Pause for a while.. Blackout from the noise of our modern day life… Scan the world around you and contemplate.. Delve deep into your soul and browse through your spiritual conflicts. What do you see? How far do you feel connected to the universe? You are getting close to the ultimate truth about Life and your intended role in it. This shall tell you a lot about yourself, how pure is your spirit- and if contaminated it shall tell you what the cure is- to embrace and genuinely feel the Divine Love. Meditate… Connect to your subconscious… Listen to this fragile being inside you that is your soul… Pray… Make an appeal for Allah’s guidance .. for reconciliation with your spirit… Plead for true connection with the Divine, seek His Love, ask for it.. Attempt to see the light… The Divine light that carries remorse and leads to the truth …. Couldn’t find words that communicate the core meaning of what I intend to tackle here better than the beautiful poetic lines I’m quoting below by the revered Persian Sufi poet, Mevlana Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi, may his soul rest in peace. “There is a Water that flows down from Heaven To cleanse the world of sin by grace Divine. At last, its whole stock spent, its virtue gone. Dark with pollution not its own, it speeds Back to the Fountain of all purities; Whence, freshly bathed, earthward it sweeps again, Trailing a robe of glory bright and pure.” Listen to your heart… Listen carefully and ponder over what it says, do not predict the outcome, just listen… Hasn’t our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), asked us to listen to what our hearts dictate us? I recall one Hadith transmitted by Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal mentioning that Wabisah bin Ma’bad, radiyallahu ‘anhu, said: “I came to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), and he said: “You have come to ask about righteousness ?” ” Yes,” I answered. He said: “Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart feels tranquil, and sin is what creates restlessness in the soul and moves to and fro in the Heart, even though people give you their opinion (in your favour) and continue to do so.” So your heart knows better than what other may advise you, and that because your heart is originally connected to the Divine, to Allah. But it has just been contaminated by materialism, so work hard on purifying it to receive the best it has for you. Never downplay what your heart tells you, for it can, as said in the above Hadith, show you what is or is not sinful… It protects you against sins, the most disturbing obstacle that would stand in your way of receiving and embracing Divine Love. Your heart knows a lot, and as pure as it can be, it could be your guiding light in life… Just make sure you keep it pure all the way long… A deeper look into your inner self, this quite yet restless part of  you will whisper its aches, and its own perception and understanding of Life, it shall speak of its thrive for a once strong relation with God… this process known as Itisal or Wasl, according to the Sufis, and meaning to be constantly connected to Allah. And mind you, I’m not speaking of being a Sufi, but I’m calling on you to once again free your soul from a lockup of your own choice and will… Free your suffering soul that has been drowned in materialistic needs, sorrows, unnecessary sadness and meaningless pleasures, wants and likes that never matched its nature, and constant new desires that unconsciously creep into your life … Unload this burden off your troubled soul to receive the Divine Love… Replace this tormenting feeling of emptiness with that of worthiness… Your attempt may falter once, may be twice, but you’ll make it. Rejuvenation of one’s soul may take place anywhere and any time, it doesn’t require a Yoga exercise or a spiritual healing session, and absolutely it doesn’t need a psychiatric help… It just needs a strong and determined YOU… You troubled soul… You need to pause for a while, you need to listen to your spiritual whispers that carry the answer to many unanswered questions inside you… You need to discover yourself, why were you brought to this life… What’s your intended role in it and how to uphold it… Know that you’re God’s Vicegerant on earth, feel proud… Get to know your hidden powers and embrace them… You troubled soul, you need sometime out from this never-resolved tension in your life… Take a break to comprehend the foremost truth about life- the truth that you failed to grasp throughout the course of your busy life, and part of which is your need for Divine Love to keep you going… Wassalaam By: Maha Youssuf maha@muslimtribune.org