Happiness Epiphanies in the Village

imagesAlhamdulillah, I am back from the Turkish village, and it was truly a gorgeous, clean, serene place.

But I am glad to be back on the Internet!

During my stay in the village, I had 2 powerful epiphanies. These were not only “intellectual” insights but they were “experiential” realizations (i.e. I experienced the knowledge in my personal self/heart).

The first realization was the importance of being “Content with the Divine Decree”. I first heard this phrase from Imam Afroze Ali while taking a Seekers Guidance course online.

Being “Content with the Divine Decree” to me means that we accept whatever happens in life as the decree of our Lord. If we meet all situations with an attitude of acceptance of our Lord’s will, this brings immense inner peace. It does not mean that we are “happy” about everything, but that we are always patient, accepting, and cognizant of our Creator. And we can always hope for better! In fact, we should be content with everything while at the same time hoping and thinking about what we would like to improve about our situations.

My second experiential realization is that : I am 110% responsible for my feelings. This means that I am 110% to blame if I allow my inner peace and joy to be affected by other people and situations. If we learn to be responsible for our feelings rather than allowing our feelings to depend on how others treat us, this is a truly liberating experience. I take responsibility for my feelings, no matter what happens. I know that this can be challenging sometimes, especially with challenging people whom we have to deal with, but it is our responsibility to find ways to improve our inner states rather than just focusing on who or what is to blame.

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