.بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Yesterday, I happened upon a video that really… affected me. It reminded me; inspired me.

A conversation between a Muslim speaker (Ali Dawah) and a Muslim man, Hussain, who has (exclusively) homosexual desires.

The conversation, and the wisdom of the brother expressing his standpoint, quietly struck me. It reminded me: this is what Islam is about.

Islam means submitting to Allah. And a large part of this means: not succumbing to, not bowing to, our own desires. E.g.: “I want to whack someone I’m angry with across the face”. It doesn’t mean that just because I want to, I do.

“The moment I tried to separate my own emotions, which people nowadays use to justify everything they wanna do, whether that’s objectively right or not… […] I think that’s when I had a plain base where I could construct… what reality really is, in the Dunya.”

The brother touched upon the importance of environment too: it’s easier to practise Islam, and to overcome those desires that are antithetical to it, when one is not surrounded by people who indulge in them. When one finds oneself in the company of people who are trying to do the same: overcoming the Nafs, surrendering to Allah alone.

“Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire?”

— Qur’an, (45:23).

This brother, Hussain, is facing a big challenge, a trial, through his personal sexual inclinations. The way he spoke inspired me: he puts Allah above his own desires. As Br Ali Dawah says, that is part of the essence of Tawhīd… belief in the Oneness of Allah.

Accepting the Qadr of Allah, accepting that good and bad are from Allah (both as a means of trial), reliance upon Allah.

To know that inequalities do exist, in this Dunya. And that while some are tested through poverty, others might be tested through illness. Abusive people in their lives, for some. Tendencies towards anger, or pride, or jealousy. And some are tested through this particular way.

“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.”

— Qur’an, (13:28).

Look, this world is not heaven, and everybody has their trials and difficulties. At times, it might feel easy to become ‘convinced’ that ‘life’ is in… things like lust, and intoxication, and ‘luxury’, and so on.

But life, and meaning, and happiness: why should we look for these things far away from the very Owner of them?

And if we enter into Islam, we should seek to enter into it entirely.

You’ll never be given a greater burden than your soul can bear [Qur’an, (2:286)].

I also found it inspiring that the brother talking about his experiences here finds the plus-side to being subjected to this particular test. An outlook of religious optimism: he says that, while others might get married, he has more time to spend with his Creator.

And, look: the whisperings of Shaytān can really get to us. ‘Why pray, when you can spend your time… doing five extra minutes of work?’

‘Why cover your beauty when before Non-Mahaarim, when… certain people might ‘like you more’ if you don’t?’

‘Why lower your gaze when… attentions from the opposite gender feel so ‘good’?’

‘Why say Bismi Llah [in the Name of God] before you do things, when the ‘alternative’ might appear to be more ‘free’ and ‘fun‘?’

But Allah, the Originator and Owner of life and happiness and goodness has the answers. Not we.

Video below: