that person will be made manifest. It is the mercy of Allah that covers our faults and gives us a chance to fix ourselves before the truth of our inner hidden state is revealed.
So the teaching of the prophets touched the hearts of man and reminded him of his true nature that lies within—a witness of the soul that Allah exists. It is present in the conscience of all people. [And (remember) when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed, (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this] (Al- Araf:172)
The evidence of the existence of man’s inner nature and conscience (fitrah) is that all people search for their Creator, for the meaning of life, and even if they say they do not believe in a Creator, if some calamity strikes they inevitably say “O God!” It’s just a natural response from the spirit of man reacting to the events of life.
The prophets and messengers imbued noble and pious ideals into the heart of man, and this is necessary because man is created weak, and wavers between good and evil.
[So set thy purpose (O Muhammad) for religion as a man by nature upright - the nature (framed) of Allah, in which He hath created man. There is no altering (the laws of) Allah's creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not] (Ar-Rum:30)
The fitrah of man does not just exist; it also has a purpose just as an ear hears until it becomes deaf. Likewise the role of the fitrah is to follow the straight path (the path of righteousness) carefully and sincerely. But if the fitrah allows itself to be overcome by corruption and evil, evil takes hold of the reins and steers man to his destruction.
The things that corrupt the fitrah of man are the same things that destroy his psyche and spirit along with the society around him. That’s why we call the individual “the pivot of life,” for whatever affects the individual inevitably affects all those around him.
Reforming society means to remove the things that pose a danger to man’s fitrah and therefore society, for evil causes diseases on every level of man’s existence.
Islam opposes everything that weakens the inner and outer strength of man and his fitrah. For example, addiction weakens man’s spirit, psyche, emotional state, physical state, and breeds corruption in the individual and society because the individual is not able to function properly in his role in family, friendship, society, and so on. Islam bans drug and alcohol use so as to protect man from the evil that would inevitably come from addiction.
If man follows his pure fitrah, heeds divine guidance, develops himself and his environment, not only he but his society will grow in goodness.
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