WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN CONTROL?

I have been following the currently airing kdrama ‘Extraordinary You’ and it’s making me ask myself some tough questions. The drama is about a girl Eun Dan-oh that discovers that she lives in the world of a comic book and that she is just an extra in the comic. In the story, there’s the stage and the shadow. In the stage, everything goes according to the design of the writer of the comic, including the character’s feelings, actions and dialogue. In the shadow, things are a bit more ‘flexible’ so to say, but only characters who have gained awareness can remember events that occurred in the shadow. Not only is Eun Dan-oh an extra, she’s also engaged to a jerk who doesn’t like her and she has a heart disease, making her days numbered. In summary, things are a mess for Dan-oh. She however does try to change her fate and possibly find love. She finds that it’s not easy and that there are serious consequences for every change to the storyline.

I have been following this drama with keen interest because it forces me to consider my own life. The decisions I make, are they all mine? Am I in full control of my life? In Islam there is the concept of predestination and it is part of the six articles of faith. I have to believe that everything has been predestined by the Almighty and at the same time work my butt off to make sure I attain Jannah and avoid ending up a dweller of Jahannam. I naturally like other humans occasionally engage in sinful deeds. After engaging in sin, who made me? The logical answer would be that I made myself commit sin by being weak and succumbing to the overtures of shaitan. It’s complicated but it’s also simple at the same time. All our lives have been predestined by the Almighty long before the world was created. However, the Almighty gave us the ability to make choices for ourselves. He has full knowledge of what our choices would be but we were given the choice and for that, we would need to take responsibility.

This is what scares me. I am responsible for my careless living and I know I cannot just blame shaitan for my choices. After all the choices were deliberate. I just find it difficult to resist falling into some of the temptations of this world. In the end, we are in control of our lives because we control our choices and there’s always a choice, it’s just that most times we make the wrong choice.

I understand that circumstances in life are not always within our control. That shouldn’t stop us. We may not control what happens to us but we can most certainly control and dictate how we react to the obstacles and challenges life throws at us. Therefore, in my understanding, we are in control. Allah gave us a choice to either believe or disobey. And we also get to decide how to react to challenges and circumstances beyond our control. All these ramblings were brought about by a kdrama that touches something distantly related.

I will end by praying that Allah strengthens our resolve and keep us firmly on the right track. Alhamdulillah for the light of Islam.

AN UPSIDE DOWN WORLD

October is gradually coming to a close! This means we are getting nearer to allowances time (Corper’s allowances). May Almighty Allah spare our lives and may we remain in good health.

The current world is upside down. Haram is being made halal daily. We live in a haram-centric world. People engage in shameful immoral acts openly. I am really terrified at the condition of the world. To think that barely hundred years ago, alcohol, adultery and same-sex marriage were all illegal and punishable in the US, today, all these acts are legal and the people who engage in them have rights. Due to the relative prosperity the world is experiencing, we neglect our deen and any thought of the hereafter and concentrate on doing whatever our heart desires without regards to the Islamic position on the matters. This is the reason that amidst all the wealth and prosperity, we are still deep down depressed and unhappy. Man can only attain satisfaction when he obeys Allah and the ultimate satisfaction remains attaining Jannah.

When I look at my life, I am terrified by my sins. I always fear ending up in hell. I know it’s not good to look at the sins of others but when I see how others commit sins openly and publicise it on social media, I begin to think that maybe I may have a chance no matter how slim. With the ease of committing sins nowadays, the whole world is a mess. I will try to constantly seek forgiveness of Allah for my numerous transgressions. I also pray that Allah protects me from ever falling into the major sins I see others committing and displaying on social media. Social media is turning out to have major negative effects. Even though there are positives, as with all things in life, the negatives are tipping the scales at the moment.

The world today is what I would term upside down. We decide what is right or wrong based on our whims. We commit all the major sins and we don’t just stop there we also display and defend the sins. It’s really scaring how daring we have become in showing open defiance to our creator. This is the reason I am terribly afraid for myself and my family. I think every day about my chances of attaining Jannah. We live in a world of Shaitan. Shaitan is in control of our world today and I am not resistant to his overtures. I belong to the world after all. This is why I always hold on to Quran Chapter 39 verse 53 which instructs us to never despair of the mercy of Allah. The nature of today’s world is the reason I seem to have a lack of ambition. I don’t care much about worldly attainments and achievements. I just want to be able to support myself, feed, clothe and shelter myself without resorting to begging or demeaning myself. I am afraid of going to hell, literally! And the upside down world complicates and worsens my already precarious and desperate situation.

O Allah, make me steadfast in your worship. Ameen.