1-4- Seeking enjoyment, an important issue

Enjoyment is indeed a part of our lives; eating a favorite food, wearing nice and proper clothing, sleeping well, having sexual activity, and etc are all in this category. To seek enjoyment is a natural instinct in our lives. Its purpose is to serve the primary needs, like hunger, and continuation of life. 

Performing such enjoyments is inevitable in our lives. But, are we so limited that if we perform these simple and natural needs we would free of any further desire? Sometimes we can see that some people care for nothing but their own enjoyment and entertainment. They are willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to reach their fun. You may sometimes think that if such people keep living in their own style, they become internally a monster, who cares for no one but himself. Such people may easily put all of their focus in life to get to their entertainment, hoping to enjoy it forever. But we do know that, by experience, pleasure is reduced over time after a number of repetitions.

Could we be in the same boat? If we sometimes feel unsatisfied of ourselves; or if we fail to please ourselves from our lives no matter what we do, perhaps we are unfamiliar with the purpose of our existence and our actual needs. Isn’t there any other type of pleasure? Are all pleasures so short lasting with the arrival of death?      

1-5- Objective, a critical matter

There is another type of activity, which we practice in our daily lives and that is known as “planned tasks”³. Such activities mainly serve our long-term objectives. In other words, someone would recognize an objective in future in the first place; then he vows to reach that goal and begins his mission toward it.  The motivation to move forward is the bound between the person and the goal despite all the difficulties of achieving the objective. He might not experience any pleasure at the beginning; however, when he fully succeeds through it, the pleasure he receives is inexpressible.  

We “plan” for our goal because we are humans. In fact, it is the role of planned tasks, which give meaning to our lives. It is our “plans” that help us to get closer to perfection. Furthermore, other creatures are limited to follow their natural instinct and choose short-term objectives. They cannot choose what they are. This way of living is the reality of their existence and that is the way their lives go on. But our life is truly different than theirs. If we want to reach our real identity, there would be no way except “to choose a goal and a destination to follow”. It is we that determine who we are and what are we created for? The more we dig into this issue, the more we are going to find out about our real identity. Our instinct and natural needs are definitely not all we need, but in the meantime we need to have them in order to continue with our lives. If we do not choose a real objective in life and merely seek short pleasures instead, then have we sustained our soul, which is looking for eternal existence?

1-6- Towards which target?

Each person in this world has a goal and strives hard to reach that goal.  How would I therefore, find out the best and most suitable goal through these various goals in order to find my reality? What criteria do others have in selecting a goal?  Why do people choose different paths in the life?

Looking precisely, we realize that the reason people have different motives and tendencies, is due to the different criteria they each hold.  In fact one’s personal view towards him/herself, towards the world he/she is living in, and towards his/her faith are decisive factors that shape that person’s criteria and values. In other words, his goal in life is determined through the scope he is seeing the world. 

In order to follow the path we have set our goals on, it is necessary to first recognize our capabilities and different aspects in our lives. This recognition will require us to research about existence and creation, so we can gain a better sense in our origin and destination. We should understand our position in the world. Is existence only that which we are able to see and feel, or is it broader than these senses? Could a reality exist that we are unaware of? 

These are the fundamental questions that each school of thought has a different answer for. Most of the theories and answers in the different schools of thoughts given to these fundamental questions have some sort of contradictions within themselves. Nevertheless, in order to strive to reach that level of human perfection and completion, we must search about our goal.  Obviously it is out of our ability to experience all these different paths to select the best one. Therefore, now that our possibilities for experiencing the different paths are limited, we should do a thorough research in discovering the true path, and set our goal in accordance to that path. Our thought and belief determines our goal and the path in life. Therefore firstly we need to select the best belief and thought.

But how can we detect the best thought? Can anyone force me to think like him/her? Does belief restrict me to follow a narrow and inflexible structure?

1-7- Belief: a Combination of Love and Wisdom

Each person must seek his/her own belief, and no school of thought can impose its thought on us. Submitting to a belief and school of thought is from the inner heart, not through force or compulsion. 

The belief one submits to, must have two important characteristics: First it should satisfy one’s wisdom and heart by having a reasonable, logical, and firm and persistent view towards the universe and existence.  Next, that view should attract us and give us the motivation for reaching our goals. This creates a wisdom-love relationship that we can program our lives upon.  Having done this, we will begin to feel the pleasure and satisfaction of strong faith and belief.

Therefore, what differentiate people from each other is their beliefs.  It is my thought that creates my identity.  Am I truly human or am I just an alien with human face?

This leads us to the next question. If I neglect all the benefits of freely choosing a belief, does that only prevent me from having a better life; or has it deprived me of my own authority on choosing my belief, so others would decide for me?  Are we like a person who is advised to learn swimming, and though he knows the advantages of swimming, he makes sure he avoids any contact with the sea; or are we like the person who is in the middle of a deep ocean, who must swim otherwise, he will be drowned or thrown around by the huge waves? Which situation do we find ourselves in the life?

2- Belief and Act

Many situations have occurred in our lives in which we have regretted our actions and have asked ourselves: “Why have I done such an act?” Sometimes, we are able to find the answer, but many times the question remains unanswered and we cannot be certain. Considering the fact that none of our acts are done aimlessly, then why can we not mention a motive?  How can we not know the purpose of our acts? 

2-1- Different acts, the same target

Each act we perform consists of a set of movements done one after another. For example, consider a simple act like eating. Such an act that seems so simple is actually a complex set of movements and interactions of our members. Namely hands, mouth, digestive system, and etc… all begin working in a specific order. ⁴

Looking more precisely, we see that although these movements are in relation with each other, they are independent. For instance, the movement of hand and mouth are separate.  So, what connected these independent movements into one unit? Certainly, their goal, to satisfy hunger, has connected these movements into a complex system. In fact, all of our movements in performing an act are similar to that of an architect, a painter, an engineer and an electrician who work independently, but need to unite when a structure is to be built.  Because they have the same goal, they need to work in a specific order to achieve their goal. It is obvious that without a common goal, they would never be able to organize their work.

It is based on this understanding that all the acts we perform in our lives have specific target and goal, otherwise without a specific order, it would never be accomplished. Therefore, first a goal and target is set. Then we determine the proper movements and acts.  Finally, we perform them in the suitable order and accomplish it through our will ⁵.

2-2- Who decides for me?

The important question is, ‘am I the one deciding what to do and what not to do in reaching this goal?’ Perhaps the reason we cannot recognize our aim and purpose when we do something is that we have not decided our goal, rather someone else has exerted an aim and goal for us. That outside force has attracted us towards the act, either consciously or unconsciously.  However, the critical point is that all these small acts and aims are what specify the whole path and destiny of our lives. Now after 10 years, 20 years, and 50 years where are we really standing? What have we gained during this period? Are we satisfied with our lives or will we feel decremented and regretful? The answers depend on the purpose of all these small activities we do.

But what are the criteria? What should we do to rule our own lives and destiny? On what basis may we discover the best and most favorable path towards our goal through the thousands of available paths?

2-3- How am I?

There are times that when a person looks toward his/her surroundings, he/she will come across the different lifestyles and may encounter with people who seem completely bewildered.  It is as if those bewildered persons have lost their path and as a result do not follow any specific destination or purpose.  Although each of their tasks may have its own aim, their lives as a whole however, do not have a definite aim or result.  To be more precise, the aims of such a person are constantly changing and many times turn out opposite of one another.  Their aims change daily because they quickly become tired of one aim and decide to select another one.  Life for them does not offer anything but exhaustion and distress.  What is more terrifying is that these people will begin to feel a sense of futility towards life, and would therefore view their own life and existence meaningless. 

A second group of people we may encounter with will have a different view towards life.  They are people who live life to the fullest and view life as a ladder to their success.  By selecting a clear path in life, they set goals and strive hard to reach them.  As a result they perform their daily tasks based on the goals they have set; they leave those tasks that do not have anything to do with their ultimate goal.  Their tasks follow a definite routine and do not include acts without specific considerations. Though the goal different people choose differ from one another, all of them usually have two common goals: One is to satisfy their needs in the life, whereas the other t  t  o reach prosperity⁶. Such people set their activities and behavior under certain regulations and structures to attain the two main goals. Certainly, the basis of all these regulations is our belief and ideology.

The decision to do an act or to leave it derives from our view toward the outside world, our understanding of truth, and our understanding of prosperity.

Each person who does not live aimlessly tries to reach certain goals, however each may choose a goal differently. Some may choose their goal themselves because they know what they are following in their lives. They fulfill their destiny willingly through their own decisions. Others however have allowed a certain group other than themselves to choose their belief and way of thinking. They allow that group to impose their way of thinking on them.  These people are blindly following the belief of the group who had freely chosen its belief.  They act like automobiles just waiting for the driver to come and drive it to any destination he wishes. Truly, if a person understands that his/her freedom is in the hands of another person, he would be disgusted to even think of such a situation.  The case would be similar to that of a servant in the service of other’s desires.

Now honestly which of these two groups do we belong to? Who specifies our goal and way of living? Is it us who decide our goal or have we surrendered to the publicities and inspirations of others? Are we following others blindly? Who really defines our criteria and belief?

Each action has a purpose behind it, and the set of actions put together to form our way of life. To be more precise, in each moment of our life we need to define our destination. Therefore, choosing our belief consciously is an inevitable must and should be the basis of our decisions and acts. Even if we do not intend for it, our actions are attributed to a specific belief set by the thinkers and scholars.  We are similar to the person who is in the unending ocean of life, and it is his beliefs that teach him how to swim and choose the way to the land. If he does not select his beliefs freely, the waves of other beliefs would take him in any direction they want; or may cause him to wander around in the stormy ocean of the life so that he finally drowns. So let us find ourselves, and select the best belief and way in our life willingly.

Our Belief, Community and Social life

In fact this need (the need for belief in life) has always been a need in human life from the beginning of creation, and does not only belong to the present society of humans. However, there has been a change during the past centuries, which is the increasing tendency of humans to accept a belief based on love and satisfaction. In the present day, we can feel such need more than any other time.

The primary humans united much easier due to their strong reliance and bonds to their tribes, communities, or races. But what about the humans of today? By the formation of the cities and the complication of the human societies, man needs legal references to specify his rights, positions, relations, and responsibilities in the social life: a reference to state the responsibility of people towards each other, and to tell them how to live to continue their social life. Today we need a cause to connect us to other human beings and unite all as a single body. Of course satisfying this need is not simple at all. Man himself has different unknown and unclear aspects, which cause the human society to be more complicated and unknown. On the other hand, the different scientific progresses have made the bonds between humanity weak, and as a result have strengthened individuality.

Thus if our life is our social existence and we have to live together, definitely we need a cause to unite us, connect us together, and most importantly specify our way of social life. One of the best causes which might help us in this respect is a belief which is based on deep logic and understanding. Unlike the various differences among different people, such a belief may define a common and single goal for all because it is based on the human principles. This belief can be the criteria for good and bad, lawful and unlawful. Beside this we can get close to the facts beyond our personal benefits by paying attention to the issue of beliefs. 

Based on the points mentioned about the important role of belief in our lives, which is an irreplaceable fact in our lives, your friends at Roshd have selected the subject of belief to accompany you. With this topic, we hope that we may together select the best way in life and choose the most beautiful goal together.

With such an idea in mind we turned to the belief-based structure of Islam. We decided to investigate it and if we found it a belief that encompasses all aspects, to accept and select it.