I am surprised and saddened by people who undermine their own resolve, blame themselves, insult themselves, and belittle their own worth. Allah has sworn by it, meaning there is something great within you.
“And [by] the Self and He who proportioned it” (91:7). Surah Ash-Shams (The Sun)
Not only did He swear by it, but He also inspired it, meaning He placed His knowledge within it before you even existed. Do you see its worth? 🙂
Now, let’s explore it and see what this divine inspiration consists of. “And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness” (91:8).
This means that within the Self lies:
- Its righteousness: absolute good
- Its wickedness: absolute evil
And of course, every person has their own capacity (abilities). Allah tells us in the Quran: “We do not burden a Self beyond that it can bear” (6:152).
This Self is the test of this world, and the human being is responsible for it. He has two choices:
“He has succeeded who purifies it” (91:9) “And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]” (91:10).
Notice how “who” refers to someone other than the Self because the Self needs an action (to purify it or to corrupt it) to function. In this case, the human being is the one who chooses. If you want it to do good, it will give you the best of divine inspiration. If you choose evil, it will disappoint you because that too is part of divine inspiration and comes from Allah. Allah is just and deals with balance, meaning everything is exactly equal to its counterpart.
You carry a Self within you, and its job is to serve your decisions. But you must know how to decide because the Self is much stronger than you. If you take it down the wrong path, it will trouble you greatly. Stay on the right side 🙂
I hope that people who belittle themselves stop doing so because the Self is something of great value in the eyes of Allah. Let’s focus on ourselves as humans who make choices, and let’s choose wisely 🙂