Friday Bites : We should love laziness
Assalamualaikum brothers and sisters! Sounds interesting right? We should love laziness? How plausible is that? Okay! First of all, I need all of you to read this article with an open mind. Leave behind your existing knowledge even if you are an engineer, a doctor or a beggar. This is because Allah says that we should listen to the truth and knowledge. So, as long as someone offers to teach us or gives us knowledge, accept it, although we already know, because it is still the truth right? But yes, correct them when they are wrong. This will make us all a healthy and good student. Let’s take three minute to correct and cleanse our hearts.
Done? Yes! (I assume). Today, rather than being motivational and inspiring, I choose to be philosophical. It must be understand that when I say we should love laziness, it does not mean that we should be lazy. I know it sounds illogical. Why do I say so? In our lives, we do not feel lazy for every second right? If yes, know that being lazy every second can result to death since you won’t even brush your teeth, eat, drink or anything. Absolutely nothing.
Dear audience, yes you. Laziness although perceived parasitical by society, is also a gift. I will tell you why. Laziness buys us time to ponder. Remember this song?
I have a dream,
A song to sing,
To help me cope,
With anything
This song was sang by Abba. It inspires me so much. Remember, when we have so much work to do and we just stopped because it’s tiring? We feel like we need a break. This “break” is what society term as laziness. See those beggars on street who are homeless and live at the mercy of others. These are the group society value as worthless and lazy. In the end, our definition of lazy is one which is built on public perspective. Is it wrong? Might be or might be not. Nevertheless, we fail to realize that laziness has done so much to our lives.
Laziness buys us time to ponder upon reality. Dream, as mentioned in the songs above, is something which crosses our mind when we start to ponder. We dream when we sleep. We dream when we stop reality and travel in our imagination. We don’t dream when we are focused on work because we are consumed by it. Do you know that bicycles and all vehicles are invented by people who are too lazy to walk and ended up with creative thinking? Even Bill Gates once said that if he were to hire people, he would prefer lazy people because they will find a way to make things a lot easier. Yes, it teaches you to imagine and create.
Last few days, I remember I was studying keenly when I decided let’s take a break. I’m sick of books. I decided to watch a few videos about homeless people on Youtube (which of course ended up lasting for two hours or more!) but I do not regret it. There’s a story when this guy tests a homeless old man. The old man was sleeping on a bench. This guy sneaked up to him and left him a few hundred dollars. When the old man woke up, he appeared so happy and was looking up to the sky thanking God. He later went to Target (similar to Tesco, I suppose) and he bought a few things. After a while, the guy who earlier left the money with the old man came into act. He acted as if he was calling someone and told his friend on the phone that his daughter is sick but he has no money to buy her medicine. The old man, who sits on the bench next to the guy suddenly walked to him and asked “Are you going to be here for a bit?”. Looking puzzled, the guy said yes. So, the old man asked him to look after his bag and he will return. The old man left.
After a few minutes, he came back without the bags he got from Target earlier. He walked towards the guy and handed him money. Do you know where the money comes from? Remember, all the items he bought from Target earlier? He returned them to Target for a cash back to offer help to this guy who was just acting that he had a sick daughter. Allahu akbar. The guy told the old man “you don’t need to do this”. He explained his intention to study homeless people and ended up giving the old man more money to buy back his sleeping bags and necessities.
See. This is how beautiful world can turn to if we stop, take a break and ponder. It does not come everyday but when this termed laziness stops in our lives, value it. Appreciate it and makes ourselves see miracle which Allah has created.
I have another story. Getting too excited on this topic!! I am an active students. I almost have no weekends because I went to debate, mun, volunteering and other activities. This week, I had a hunch, why not take a break? I am so lazy to leave my university and want to enjoy my weekend. As Allah has planned, an event called an Islamic Summit takes place near my university. I decided to go. It’s near anyway and will not cost much. There was this brother, the first speaker. He is from Belgium and he converts to Islam when he was 18. What I most remember is his statement “never attribute you being a muslim to anything except Allah” and of course his story enlightened the audience.
He said he never had the intention to convert into Islam. His mother was a muslim working in Middle Eastern country. However, he lived with his father, a ridiculously hardcore atheist. His parent divorved and he lived with his father. Once, when he was 12 he went to visit his mother. His mother put him in a Muslim school and he had to learn everything about Islam. He hated it so much because he does not like it. He liked his free lifestyle. When he turned 18, he was on his way to a club when he met three Moroccan guys who were high on drugs. Suddenly, one of the guys walked up to him, point a gun to him and threatened him for money. He was so scared. Masya Allah, although not believing Islam he remembered, “Ohh, my teacher in the Muslim school once told me that when in danger, recite Ayatul Qursi for protection”, and he ended up reciting him. Imagine this, he was on his way to a club, had a nose ring with a fancy hair. The Moroccan guy ended up running whilst saying to his friend “Run, he has called upon Allah for protection.” It’s a strange incident but of course the brother continues his journey to the club.
He was supposed to meet someone but he saw “that someone” with somebody else so he decided to leave the club. On his way back, he suddenly decided “I want to be a muslim”. It was such a weird and strange encounter. It’s not like he was stranded on an island and suddenly feels like there must be a creator out there and he wants to prostrate to Him. No, he was simply walking back home. He woke up his father, a hard core atheist, and told him about it. Although an atheist, his father did not forbid him to become a muslim and so he went to Sudan, studied Islam, memorized Quran and all. The most interesting fact was in the end, his father, a hard core atheist, who swore that his forehead will never touch the ground and prostrate to God, converted to Islam three months before his death. Amazing right? Of course, there’s a story about it but I don’t want to spam this article with everything I heard. Concrete facts are enough to make us understand that us being a muslim, or anything that ever happened are not attributed to beings but only to the deity, Allah.
These are a few things I gained when I started to ponder and be “lazy” to work in life. There are more beautiful stories when I chose to sit and do nothing on the streets. We will be surprised by Allah’s creation. Be it human or other entities. They can be astonishingly beautiful or horrific but for certain, it teaches us value. Sometimes, always thinking hard and try figuring things on our own might not work. Maybe, we just need to not just look, but see with our hearts, what Allah has put before our eyes and start to ponder as Allah always say “Do you not see?”.
Therefore, although is mostly damaging to our lives, this term laziness or a break or a stop in our lives is something which we should treasure, appreciate and accept. Who knows how will this precious gift from Allah can change our lives, right? InsyaAllah, it will help us grow and be a better ummah. Wallahua’lam. Jzkk for reading! Stay tune for the very next article of mine! See you. Cheers and may Allah bless you!
Xoxo, Loves,
The Green Scarf
