Discard unnecessary things
Bint-e-Muhammad Nadeem Attariyyah
Do you know how many things in your life are unnecessary and how many are useful? If you are aware, then it is a very good thing, but if you do not know, then it is not a good thing at all. When a person comes into the world, he only knows how to do one thing: cry. When he is hungry, he cries; when he needs something, he cries. However, as he begins to grow, his desires also grow. In infancy, a person’s desire is restricted to only eating; when he feels hungry, he eats and then sleeps.
However, what are your desires in this life, which Allah Almighty has referred to as the provision of delusion (Part 4, Surah Aal-e-‘Imraan, Verse 185)? Today, let’s make a list. Put your phone away and write down all of your wishes on a piece of paper. List down what you require in life. Your own grand house, a good job, big business, servants, fine clothes, lavish foods, a good bike or a luxury car, health and well-being, a life full of happiness, plenty of money, a good education and life partner for your children; write down any wish that comes to your mind right now.
Now look at the list you have made and identify the things that are your necessities and the things that are [merely] your wishes, and separate the two. Next, look at the necessities and ask yourself if you are actually in need of them.
With all honesty, look at those things without which you can live your life easily, and those wishes which you can fulfil with your determination and resolve. Also, identify those things which will only increase your comfort and peace. Ponder and reflect thoroughly and remove any unnecessary wishes from your list.
You must have experienced that when your mobile has lots of additional things on it, it begins to freeze. Similarly, if we accumulate unnecessary things and wishes in our lives, the peace of life gradually erodes away. You can eventually sell your mobile phone, but you cannot sell your life. Life is only granted once; realise its value and do not waste it in the pursuit of unnecessary things, unnecessary works and unnecessary wishes. Remove unnecessary things from your life and ‘reset’ it; just as you do with your mobile phone.
It is not possible for you to completely put an end to your desire for things. Every human has wishes; it is an innate thing. However, strive to stay away from excessive desires, because the more desires we have, the more worries we will have. Every wish does not get fulfilled, and whenever a wish is left unfulfilled, it causes grief. Save yourself from this grief.
Keep your life simple and easy; there is no benefit in those things and wishes that are useless and can cause religious or worldly harm. Therefore, abandon them, because the worldly life is only play and amusement (Part 7, Surah Al-An’aam, Verse 32). It will come to an end one day.
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