Have You Tied the Camel?

I read a quote recently that went somewhat along these lines, 'The best feeling of happiness is when you are happy just because you have made others happy.'

On reading that, I did feel really happy and it also got me thinking about those who only make others happy. How do they feel? Those people who would let their dreams get crushed just because they would want to see others happy, how would they feel? Is that what we should call wise? 

Making others happy is wonderful. That gives you a feeling of contentment. But there are some of us who give too much of ‘us’ away to reach the bars set by others. Some may have put you up on pedestal, may be your statue, and are asking you to climb up there so that the statue could get its life back. But don’t be too taken away, know that those bars don’t define you. 

That statue isn’t you. You know who you are, you know your worth, and you know what you want to do, so do that. Set your bars, set it generously. Don’t be a miser. I know you don’t set it all high because you simply think you are not all that great, but drop the perception now! You are! Believe in yourself. 

 If you aren’t ready to let the world know about your dream, then make it your reality, they will know. Set your bars reasonably high because no one else will do it for you. You got to do it, you know the laws. Be practical, but also let your heart feel. Don’t ignore feelings, don’t  just think its all mind work, its mostly the heart. Make sure it loves you for what you’ve done for it.

So, why this title? What has it got anything to do with tying the camel? The following is the authentic  hadeeth:

Anas ibn Malik reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I untie her and trust in Allah?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Tie her and trust in Allah.”

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2517

You see what's that Hadeeth about. It talks about two most important things : 1. Doing 2. Trust in God. If we want something in our life, we need to do both of the aforementioned. Both the things are entwined, there is no imbalanced ratio. We have to try our best and leave it to Allah.

 There are three kinds of people, the ones who just do and don’t ask for it to God, there are people who just ask God for what they want and do nothing and there are people who do both of it. And as promised those people are granted what they want, if not spontaneously, sometime. Sometime that God thinks is the best time. 

Now that is where the test comes, the test of patience. When we ask for it, we might think we need it. We don’t know that every time is just not the right time to have something. Sometimes what we think we want now may be something we would actually need on a later date. Now want and need are two different things, so obviously you know what a wise person does. The person waits for the prayers to be answered after doing all that was needed for him to do. 

This is where your dreams come in. At this point you are the captain of the ship with the endless ocean of God’s Mercy pouring over you. Now the camel is in your hands, you have dreamt of something all day and night, but every morning you wake up, you find life telling you, ‘Hey I was just kidding about last night, you can't do all that now, can you?’ and then comes the mirror, where you are supposed to look at yourself, not just see. Your physique is in front of you, accept it. Accept yourself wholly, your perks and flaws. Flaws aren’t a thing of constant existence, they are something that can be turned into something absolutely beautiful. Your mind may scream at you to let all your dreams go and stop. But don’t listen! Listen to your heart and know what truly makes you happy. And do you know what it says?

Just do it. Pray it away!

Your efforts aren't futile, you might not always have a picture-perfect outcome, but in the end you will create something beautiful. This road is filled with tribulations and life sure has its own way of teaching lessons. And one of the ways is to let you feel like you’ve lost, but then again, you're the captain, steer through the storm of negativity, haven't you seen it yet? The shore you have been searching for? Exactly. YOU chose to steer clear and you’ve seen it. So now, must you settle? Of course not! Reaching this shore paves the way for reaching another, and that is why we humans are naturally spiritual beings and wanderlusts, we look for something bigger. But only some know to be content throughout the journey. Being content does not mean that you settle where you are just because you are happy with what you have, it is actually pretty nice thing to feel this way, but in life, every day should be a quest for excellence. 

Every other day we must move one step towards perfection, though it is impossible to be perfect. But we must try. Be happy, feel content with who you are and with what you are doing, but always know that you can always do better. That need not make you feel bad, that will make you feel better! 

So, have you tied the camel yet? If you haven’t, I think you should do it right away because time is never good or bad, it is what you make it. Once you trust yourself and pull out the rope to tie the camel, begin in the name of God and place all your trust in him. You CAN do what you want to do.