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Healthy Thoughts Lead To Good And Healthy Actions
Filed under: Mind
Thursday, October 23 2008 - by HealthyMuslim
Key topics: Thinking Mind

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The great scholar Ibn al-Qayyim wrote in his book al-Fawaa'id, under the chapter heading, "The Origin Of All Knowledge and Action" (p.224, Dar un-Nafaa'is 1989):

The origin of all perceived knowledge and chosen action lies in notions and thoughts. For these [both] necessitate imaginations, and imaginations call towards desires and desires necessitate the occurrence of action. The abundant repetition of this [action] then leads to the formation of a habit.

Thus, the rectification of all these [subsequent] steps lies in the rectification of the notions and thoughts, and the corruption [in these subsequent steps] lies in the corruption of these [notions and thoughts].

Rectification of thoughts occurs by their being mindful of their Master and Lord, and ascending to Him, revolving around His pleasure and love, for indeed, by Him, the Sublime, is all of rectification. He is the one with all guidance, and by His granting of success is all of right-direction, and in His guarding of His servant is every protection (for the servant) ...

He also said, continuing later:

Know that notions and whisperings lead what is associated with them to [the faculty] of thinking (thought). The thought then leads them to remembrance (tadhakkur). Thought takes them and leads them to the will (iraadah). The will takes them and leads them to the limbs and to action. These then become deeply rooted and become an [established] habit. Thus, to repel them (the notions and whisperings) from their very foundations is easier than cutting them off after their [development of] strength and completion.

He also said, a page later:

So when you repel the notion that comes to your [heart or mind], you will have repelled whatever follows on from it. And if you harbour it, it will become a roaming thought that will make use of the [individual's] desire. Then the desire and the thought together will both encourage the use of the limbs. If the limbs are not used, they (the desire and the thought) will return back to the heart with wishes and lusts to lead it in the desired direction.

It is known that rectifying the notions [that pass through the heart or mind] is easier than rectifying thoughts, and rectifying thoughts is easier than rectifying desires, and rectifying desires is easier than rectifying the corruption in action, and rectifying [the corruption in action] is easier than cutting off [from developed] habits.

Hence, the most beneficial cure is to busy yourself with thinking about what will benefit you as opposed to what will not benefit you, for thinking about what will not benefit you is the door to every evil.

What does this mean? Well, whatever thoughts, notions and ideas pass through your mind, then they will eventually lead to their expression in action. That eventual expression in action will be directly correlated to the nature of the original thoughts, notions and ideas. Good for good, evil for evil.

Further, to rectify at the very beginning of these steps - which is the stage where these thoughts and notions occur in your mind and heart - is much easier than having to get rid of a habit. Because a habit is the eventual outcome of all of these steps if a person allows them to continue progressively.

So a healthy sound mind is one in which only beneficial thoughts occur and all bad and evil thoughts are repelled. By keeping ones mind occupied with only those thoughts and ideas that are related to whatever is of outward benefit, a person keeps his or her actions in check.

A mind that has only good thoughts leads to good and beneficial actions. It is a healthy sound mind. Having bad thoughts and notions makes one susceptible to the outward expression of these thoughts in one's actions, leading to corrupt actions and development of hard-to-rid habits. It all starts with what goes through your heart and mind. Take care of it at that stage because its the easiest!

That's the simple message in these valuable words.



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Comments


  1
arshaad - posted on Saturday, 01 November 2008 07:40

Maash'Allah you're doing great job!!!!!!!! Keep advising us, May Allah help you all in this noble work


  2
Serendipitouslife - posted on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 16:17

JazakAllahkhair for this very useful site & article.

I hope you would also cover more of the upkeep of a healthy mind through food & other natural ingredients. Example, how to treat/lessen depression, mood-swings, anger, stress, etc. with natural remedies. These are very common conditions now & people resort to harmful/addictive drugs to survive.


  3
healthymuslim - posted on Wednesday, 12 November 2008 13:47

Inshaa'Allaah we are going to cover these topics. As you can imagine there are literally thousands of subject areas that can be covered, so all in due course and within our resource limits. Depression is linked to serotonin levels in the brain, and the last thing anyone wants to do is take these pharmaceuticals. There are herbal supplements such as St. John's Wort that are good for depression. More on this later in a separate article inshaa'Allaah.


  4
Abdullaahi Amreekee - posted on Sunday, 16 November 2008 10:39

Assalaamu 'Alaykum

May Allaah increase you all in beneficial knowledge.

The subject is very beneficial, and all praises are due to Allaah. May Allaah bless you all involved and the readers. I am impressed that the issue was turned back to a person of knowledge, the great scholar, the heart doctor, Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyah, may Allaah have mercy on him; and may Allah reward you all.


  5
Medinah - posted on Saturday, 22 November 2008 22:21

Assalamu Alaikum:

This is a very beautiful site, mashallah! Very informative, Alhamdullilah!


  6
Iram - posted on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 07:55

Asalaam waalaykum

Superb, quality, and informative information. It's just what we need in todays world! May Allah continue to reward you for your efforts.

waalaykum asalaam (smiles)


  7
Abu Lamees - posted on Sunday, 30 November 2008 10:36

As-Salaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu,

Jazaakum-ullaahu Khayraa for an excellent and beneficial article. Keep up the good work.

I would also like to request articles related to ailments such as thyroid, asthma and eczema. May Allaah reward you.


  8
Sajid - posted on Friday, 19 December 2008 11:20

AhsanAllaahu ilaykum wa baarakAllaahu feekum wa JazakumuAllaahu khayra. Aameen.


  9
Sajid - posted on Friday, 19 December 2008 11:25

One thing to be careful here is that this should not make one fall into learning techniques in "mind-control" like the Hindu and Buddhist meditation techniques by which they claim that they teach a person how to think clearly and have good thoughts. Beware of Innovations and following the "techniques" and ways opposing Islam.


  10
healthymuslim - posted on Friday, 19 December 2008 13:24

You are referring to what is essentially worship in the Hindu and Buddhist religions - meditation and the likes which is of religious significance to them, and thus worship.

What Ibn al-Qayyim is referring to is a general principle referring to all forms of perceived knowledge and all chosen actions. In other words, how actions and habit arise through the origins of thought and reflection in the mind and heart.

The message of Ibn al-Qayyim is that being mindful of what a person passes through his mind and heart, he can become closer to Allaah, win His love and pleasure and come under the protection of Allaah. This mindfulness is that the notions passing through his mind and heart, and his thought and reflection always revolve around those things that are tied to Allaah's pleasure.

Thus, a person passes through his mind and heart the blessings, benefits and rewards of charity - so that it ultimately leads him to be charitable in his deeds. A person passes through his mind and heart knowledge of the rewards in Paradise so that he will subsequently seek them out, when his thought and remembrance of these matters stir up his will, which then puts his limbs into action, and which then hopefully, by enough repetition becomes and established habit.

So this is a great principle outlined by Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) and it shows that we should pass through these types of beneficial, wholesome thoughts through our minds constantly to ensure positive, beneficial, rewardable actions are the end result.


  11
Umm Sulaymaan - posted on Monday, 29 December 2008 18:11

Masha'allaah an excellent website. May Allaah reward you greatly for your efforts. Keep up the excellent work!


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