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Fitrat/Qalb E Saleem
The idea often presented is that if one’s Fitrat e Saleema is intact and in its pure form, then its easier for them to realise, and even further, hold on to the truth. Now I have a few questions.
1) Everyone is born on this Fitrat e Saleem. Then after being born into this world, many variables are working together to affect this Fitrat for e.g your genes, your parents, extended family, your environment and surroundings generally.
2) In light of all mentioned above, how is it that the same social setting produces an Abu bakr and other hand, an Abu Jahl or Lahab? What is at work? Their Fitrat e Saleem? If yes, what shaped it?
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10 Replies
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Fitrat/Qalb E Saleem
updated 4 years, 1 month ago
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10
Replies
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I don’t think that I have I heard the term fitrat-e-saleem. You might be confusing it with aql-e-saleem.
Fitrat or nature is constant – it doesn’t vary with environment or in time and space. Everyone has the potential in their fitrat to be like Abu Bakr RA. However, as humans we have various other contrasting forces at work within us, for example, ego, prejudices, biases, and a world of feelings and emotions. It takes a huge ongoing struggle and a lot of effort to not allow the voice of our fitrat to be subdued by these contrasting forces, and act according to our fitrat instead of under the influence of such forces.
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Seems like you’ve totally discounted the factors like wishes, whims, emotions, biases and needs which actually form a blanket of dust over one’s nature. Ones who acknowledge this fact, keep these factors in check and further groom this potential of nature, turn into Abu Bakar (rta), the ones who stand in enmity to truth because of their pride ancestry or other biases turn into Abu Jahl.
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In the following series of videos Ghamidi sahab has done a wonderful job of explaining fitrat. I highly recommend watching these videos at least twice with a lot of patience. This is a definitely hard concept to grasp, and it requires some dedicated effort to understand and be able to appreciate fitrat/nature.
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Sorry Faisal bhai I confused the terms. You’re right, I meant Aql E Salim or Qalb e Salim.
@UmerQureshi thank you for mentioning this as this is directly related to my question. Now all the variables mentioned above along with the ones you have added, isn’t the task unnecessarily hard for some people? Especially those belonging to a specific area or a certain family background? While others have an unfair advantage?
Even having a family where this potential of nature has several reasons as well as chances to groom and easily form a view that is very close to the book of God even before having to read it. This task still is the hardest.
What about an individual who has practically in real life always witnessed a world contrary to that of what this life actually is. Just to bring him to the level where he uses his aql to challenge his surroundings. I mean isnt this all an unfair distribution?
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Had there been no such factors, this whole scheme of test would’ve become redundant and useless. The actual test lies in maintaining a balance between these factors so as to not make us oblivious to truth. And to support that, everyone has been given basic instincts of distinguishing right from wrong and sense of being a creation. Religion doesn’t have an isolated existence, it rather builds up on this very base with which every person is born with.
This is just a misnomer that some have an unfair advantage over others in search of truth, because what is required of a person is for him to exert true effort in search of a truth and if and when he finds something logical, is he willing to let go of his past faith, traditions, pride and affiliation with his ancestral background, his material gains and relationships etc. etc. everyone actually has to search for that truth to reach this conclusion that it is the truth (whether born in a Muslim, Non-Muslim or an Atheist family). Without this will and effort to search for the truth, how can one possibly reach this conclusion that this is the truth? Any attitude otherwise is mere blind-following and is not required by God at least. Regarding the environment and circumstances that at times may impose certain constraints on a person, the justice demands and God has clarified that every such case will be judged according to resources available to him and due regard will be given to any constraints imposed on a person because of those resource limitations. The only thing required of a person is his attitude towards the truth despite those limited resources or constrained conditions, whether they led him towards the truth or not becomes secondary to that.
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“The only thing required of a person is his attitude towards the truth despite those limited resources or constrained conditions, whether they led him towards the truth or not becomes secondary to that.”
Umer bhai could we say that “……whether they led him towards that desired level of truth/his full potential or not becomes secondary.”
Because isn’t this a Sunnah of Allah to respond for sure, once I have acknowledged the innate guidance in me?
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Attitude towards seeking of truth is first and foremost because without this attitude one can never reach the truth. By becoming secondary it doesn’t mean that it will not happen, it will happen but what is this truth that we are talking about?
Truth of religion (from the perspective of ilm) means two things, one is realization of a creator and second is realization of accountability in front of that creator one day. Even the latter becomes dependent upon the message of a Prophet while the former exists independent of any such message. Depending upon the circumstances, the levels of truth may change for that person i.e. the form and depth of belief in one creator may vary depending upon the situation and circumstances of the person but the absolute truth of one creator remains to be searched for in accordance with law of guidance and error.
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No worries!
As humans we are yet to invent any instruments that could measure and compare the magnitude of our internal struggles, but my personal feeling is that the combined magnitude of such struggles remains uniform across all humans regardless of their environments. Since I have no objective data to prove it, I’ll skip explaining it.
That said, we must understand that this life when considered in isolation is not created on the principle of justice. It is rather created on the principle of test. In order for the test to take place, there has to be injustice in life. For example, if all humans were materially equal, how would the test of jealously ever take place? If you mentally go through the gymnastics of further extending the idea of equality, you will surely arrive at a point where the concept of a test will become completely irrelevant.
In contrast, when we understand Quran’s viewpoint in this regard and appreciate that humans have been given free will, and try to holistically understand our lives on earth in the context of our lives in the hereafter, all of a sudden everything falls in place. In short, regardless of whatever injustices we see in this life, the ultimate results are bound to be completely just.
I believe that I shared with you earlier Ghamidi sahab’s video explaining belief in the hereafter. The way that he has explained this concept from the Quran is absolutely phenomenal. I myself have heard that lecture thrice, and I’m not done yet! I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to listen to that a few times – I’m certain that like myself, you’ll also have an eureka moment that will put a lot of things into perspective.
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May Allah increase both of you in knowledge and wisdom. Thanks to both of you for such well articulated replies. Got me reading each of these twice to fully absorb the point. Yes Faisal bhai i will definitely go through those videos.
I was just going through these posted in this discussion (link below) and they have also helped in answering my questions. However I have a follow up question that i will post under the following thread.
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