THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT

‘O brother, you are what your thoughts are; without this thinking power you are no more than a jumble of bones and flesh.’ —Allamah Dr. Iqbal (ra)

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n the Noble Qur’an Surah al-Baqarah, Almighty Allah says: ‘And when my servants ask you (O Muhammad (S)) concerning Me, I am indeed near. I respond to the call of every supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and commit themselves to Me; that they may be rightly guided’ ([2]:186).

In Surah Saba, Almighty Allah says: ‘We hear all things and are ever near’ ([34]:50).

Whenever we encounter difficulties, Almighty Allah reassures us that He is close to us. His words create an atmosphere of intimacy; He fills the believer’s heart with love and confidence. We can be sure that through our positive response to Almighty Allah’s Friendliness, Kindness, Compassion, Generosity and Guidance that He extends to us, He will answer our prayers and we can be successful in all

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our endeavours. When we obey Almighty Allah’s commands, success in the material and spiritual world is guaranteed. Almighty Allah is closer than we can comprehend. He knows our thoughts and wants humankind to enjoy this temporary journey and succeed in this world, as well as the Hereafter.

Your thoughts have the power, by the grace of Almighty Allah, to create the  conditions of your life.

Think good thoughts. By thinking positive thoughts, we send positive energy into the environment. Thoughts are really powerful forces. Thoughts are like electromagnetic waves; our thoughts, intentions and actions are interconnected. Intentions are processed by our mind and materialize into action. Every thought generates energy and affects our environment. Repetition of the same thoughts creates more power and energy, which in turn produce more similar thoughts. Positive thoughts mean we must have hope, and wish for success, love, faith, belief and expectation of prosperity. These good thoughts will manifest and create our own reality in the material dimension.

In Surah al-Anbiya Almighty Allah says: ‘Those who fear Almighty Allah in their most secret thoughts’ ([21]:49).

Almighty Allah knows all our secret thoughts. We must at all times be conscious of Him. ‘Fearing’ Allah does not mean being terrified of Him as one fears a monster. Fear in this context means fearing to do the things that displease Almighty Allah, and abstaining from them, thus showing how much we love Almighty Allah and are prepared to

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carry out His Commands without hesitation. He wants us to take active control of our thoughts. The images in our subconscious mind must be of such things as we want to see realized. We must train our minds to think healthy thoughts, happy thoughts and successful thoughts. What we give our attention to reveals itself. We must focus our attentions on positive thoughts and ideas. The Noble Qur’an is full of directions on the way we should use our minds and thoughts for success. Successful people are not lucky; it is just the way they look at things.

Mental fitness is the starting point of transformation. Outside success begins with success from inside; by changing our thoughts, we change our lives. Don’t go through life without knowing what thoughts you entertain and what you reject.

We must have absolute control over our thoughts. Our minds are similar to a garden; do not allow weeds to grow in it. Reading daily will turn shrubs in our minds into flowers. Whatever we are experiencing now, its causes and roots, comes from thoughts of the past. To change our reality we must change our thoughts.

The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. If we are negative thinkers, it is because we have not cared for our minds. We must spend time thinking, pondering, performing dhikr, reading and training the mind. The price of greatness is taking responsibility for our thoughts. We must spend time reading the Noble Qur’an with the aim of un-

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derstanding it so that we can implement its teachings in our lives, and follow the Sunnah of the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) to strengthen our ability to manage the mind effectively. The developed, peaceful mind has the vision of success and creates ideal health, happiness, contentment and love in life. In Surah al-Isra, Almighty Allah confirms: ‘Verily this Qur’an guides to that which is right and stable’ ([17]:9).

Enlightened thinkers know their thoughts. The quality of life depends on the richness of a person’s thoughts. If we want to live a more peaceful, meaningful life, we must focus our minds on undisturbed, tranquil and purposeful thoughts.

All lasting inner change requires time and effort. Persistence is the mother of change. If we spend time every day focusing on developing our minds, the results will astound us. We will insha’Allah tap into the highest levels of our capacities, and enter the realm of miracles.

Enjoy the process of personal growth and expansion. Be patient and live with the knowledge that everything we are searching for is certain to come; if we prepare for and expect it, with the help of Almighty Allah we will get it.

In Surah Ta Ha, Almighty Allah says: ‘As is sure there comes guidance from Me, whosoever follows My guidance will not lose his way, or fall into misery’ ([20]:123). Allah makes the same declaration in Surah al-Baqarah, ayat 38 when He ordered Adam (as) and his wife Hawa to go down from

Paradise to earth after eating the fruit of the forbidden tree

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in contravention of Allah’s command. They were misled by Iblees to partake of the forbidden fruit.

Almighty Allah promises believers who have faith and follows His guidance that they will not go astray or be unhappy. Successful people see opportunities, seize them and move on in life. They see only the opportunity; they visualize what they can do with it. They acknowledge that Almighty Allah led them to the opportunity and that the combined forces within and without helped them to win.

Everything we receive comes through sheer persistence and faith in Almighty Allah. The period of youth is the period of preparation. To succeed in life we must have a vision and focus on what we want in life. In Surah alAnkabut, Almighty Allah promises: ‘Those who strive in Almighty Allah’s cause, He will certainly guide them to the right paths, for Allah is with those who do right’ ([29]:69). Luck is nothing more than the marriage of preparation and opportunity.

Almighty Allah reminds us in Surah at-Tauba that there is an excellent reward for the believer whose thoughts are free of selfish and wordly motives and at all times focused on Him. ‘Those who believe and strive with might in Allah’s way with their wealth and their lives, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. It is these that shall achieve success.’ ([9]:20).

If we seek Allah’s help, we must strive in His cause with our wealth, our lives, our energy, our time and dedicate ourselves

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to Him without any reservation. These include obeying Allah and His Messenger, striving for His forgiveness, spending in His way, whether in times of prosperity or of adversity, controlling one’s anger and forgiving others’ faults and errors. Implore Almighty Allah for His forgiveness and be grateful to Him at all times.

It is such that are promised the Grace and Mercy of Allah and the reward of Paradise. This is the ‘excellent reward’ that Allah mentions at the end of the list of responsibilities we must fulfil. Almighty Allah wants us to strive with all our might with constancy and determination on al-Sirat ulMustaqeem (the Straight Way).

We may not get the result of our endeavours immediately; the result of success will materialize when Almighty Allah wills. He wills it only when He knows we are ready for it. The control of thought, word and deed is the blueprint for success. In return, Almighty Allah says His Light and Mercy will descend upon us. It is through our thoughts that Almighty Allah’s creative energy is attracted to us.

If our mental pictures and the conditions we desire are anchored with Love and Faith in Almighty Allah, our creative thoughts will set into motion and attract the things and circumstances we desire. We will insha’Allah experience success in this life and the Hereafter.