*Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem*
*The Spiritual Journey of Abstaining from Pleasure*
Life is not merely the coming and going of breaths, but an unending test. A constant struggle in which man appears suspended between two opposing paths at every moment.
One path that leads towards the deceptive desires of the heart, and the other that calls towards the pleasure of the Lord, peace of heart, and spiritual salvation.
Some paths are such that they dazzle the eyes, entice the heart, but they are the ones that lead a person into dust. And there are some paths that make the eyes tearful, wound the self, make one cry, but they are the ones that give solace to the soul, which is not available in any temporary pleasure.
The self whispers:
*Just one time...*
But from the depths of the heart, a luminous voice rises:
*The Lord is watching...*
This is the moment when the real spiritual journey of abstaining from pleasure begins.
A war breaks out within the human being. A war that is fought not with swords, but with patience, self-control, and sacrifice.
To silence the attractive voices within oneself, to fight against inner weaknesses and misleading desires,
is indeed the greatest test of life.
And whoever decides to abstain from pleasure in this moment of trial, becomes acquainted with that spiritual pleasure which is not possible in any physical pleasure. This is the most excellent Jihad, as it is mentioned in the Hadith:
*"Afzal ul Jihad man jaahada fi nafsihi zaat Allah"*
*Translation:* The most excellent Jihad is that which is done against one's self for the sake of Allah.
This Hadith is a declaration of the fact that man's greatest battlefield is his own inner self.
Abstaining from pleasure is the highest form of this Jihad, when a person, having the opportunities for sin, abandons sin merely for the pleasure of the Lord, the welfare of his afterlife, and the purity of the soul.
Then he is offering the sacrifice of his self in the presence of Allah.
This sacrifice is not easy. The heart is wounded, the eyes become tearful, the emotions are engulfed in turmoil.
The sacrifice of desires is like a burning volcano that has been suppressed from within.
In this most difficult moment, the soul of man is wrapped in a fog of hesitation.
The self pulls towards itself, but the light of faith stops it.
...This moment is not ordinary... that a person silences the challenge of his self, the whisper of his desires, only so that the Lord may be pleased.
The heart is wounded, the eyes become wet, but then...
From the depths of the heart, a sobbing, trembling voice rises:
*O Lord of Majesty! You are watching, aren't you?*🥹
*I am leaving it only for you...*
And then...
That *pleasure* was abandoned,
That *moment* passed,
That *sacrifice* was given...
The Lord does not let it go to waste.
Allah puts in the heart of the servant such a pleasure, an inner joy, and an unparalleled peace that cannot be compared to any pleasure in the world.
The heart, which previously felt empty, is now filled.
The conscience, as if smiling, is saying:
*"You did right... you succeeded... the Lord is pleased with you!"*
This is the state that fills a person with a light within.
A comfort before which all the pleasures of the world are insignificant. And this comfort is not merely comfort, but a reward for the victory over the self. It is that state which flows from the eyes as tears in the loneliness of the night, but descends into the heart as light.
Therefore, this spiritual journey of abstaining from pleasure is, in fact, that luminous straight path which, by freeing us from the prison of the temporary and fleeting joys of the world, sets us on the path towards the pleasure of the Lord, the satisfaction of the heart, and spiritual salvation.
*Allahumma aj'alna min al-muttaqeen, warzuqna tarka lizzaat id-dunya, wa halawata ta'atika, waghfir lana warhamna.*
🖋️ *Taliba-e-Salihaat*