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Islam's answer to the age-old philosophical
question "What is the purpose of life?" is very direct,
simple, and profound. Imam Mokhtar explains that, in essence,
the purpose of life is to attain happiness.
But what exactly is happiness? This is the first topic of discussion
as the speaker defines happiness by looking at the basic instincts
of the human being and the satisfaction of those instincts. Each
part of our being (the eyes, the ears, the mouth, the stomach,
etc.) have a nature which causes
it to yearn for something. This nature also applies to the heart
of the human being. But there are major differences between the
heart and all our other faculties. The heart's origin, nature,
desire, and satisfaction are all different and they serve as
the fundamental elements which, if understood, the human being
can attain true happiness. But the problem lies in the fact that
most people are not aware of this path to attaining happiness
because their heart is sick. Are we one of these people? Imam
Mokhtar helps in diagnosising our heart by outlining the four
states of the nafs (or the self) and ways in which we can determine
which state, or states, apply to our own heart. He then encourages
us to maintain a balance between the various
states of the self so that attainment of happiness can be
maximized. And then how do we stay on the straight path and maintain
the happiness that may be attained?
Other topics discussed: is fighting
against the lower-self considered jihad?, the concept of guidance,
tawheed, and practical ways to beautify the inner-self.
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