By A. O.

A major reason for this monotony is surely the minor goals they have.

Those who accept ignorance sooner or later become entrapped by monotony. Unable to find out its reasons, they finally surrender themselves to this monotony and simply embrace it as a way of living. From then on, they make no effort to enrich their lives, by making them healthier, more comfortable and more satisfying. They spend their lives just waiting for the day they will meet their death.

At this point, the monotony starts for the ignorant. The moment they open their eyes to a new day, they find themselves engrossed with everyday routines. Many people see their long hours at home or work as somewhat vacant. There is not a great deal they can hold fast to in society when they are looking for something to give their lives some meaning. Early in the morning, they leave home for work where they meet the same people talking about the same issues. Once the work is over, they ride back to home in the same car, taking the route they always take. At home, nothing different happens; the family gathering at the supper table engage in their everyday conversation. No sooner do they start watching television, than they fall asleep. And thus they prepare themselves for another day that will bring nothing new.

Knowing that nothing will change in the course of time makes everything even more unbearable and troublesome. They start to dislike their house, for instance, albeit decorated with care and enthusiasm. Time eventually erases the attraction of the house, furniture, decor, in brief, everything they like. Time also makes people lose their affection for the people surrounding them; after some time they do not derive as much pleasure from their relations as they did in the old days. Immediate family members and close friends no longer give the happiness and excitement they used to give; people in their state of ignorance want them around solely out of habit.

A major reason for this monotony is surely the minor goals they have. Even the most ambitious person in the world has ordinary targets, this all being the outcome of living in a small world: graduating from a prestigious university, getting a good job, being happily married, getting the kids through school, improving living standards and finally waiting for death… To put it concisely, coming into existence, growing old and dying.

Stepping out of the boundaries of these targets, imposed by the culture of ignorance, is almost impossible. All ideals are set for a few decades of this life.

The individual, however, should devote his resources to fulfilling the commands of Allah in order to secure His pleasure. A life spent for the cause of Allah never gets monotonous. Each moment becomes a source of excitement and zeal. He will stay in this world for a while, but in Heaven, a place of eternal happiness, he will eventually receive the rewards for what he has done. Therefore, for a believer, it is unwise to kill time. On the contrary, a person finds every moment of this limited life to be precious.

One who follows the commandments of the Qur’an never experiences monotony. He is a man of wisdom who constantly brings something new to his life. He never lets the people surrounding him or his own life go on a vicious circle. Even with limited resources and in difficult times, he always finds ways to improve his life. In his old age, too, his enthusiasm for the betterment of his life never disappears. His determination to follow the righteous path eventually brings him a great life in this world and Paradise in the Hereafter:

“And they will say: Praise be to Allah, Who has removed from us (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving and ready to appreciate (service). He has, out of His Bounty, settled us in a Home that will last: no toil nor sense of weariness shall touch us therein.” (Fatir: 34-35)

Despite such rewards, ignorant people accept the dullness of their life. Allah, in the Qur’an, gives the reasons for such an attitude.

“That is because they are a people who have no sense. Just like those (who suffered) a short time before them, they taste the ill-effects of their own conduct, and theirs is a painful punishment.” (Al-Hashr: 14-15)

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A. O. is a Turkish writer and author.