Unseeing eyes, unhearing ears

Do indifferent people surprise you? Or are you shocked at the behavior of those who torture animals or those who torment little children; those who, without a second glance, walk by people trying to fish out food from trashcans, those who think of only themselves, those that lie all the time and those who are constantly angry?

This indifference and cold-heartedness sometimes can reach extreme levels but one shouldn't be too surprised at this. That's because most people around you don't really see, hear or understand. You can tell these people about the importance of goodness and being selfless but they will still continue to prioritize themselves or just walk away when you remind them they should be sensitive to the pain of others. Sadly, these people don't listen to their conscience or don't look at things with the guidance of that inner voice, which is always calling them to the right choice. They don't see with their inner eyes or hear with their inner ears. 

Maybe this is the first time you've heard of something like this. The truth is it is not actually your eyes that make you see; our ears don't really make us hear. It is our conscience that truly makes us see and hear. In other words, it is our inner eye and ear.

Our inner eye makes us see that everything that happens to us is a part of our destiny, that everything happens because God wished it to be so, and that every second of our lives is created by our Lord. This knowledge takes us on to the right path, to blessings, and chases away sorrows. We also have an inner ear, which tells us that every word - good or bad-, every cry for help, every compliment is created by God. Our inner ear takes us to honesty and leads us to a superior morality. Those people who may shock you with their apathy have none of these qualities or have simply had their inner eyes and ears blunted due to non-use. 

People who don't believe in God, as well as those who claim to believe but suffer from the lack of a sincere, strong faith, live in different worlds. These people, too, look around with their eyes and hear with their ears, but have vastly different perceptions. Since they don't truly believe in God and don't surrender to the destiny created by Him, a constant grief and melancholy - as well as a never-ending worry - engulfs them. They constantly complain, forget that everything is under God's control and display an untrusting and inpatient character especially in times of difficulty. They are angry, jealous, selfish, thoughtless and don't make an effort to mask these emotions, let alone attempt to rid themselves of such negative feelings. However, it is quite easy to get rid of such bad characteristics.

A split-second decision is all it takes to turn a negative thought to a positive one. For example, one second of quiet contemplation is enough to see the right choice when one risks the danger of being engulfed by jealousy or anger. It is our conscience that makes us make that decision to turn from darkness to the light. As it is explained in one verse of the Qur'an, the lower self of man always strives towards evil:

"I do not say my self was free from blame. The self indeed commands to evil acts – except for those my Lord has mercy on. (The Holy Quran: 12/53)

Sound of conscience is a beauty

Inspiration from God, in other words, conscience, is a blessing for believers. It is a great beauty that sets clear right from wrong and lead us to goodness. When followed, it is a beauty through which a Muslim can display the strength of his faith and the superiority of his character. This sublime character encompasses many of the most noble virtues such as  bravery, patience, trusting in God, fortitude, strength, understanding, forgiveness, altruism, compassion, kindness, loyalty, appreciation, sensitivity to the plight of others and sensibility.

We might encounter various difficulties and challenges in our daily lives and these are important parts of the training we are given for our real life in the Hereafter. They are a source of great happiness, enabling us to improve our character, enrich our soul and helping us to make comparisons with what is awaiting us in Heaven. Also, thanks to these virtues, we can appreciate all the beauties of this world even better. They are divine gifts that increase love and respect for that person who chooses to follow his conscience at every turn, which makes him an exemplary individual, creating a positive effect on every one - by the grace of God - and allows that person to be admired, openly or secretly, even by the unbelievers. 

God created good and evil, beauty and ugliness all together in this world and made them parts of the test towards Heaven or Hell. This life is a specific and allotted time given to humans so that good people can be set apart from the bad, the patient ones can be differentiated from the quitters, those who make intellectual efforts against the mentality of the unbelievers  from those who sit by idly, and those who follow their conscience are distinguished from those who merely follow their lower-selves.

There are so many reasons why good and evil are so closely interlinked in this world; one is so that we can appreciate beauty and goodness better.  Without evils, problems or difficulties, we wouldn't be able to understand the value of good, just like a diamond clearly stands out when it is placed amongst worthless rocks.

People are tested with good and bad in their fleeting lives. These tests reveal who is good, who is bad and their levels of closeness to God. Sincere Muslims choose to be one of the good ones, to stand up to bad people, to ally with the good people in an effort to end the pain and suffering in the world. May God keep all the righteous ones in the right path.

Adnan Oktar's piece on MBC Times:

http://www.mbctimes.com/english/unseeing-eyes-unhearing-ears