THE POWER OF THE INNER VOICE

‘If anyone withdraws himself from remembrance of Allah Most Gracious,

We appoint for him an evil one to be an intimate companion.’

—(The Noble Qur’an, Surah az-Zukhruf [43]: 36)

The powerful voice of Almighty Allah dwells within us, reminding us of our purpose and reason for being in this temporary world that is essentially a world of illusion. Despite this, Almighty Allah has honored humankind by creating them in the best of molds, with higher faculties than all His other creations, and has breathed into them (humankind) of His own spirit.

In Surah al-Mujadalah, Almighty Allah says: ‘To those who have made a firm commitment to Allah and are conscious of the Last Day [when they will meet their Lord and Sustainer], For such He has written faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself’ ([58]:22).

The faithful ones who commit themselves to Almighty Allah and the Hereafter with conviction from the heart will experience the power of Almighty Allah radiating from their spirits. This will strengthen, protect and fortify them from the evil inner voice that attacks humankind from within.

We come from Almighty Allah, a powerful force that has brought us here for a reason. He has placed His power in us and has blessed us with the capacity of hearing, seeing and feeling. His power in us gives us inner vision and ability to transcend the material dimension. The most powerful force is Almighty Allah (SWT). This miraculous power, placed in us by Almighty Allah, is to give us the ability to stay connected to Him. To live in this world and succeed we must live in harmony with Almighty Allah and surrender our nafs to this inner force that has the power to manifest itself within us.

Iblees continuously incites chatter, doubt, confusion, conflict and fear; this evil force endeavours to create instability in the mind. The result is confused behaviour. We need to control the voice of Iblees. We may not be aware of this voice but, rest assured, it is the evil whisper from within that Almighty Allah warns us about.

Almighty Allah has chosen mankind to be recipients of His powerful inspiration. In Surah al-Mumin, Almighty Allah says: ‘By His command doth He send the spirit (of inspiration) to any of His servants He pleases’ ([40]:15).

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We must develop the power within to communicate with the inspiration of Almighty Allah, the voice that inspires and guides us to successful living on this temporary planet earth. If we ignore it and do not develop our contact with Almighty Allah, we will suffer stress and uneasiness.

Being able to listen means understanding inspiration from the voice of Almighty Allah as He directs us when we are unsure of our goals or achievements. We must be brave, have faith in Almighty Allah, and venture into the unknown.

Almighty Allah is the Creator of the heavens, earth and all the planets beyond our comprehension. In Surah Qaf of the Noble Qur’an, Almighty Allah says: ‘It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein’ ([50]:16).

Almighty Allah created humankind with limited free will. Two angels register every word we utter and every action we take; the angel on the right records the virtues; and the angel on the left notes our vices.

Almighty Allah is aware of all our thoughts, words and actions; it is up to us to unleash His power within us. Almighty Allah knows our innermost desires and motives more than we know them ourselves.

In Surah at-Tauba, Almighty Allah says: ‘It is not Allah who wrongs them, but they wrong their own souls’ ([9]:70).

Our dishonest thoughts are not recorded; Almighty Allah gives us the opportunity to repent. The noble Messenger Muhammad (S) has said in a hadith that Allah does not punish us if evil thoughts cross our mind; the punishment comes only when we put them into action. But if any good thought crosses our mind, Almighty Allah immediately rewards us for it. Thus, we must make every effort to ensure that evil thoughts do not enter our minds, much less act on them. Evil thoughts can be controlled only if we seek refuge in Almighty Allah. Those who open their hearts and minds, contemplate daily, and act on what Allah wants will be fortified with a will that empowers them to make the right choices in life. We are responsible for weakening and damaging our souls, through our own neglect and misbehaviour.

Almighty Allah is closer to us than our jugular vein. When we surrender and submit our nafs (ego) to Almighty Allah, His power manifests in us and begins to take over. Almighty Allah becomes our sight, tongue, ears, hands, feet and heart.

Almighty Allah’s power is running through us. When we read the Noble Qur’an and follow His guidance we are inviting Him to participate in our daily life. But this comes with certain conditions: Almighty Allah will only participate and guide us if we control our nafs (ego) and commit ourselves to His Will.

In a hadith, the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) has said: ‘Submission to the divine Will is my pride.’ He did not say that to be chosen the Messenger of Allah is his pride; it is indeed a great honour for every Prophet and Messenger of

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 Allah to be chosen. Nor did he say that being chosen as the Messenger for all mankind (Surah al-A ‘raaf [7]:158), not just a particular community or locality, is his pride. No other Prophet was given this honour except the noble Messenger Muhammad (S). Similarly, he did not say that being honoured with the gift of Mi‘raj, is my pride and honour. He specifically stated that ‘submitting to the divine Will is my pride’. This should make us think and reflect. It is only by submitting to the Will of Allah that we can hope for forgiveness and salvation in the Hereafter.

Allah has clearly stated the purpose for which we were created: ‘I did not create the Jinn and humankind except to live in total conformity with my Will and Command’ ([51]:56). We must, therefore, trust completely that Almighty Allah will guide us; only absolute faith and belief in Almighty Allah will allow His power to manifest itself within us.

The voice of Almighty Allah will guide us; the only reason for failure is when we do not allow our nafs to surrender to the will of Almighty Allah. When the nafs gets in the way, Almighty Allah’s inspiration or voice is withdrawn and it recedes to the background.

Once we connect to the power of Almighty Allah, we will hear His call and be able to distinguish between Almighty Allah and our ego (the Ibleesi force) that separates us from Him. As we follow the laws of Almighty Allah, our ego is brought under control and over time, we develop an affinity with Allah, our Cherisher and Sustainer.

The force that diverts us away from Almighty Allah is our nafs. When we bring our nafs under control, we willingly surrender to the ever-present power of Almighty Allah. To embark on the path of success we must have the burning desire to meet Almighty Allah; we must control the nafs by curtailing our desire for the luxuries of life and commit our hearts to the quest for Almighty Allah.

In the Noble Qur’an, Almighty Allah teaches us to adopt a positive attitude and outlook. He promises us in Surah azZumur: ‘Allah will deliver the righteous to their place of safety: No evil shall touch them, nor shall they grieve.’ ([39]:61). We also learn this from the Sunnah of the noble Messenger Muhammad (S). Even in the most difficult circumstances, he always had a very positive outlook. Two examples will illustrate this point. At the time of the Second Pact of Aqaba (just before migration from Makkah to Madinah) that was drawn up in utmost secrecy for fear of arousing the suspicion and therefore revengeful wrath of the Quraish, we see such optimism and positive outlook manifesting itself.

When the Ansar delegation from Madinah asked what was in it for them, the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) had no hesitation in saying ‘Paradise’. The Ansar replied with equal enthusiasm: ‘That is a most fair bargain. Extend your hand, O Messenger of Allah, so that we may make our ba‘ya (pledge of allegiance) to you.’

Imagine the situation: the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) is seeking the help and protection of the Ansar and

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planning his escape from Makkah because his own people have rejected his message and abandoned him, yet he displays such self-confidence and optimism.

The same optimistic outlook was evident when the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) and his close friend and companion, Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra), were hiding in the Cave of Thawr at the time of migration from Makkah. When a group of Quraish came near to the entrance of the cave, Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) became apprehensive because he feared they would be caught and great harm would come to them, especially to the noble Messenger Muhammad since the Quraish had plotted to kill him.

The noble Messenger Muhammad (S) comforted his companion by assuring him that Allah was with them. It was at this time that Almighty Allah sent His tranquillity upon their hearts (Surah at-Tauba [9]:40). Such peace and tranquillity manifest themselves only when we have totally surrendered to the Will of Almighty Allah.

To make a firm commitment to and believe in Almighty Allah is a positive affirmation; we must remove the resistance within us and then we will witness that powerful force of Almighty Allah will take over.

To align with the Will of Almighty Allah we must have a powerful, sincere belief. Faith in Him, performing our salat on time, doing regular dhikr, fasting in the month of Ramadan and giving willingly in charity are the institutions He has blessed us with to discover and uncover His power within us.

Dhikr and salat change the dialogue in our body. A constant dialogue is going on in our body at cellular level. Our thoughts influence our body, health and beliefs. Sincere belief, salat, dhikr, fasting and charity discipline our actions and thoughts; these are acts that ensure that our inner dialogue at cellular level remains positive.

Reflection, contemplation and silence help control our thoughts and develop thoughtless consciousness, the state of developing our ability to hear the inner voice and direction of Almighty Allah. In salat we develop the ability to listen to the inner voice; but this takes time. Our salat must be focused with emotion, passion and a burning desire to communicate with Almighty Allah in sincerity; this strengthens our intentions and He begins to guide us.

Since Allah has given us the choice, we are masters of our own destiny. Our choices, however, carry consequences. We must establish a clear goal and a vision in life, and then surrender the results of our endeavours to Almighty Allah and allow Him to direct us. We must pray and have faith that Almighty Allah will guide us in our final destiny in this life and in the Hereafter. Dr Muhammad Iqbal, the great poet-philosopher of the East, said: Elevate your self respect and dignity to such an extent that before writing destiny, Allah Himself will ask His servant ‘Indicate (to Me) what is your desire?’

He calls this ‘Khudi’, meaning self-respect and dignity. It is this level of self-respect that must manifest in our lives so

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that Almighty Allah Himself will ask His servant to state his desire. To connect to the power of Almighty Allah we must perform our duties and expect the power of Almighty Allah to guide our every intention. Repeat insha’Allah (if Almighty Allah wills) after every intention.

The power of Almighty Allah is accessible to all human beings. To experience His power, we must develop thoughts of love, not be consumed by hate or jealousy. By sacrificing and giving to others we come closer to Almighty Allah’s power, which is the source He wants us to connect with.

It is like the electrical grid: when our batteries are down, we can access the source of power by plugging into the grid. Allah’s power grid is more powerful than anything we can imagine in this world. When we connect into His power grid, we are assured of His Help and comfort. We must be aware of the silent conversations we have with ourselves; we must have these conversations with Almighty Allah. Replace doubt, worry and fear with love, conviction and faith in Almighty Allah.

In Surah al-Maida Almighty Allah promises guidance to the believers: ‘Allah guideth all who seek His good pleasure, to ways of peace and safety. And leadeth them out of darkness, by His Will unto the light—guideth them to the path that is straight’ ([5]:18). Almighty Allah guides and leads all who seek His pleasure. We must remember, Allah has no favourites; His love, mercy, compassion and guidance are available to all the true seekers.

The noble Messenger Muhammad (S), said in a hadith qudsi: ‘My believing servant continues to draw near to Me, through the performance of additional devotion and prayers, acts of worship until I love him. I become his hearing and his sight, and his tongue and his hand, and his foot and his heart; so through Me he hears, through Me he sees, through Me he speaks, through Me he understands and through Me he strikes.’

When we are in harmony with the power of Almighty Allah, we live with an Attitude of Gratitude; we experience heightened feelings of contentment, joy and peace. We are guaranteed success in this world and in the Hereafter by none other than Almighty Allah (SWT).

‘Allah’s Generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The Generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of the servant ceases’ - Hadrat Ali (ra)