Sacred Self Love

"Attend to your own needs, be useful to yourself and then to others. Do not be like the candle that burns itself out while providing light for others." (Removal of Cares by sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani)

#Selflove does not mean being selfish or self absorbed. It certainly does not mean being so obsessed with one's self that one displays traits of narcissism, a term inspired by the Greek mythical personality Narcissus the man who fell in love with his own reflection. Self love can surely be taken to such an extreme that it becomes self worship. This is a phenomenon that is very common in our time, encouraged and fuelled by social media. Loving one's self means not sacrificing your health and well-being in the service of others. You can serve others and still love yourself. You can put others first and still love yourself. Loving your self is an important part of who you are. When we develop this love for ourselves through our relationship with Allah, then this love becomes Sacred. Unlike the false love of this world that is nothing but a deception of Satan.

#Sacredselflove is when you love yourself so much that don't allow anything to sabotage your Aakhira. Loving yourself enough to want that which takes you closer to your Ultimate Goal. Sacred self love means avoiding anything that will result in punishment in the grave or Akhira. Loving yourself enough to protect your soul from suffering and torment. Sacred self love is loving yourself within the boundaries that Allah has set. Not playing into shaytaans trap by transgressing those boundaries and earning Allah's wrath. Sacred self love means being mindful that you will have to stand in front of Allah one day, so you avoid anything that may cause your humiliation on a day when secrets will be revealed. Sacred self love means loving yourself enough to take Allah as your Friend and Protector. Not allowing anything to come between you and Allah in this world. Sacred self love means embracing your role as a Slave of Allah, Lord of the Universe and being the embodiment of a slave striving to fulfill His every command. Sacred self love means living in This world but having your precious heart connected to your Ultimate Goal, your eternal happiness and success. Holding this world in your hand and not allowing it to infiltrate your heart. Not allowing the trends and fashions we are bombarded with on social media make our heart ache with temptation for those things that will take us away from our Ultimate Destination. Sacred self love means living in alignment with your #Fitra despite the distractions of the world. Knowing that when you are in alignment with your fitra, you are in harmony with the Universe. Sacred self love means loving yourself enough to aspire for the highest stages in Jannah, not selling yourself short or settling for less than you deserve. Sacred self love is realizing your worth in the eyes of Allah. Not seeking validation from people. Sacred self love means asking the difficult questions, taking responsibility for your actions and striving to be the best that you can be. Sacred self love means focusing on Allah pleasing and turning away from people pleasing. Sacred self love means being content with the Decree of #Allah, not rebelling against His Will as this will lead to anxiety in this world and destruction in the next Sacred self love means, seeking forgiveness when you sin. Understanding that sin or mistakes are transgressions that contaminate your soul. The first human #Dua ever recorded; Our Lord, we have WRONGED OURSELVES, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. (al Araf 23) Sacred self love is acknowledging your weaknesses and insecurities, seeking Allah's help in overcoming them like Musa As did when he was tasked with going to Pharaoh. He declared his concern regarding his stutter and asked that Allah allow his brother Haroon to help him with his task. Sacred self love means removing those from your life that distract you from your purpose and pursuit of Jannah. To remove anything and everything from your heart that is not connected to your Ultimate Goal, Like Sulaiman AS did. His horses distracted him from praying so he got rid of them all. Sulaiman AS loved horses but He loved Allah more and he loved himself enough to choose his own salvation over his love of horses. Sacred self love means choosing long term benefit over short term enjoyment. Seeing the bigger picture and choosing the best option. Yusuf AS didn't succumb to the seduction of Zuleika, he was mindful of his Ultimate Goal and was not prepared to sabotage himself for temporary pleasure. Yes, we have free will. We are free to make our own choices, but we are not free from the consequences of those choices. Sacred self love means setting boundaries in accordance with Allah's Laws and not allowing yourself or anyone else to transgress those boundaries because ultimately this will determine your fate for eternity. Do you love yourself enough to choose the highest levels of Jannah or are you filled with self loathing that will cause to to act in a way that will condemn you to the pits of Hell? May Allah grant us the ability to seek our worth through Him, to achieve our Ultimate goals through Him and to live in a manner that is most pleasing to Him.

May Allah, Al Wadud fill our hearts with His special Love and allow that love to radiate from our hearts to touch all those we meet. Ameen.

#livewithdistinction #IslamicPsychology #islamicspirituality #muslimmentalhealth #Millennialmuslimah