The solitude of a believer. Alone with God
Article by: Shamil Alautdinov.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once said: “The time is near when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep, which he will pasture on the tops of mountains and in places where it rains. [Why?! In this way] he will flee with his faith from distemper/fitnah/turmoil” [1] .
In the collection of hadiths of Imam Muslim on this topic, there is the following hadith. One day, a man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and asked: “Who is the best of people?” The Prophet replied: “A man who is constructive in the path of God (mujahid), sparing neither his property nor his effort.” — “And who after that?” He replied: “A believer [living] in one of the gorges [secluded, isolated], worshiping Allah and protecting people from the evil that he could cause them (from the harm that he could inflict on them)” [2].
What a not-so-easy thing of building your life. Many people could fall into apathy, or depression. From time to time, a person can want silence and solitude, in which the believer can benefit, for example, from the night prayer Tahajjud [3] , as well as from the daily five-time prayer-namaz: to stop for 10–15 minutes in the endless flow of daily affairs.
The loneliness of the believer, as described in the aforementioned hadiths, is not the same as the loneliness of the atheist. A Muslim has family responsibilities [4] that he cannot simply abandon. He has a responsibility to his own children in terms of upbringing [5] and to his relatives [6] . He also has a constructive responsibility to work for the well-being of society [7] . These responsibilities are important not only in the context of earthly well-being, but also of everlasting happiness.
Moreover, the loneliness described in the hadith is not the loneliness of one disappointed [disillusioned] with everything, hating and blaming everyone — no, it is the temporary isolation of a believer who carries in his heart a feeling of love for God and His Messenger, who has the sweetness of faith in his soul. He loves, not hates [8] . He does not blame everyone around him, but thinks of the good [9] and tries within his capabilities and means [10] .
And note that the hadith emphasizes “protecting people from his own harm that he could cause them.” This is important! You see, there’s another hadith about people’s harm: it’s better to remain among people and be patient with the pain they inflict on you [11] .
[3] The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: “O people! Greet one another with peace, feed and play host, pray at night when others are sleeping, and you will enter Paradise safely.” Hadith from Abdullah ibn Salam, and also Abdullah ibn Amr.
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[4] “Husbands are the heads of family [they are the peacemakers in the families, the leaders]. [They are the heads of family] because of what the Almighty God has additionally endowed them with [men are usually physically stronger, more resilient; emotionally restrained] and because of the material costs that they bear [providing for the family]” (see Holy Quran, 4:34).
[5] The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best thing a parent can give [bestow upon] his child, is a good upbringing.”
[6] Once some man asked the Messenger of God: “Tell me about a deed that will enter me into Paradise [give me knowledge of the deeds by which I, by the grace of the Creator, will certainly enter the heavenly abode after the Day of Judgment]. [The Companions, perplexed], exclaimed: “What does he want?! What does he want?!” The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of the Creator be upon him) replied: “He needs it [an answer. He has every right to ask such a question].” And he continued: “You should worship only Allah (God, Lord) [and not deify anything other than God], and you should also do [the obligatory daily] prayer [-salah] and pay [the obligatory] charity — zakat. And you should strengthen kinship ties [build good relations with blood relatives, regardless of their faith].”
[7] “And whoever strives (is diligent, persevering, purposeful), and does so for Us [in Our way] [says the Lord of the worlds], We will open to them blessed paths [to achieve all-round success in this world and in the hereafter; We will provide a way out of hopeless situations; We will lead them out of the murk of despair to the vibrantly illuminated “route” of hope and confidence for the future]. [Know then] that there is no doubt that Allah (God, Lord) is with those who are high-minded and virtuous in deeds (with the fair-doers) (who do their work in the best possible way)” (Holy Quran, 29:69).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best work for a human is that which he does with his own hands [done with his direct participation; with the improvement of craftsmanship and constant honing of skills], as well as good (full of good manners and piety, when all the obligations undertaken are fulfilled) trade.” Hadith from Ibn ‘Umar and others; holy h. at-Tabarani (fil-kabir) and others. See, for example: As-Suyuti J. Al-Jami’ as-saghir. P. 73, hadith no. 1122, “sahih”.
[8] One of the findings of the 75-year study was that maintaining good and loving relationships is one of the greatest factors in happiness and self-fulfillment.
[9] The Prophet Muhammad conveyed the words of the Lord with the following meaning: “I [says the Creator of all things, — with His boundless power, generosity, mercy, forgiveness] am next to [both good and bad] the opinion (thoughts) of a person about Me. I am next to him when he remembers Me [with his mouth or with his heart; thinking about Me in a bad or a good way]. When he [a believer in whose heart faith has descended] mentions Me to himself [praising or thanking, for example], I also remember him to Myself [bestowing on him Divine mercy and generous reward]. If he mentions Me in company [in the circle of certain people], then I mention him in the better [higher, elite] company [of angels].” Hadith from Abu Hurairah.
[10] “Allah (God, Lord) does not burden a soul with more than it can bear” (see Holy Quran, 2:286). “The most beloved thing in front of Allah (God, Lord) is that which is constant, even if it is little.” See, for example: al-Bukhari M. Sahih al-Bukhari. Vol. 1. P. 38, hadith no. 43; al-’Asqalani A. Fath al-bari bi sharh sahih al-Bukhari. In 18 volumes, 2000. Vol. 2. Pp. 136–138, hadith no. 43 and explanation of it.
[11] The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A believer who is among people and is patient with the pain they [morally, psychologically, physically] inflict on him is better (more blessed) [in much greater advantage to God] than one who avoids people [even doing so under the plausible pretext of showing piety] and is impatient of the pain they inflict on him [for example, responding to evil with the same evil or even worse (with even bigger evil)].” Hadith from Ibn ‘Umar.
