SELF-REFLECTION

As Salam Alaikum Waramatullahi Wabarakatu

I am excited to start my first blog with this topic- self-reflection.
I really do not know how to introduce this article other than to start with the conventional saying: look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself is the person you see who you want to be? We all want to improve to be better, but how do we identify what we need to improve and change?

Mostly, we do things over and over again, complaining of no positive result. We keep pushing, and moving, without taking the time to reflect on what can be improved. Not asking, what is going wrong? We are clouded with ‘I have no time to waste’. Forgetting that we need to identify what needs to change and what we need to keep doing. We need to determine what we can do differently to improve ourselves and be the person we envision ourselves to be. It is when we are able to reflect and look within ourselves that we will be able to identify what is lacking within us.

Self-reflection is something we don’t tend to do, which is a process of self-discovery. Although, it seems easier said than done.

Here are some motivations to enhance self-reflection.

Self-reflection brings about self-awareness which leads to self-improvement. With this we learn to be proactive not reactive. It makes us have a positive reaction to situation because, we have taken time to understand ourselves. We learn not to respond in the heat of the moment and this helps to guard against regretting our decisions. Self-reflection enables us to cope with personal challenges and we are able to know ourselves better.

To achieve a good self-reflection in ourselves we have to be genuine. It is something personal which is a means of improvement. For us to reflect properly, we have to be truthful to ourselves. Avoid trying to compare yourself to others when you are reflecting, because this is all about you. I say this often: ‘we are different, we want different things’.

Self-reflection from an Islamic perspective can be understood in various ways.

The Prophet’s (ﷺ)lifestyle is a perfect example of this. We know that he (ﷺ) was a man of meditation and reflection prior to Prophethood, because he (ﷺ) goes to reflect in cave Hira before he received revelation. The Prophet (ﷺ) was a man of thought who regularly visit Cave Hira. He goes there in seclusion. This was a means for him to escape from the corruption in the society. He was unhappy but, could do nothing to change the situation. This was a process of detachment. He needed to detach from the world by staying in seclusion to think, and reflect on the signs, greatness and wonder of Allah. This shows us the importance of seclusion when reflecting.

Furthermore, in the Quran Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ says: ‘Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”‘ (Aal-e-Imran, 3:191) In this way, we are advised to remember Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ and contemplate upon His signs. Looking at the creation of Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ does amazing wonders in our lives. Just contemplating and looking at our surroundings makes us realize how magnificent Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ is: His ability to create so many things at the same time. The verse continues with Allah acknowledging that those who reflect and remember Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ know and say: “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly”.

These people are able to reflect by looking at the creations of Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ, and they understand that every creation serves a purpose. This reminds us that we are created with a purpose, as we have something to fulfill on earth. It is up to us to engage in self-reflection to search our minds and discover the purpose of our creation. This brings the question, what is our purpose? Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ tells us: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship me”  (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56) This implies that all we do should be an act of Ibadah. Little acts such as smiling, being kind, and so many more, are examples of how we can worship Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ.