Nurturing good thoughts

morning brisk walk 

Life is full of challenges, but life is also full of blessings. As we face challenges, we feel very uncomfortable, uncertain, we have the fear and we want to ignore these moments, moreover when there is negative thoughts that fills our thought process. Yes, it is a struggle and we need guidelines to go through and not to ignore it. Dr Omar Suleiman mentioned about passing thoughts and settled thoughts in his sharing about our thought process. Our thoughts can be good or bad and in our thought process, when our thinking is settled, it becomes a deed and then it becomes a habit. There is a need to eliminate the bad thoughts and nurture the good thoughts in our thought process. Ibn al-Qayyim conveyed a beautiful messages about thinking. According to this profound scholar, the only way to rule or overcome negative thoughts is to occupy or conquer our thinking. Thus, as we occupy our thinking, we are engaging our thoughts. A person who always think of God, will naturally be doing deeds for the sake of God and live in sincerity. 

Sharing his talk: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8vWi6xxvQ8&t=9s

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Know that the advent of the thought does not harm, the only thing that harms is summoning it and engaging in discourse with it. So the thought is like the passer-by upon the path, if you do not summon him and you leave him, he passes and abstains from you, and if you summon him; he enchants you with his speech and his deceit and his conceit, and it is the lightest thing upon the vacant fruitless soul, and the heaviest thing upon the heart and soul that is eminent – heavenly – serene.” (Ad-Daa wad-Dawaa p.360)

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Completeness is only in filling the heart and the conscience with thoughts and intents and cogitation in attainment of the pleasures of The Lord, The Most High, from the servant and from the people, and the consideration of the ways to that and of reaching it. Therefore the most complete of people are those that are the most abundant of them in thought and contemplation and intents for that. Just as the most deficient of people are the most abundant of them in thought and contemplation and intents for his own enjoyments and desires – wherever it should be.” (Ad-Daa wad-Dawaa p.362)

Thus, we should nurture our thought process with good thoughts by practicing remembrance of God, asking for His forgiveness, seeking His pleasure and contemplating, eventually through our constant practice, we can nurture our thinking with good thoughts.💗