Peace of Mind The Sunday Guardian | June 13, 2010 | Page 10

Everyone has a mind but peace of mind is a rare commodity. Everyone wants to live in peace, but peace eludes almost everyone. Perhaps it is the greatest problem of the human world. What is the solution to this problem?

The Quran gives a solution in unequivocal terms. It is recorded in the chapter entitled Al- Ra’d (Thunder):

Those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of God -- surely in the remembrance of God hearts can find comfort. (13:28)

Here “remembrance of God” does not mean that simply reciting the word God (Allah) can give you peace of mind. It means that, in reality, contentment is only for those who accept the Creation Plan of God.

More particularly, this means that this world having been created by God and God having laid down all the laws of nature, anyone who wants to live with a peaceful mind in this world must know the Creation Plan of God and try to live in accordance with it.

According to this divine plan, man was created as an ideal seeking animal. Everyone is therefore an idealist by birth. But the present world is not an ideal world. Man might seek the ideal, but our world is one of limitations. It is this contradiction between the two that creates problems. Tension is a result of the gap between the seeker and the achievement.

No one can alter the course of divine creation. In this situation you have only one option and that is to adjust yourself to the external world. You should learn the art of desire management rather than try to fulfill all your desires. But here is good news for every man and woman: Although the material world is limited, the world of thought is unlimited.