Peace of Mind
There can only be one way for man to achieve the inner peace and contentment that he seeks: he must discover his Creator and live in His remembrance.
In the modern age, we find a world of material advancement. In recent times, man has taken great strides, but his progress has been in technological, scientific and industrial fields. Nothing has been done to improve the state of man. As such, he still is in a backward state.
The extraordinary paradox of the present world is that we have all kinds of material progress and developments here, but we do not have contentment. There is outward laughter and frivolity, but inward peace is lacking. There are all sorts of amenities aimed at making people happy, but true happiness is something which seems to elude everyone.
What man desires more than anything is inner peace, which modern man is bereft of. The material progress in the modern age has only deprived man of true contentment. Advances in civilization may have given man outward comfort, but they have done nothing to improve his inner well-being.
This is quite simple: the spirit cannot gain contentment from material things. It is inconceivable that an entity of such a sublime order as the human soul should be able to find fulfilment in ordinary, lowly, material things. One can only agree with Julian of Norwich’s words: “Our Soul may never have rest in things that are beneath itself.”
If one looks at the world of creation, one finds nothing superior to man. He is, inherently, the noblest of God’s creatures. There is only one being that surpasses man in excellence: his Creator. So then, there can only be one way for man to achieve inner peace and contentment: he must discover his Creator and live in remembrance of Him. Nothing less than the Lord can provide man with the peace of mind that he seeks more than anything else.
The Quran has put this truth in the following succinct words:
“Say, ‘God lets go astray those whom He wills and guides to Himself those who turn to Him, those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of God—surely in the remembrance of God’s hearts can find comfort.’” (13:27-28)
