Editorial

An Act of Becoming, Not a State of Being

Is it the moral imperative to be good, the instinct or intuition to be good, or the predisposition or need to be included among the good? What causes us to assume that we belong among the virtuous? Is it our adherence to societal norms or the self-perceived moral high ground we stand on, shaped by our limited experiences and personal beliefs?

The idea of goodness without effort is a fallacy. There is no such thing as being naturally good in a neutral, passive state. Goodness is a collection of forms of action, most notably taken in selflessness and in favor of others, and most importantly, for no reason other than to please Allah, as most Islamic scholars define the concept. The inertia within our nafs always drags us backwards to a more base existence. It does not propel us forward to become good people, as most uneducated opinions expressed on this subject would have us believe. Mistaking the stagnation of the nafs for the tranquility of the heart and soul is a delusion of inconceivable scale. A lake might not make waves and churn its waters, but beneath the calm, undisturbed surface that looks like a pristine mirror lies lightless depths and sediments hiding foul waste that has been gathering for years. In an endless yearning to reach the pure waters of an ocean, every heart must surge beyond its small pond and towards bigger waters where great awliya await to guide them to true goodness.

Goodness is a virtue, a high merit that only manifests when a person’s heart is shaped and nourished the way it’s meant to be. It is earned and never assumed. It is a life-long journey of purification, a process that can never be truly complete. Goodness is not a destination to arrive at but a long, meandering path trailing beyond our horizon.

There is also no such thing as goodness without worship. Only the prophets of Allah are safe from all evil. Knowing this, we should tread carefully and follow the natural mandate embedded in our creation to strive for goodness for Allah as decreed by Allah and worship Him. Yet, those who had Allah’s absolute guarantee to be saved from all evil and any punishment or damnation that comes with it were the ones who feared His judgment the most and went above and beyond to live and worship as He commanded them.

As most of our readers will have heard by now, the great wali and murshid Ghawth-i Thani Sayyid Abdülbaki Elhüseyni (quddisa sirruhu) left the confines of this mortal world and completed his journey to the eternal realm of reunion with his beloved Rabb. He was a pioneer of goodness who illuminated the way for countless Muslims. His was a most noble path of goodness, which he exerted himself tirelessly to lead his followers on for all his life. We're powerless to walk where he walks now but not powerless to walk in the footsteps he left behind in this world. And walk we must, so that we might walk behind him in that life, to which we will one day surely awaken.

I hope to see you in the September issue inshallah.

M. Galip Dönmez