Be Free

There is an Islamic tradition about Prophet Yusef (peace be upon him), who is called Joseph in the
Bible. It says Prophet Yusef (PBUH) was the freest
person in the world, even when he was in prison in Egypt. How is that possible? He was the freest person
in the world, even while in prison, because he was
free at heart.

If you do not have the spirit of freedom in your heart, you can never be free, even if you live under the most just government in the freest society.








Likewise, if you are truly free at heart, the most oppressive government cannot enslave you, even if you are thrown in the darkest dungeon.

To be free at heart, one must practice jihad-i-nafs,
which means the struggle against the lower self or
ego. To be successful in jihad-i-nafs, one must attain fana, which means annihilation of the self.

Only after becoming selfless and altruistic can one become a true freedom fighter. The path becomes clear, the goals bright as day, unclouded by selfish desires.

It is even important for unbelievers to live freely.

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) once said: "If you
have no faith, at least be a free man."

We must also acknowledge our own mortality. We will
all die one day and be resurrected on Judgment Day,
when we will have to answer for our actions in life.

Therefore, we must prepare provisions for that day,
just as we would prepare provisions for a journey.


Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his family)
once said: "Die before you die."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: "... in my view, this
world of yours is no better than the sneezing of a
goat."

Imam Hussein (PBUH) said: "Verily, people are the
slaves of the world and their religion is superficial, only on their tongues. They are attentive to it as long as their material benefits are provided, but when they are tested, the number of true believers dwindles."

According to another Islamic tradition, Allah decided to humiliate Nimrod because he was too proud.

So, He sent a mosquito which flew into the nose of Nimrod, who then began beating his head to get the insect out until he killed himself by smashing his own head. The mosquito lost a wing after it flew out. Allah then told the mosquito it could have anything in the world that it wanted as a reward for killing Nimrod. The mosquito said it only wanted its lost wing back. And that is the origin of the saying that the entire world is worth less than the wing of a mosquito.

Unfortunately, nowadays many people have become
materialistic. They are suffering from mental slavery and have become slaves of the material world.

They have become so self-centered that the selfless path of freedom seems foolish to them.

Most people claim they want to enjoy life, and then
they spend their whole lives chasing selfish desires, trying to make themselves happy. They have lost sight of the simple truth that the greatest joy in life is found in working to make others happy.

The true servants of God are servants of the people,
and they know a joy that others on the materialistic
path can never find. They are the happiest people
because they have inner peace and satisfaction. They have yaqin, which means certainty in faith.

Let's learn from these great examples. Let's be free.
---------------------------