The noises inside us

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Have you ever considered shutting yourself out from all the noises around you? No interaction with any human being, no listening to music, no walking down the streets to enjoy the stores or watch people, no phone conversation, no TV, radio - whatsoever? People are constantly listening to lectures, tapes, music, watching TV or involved with some type of conversation be it one way or the other. The point is: a lot of us who do not get much time with themself - they prefer not to be with their ownself and are scared to face their inner being. A lot of us are scared to be alone - to face the ultimate reality of their true inner voice. Some people turn up the music very high thinking that it might be bringing some serenity to the heart but they do not realize that such high music could be distracting some worshippers who prefer some quietness and moments of solitude with their Lord. There are people who are constantly looking to be around people - for them the type of gathering doesn't matter much - all they care about is just to have a company. Do we ever wonder why? What might be preventing some of us to face ourselves? Are we afraid to hear ourselves? Is there so much darkness and so much noise inside of us that its unbearable to face?
For some, the noise inside is so loud that in order to turn it down or to refrain from listening to it - they turn up the sound around them very high & loud thinking it would supress their inner chaos. They are afraid to face the truth - afraid to hear their own voice. Subhanallah! This is what we are getting used to more these days - noise, loudness, gatherings ; and we think of those people who prefer isolation to be mad!

Today we live in a soceity where information intake is considered to be a positive thing. where isolation is considered to be an act of introvert or backward thinking. However, isolation/seclusion or Khalwa (as may be said in arabic) can be very beneficial if applied with a correct understandng and there are a lot of positive effects to it. I would like to share some excerpts on Isolation and its positive effects from a book authored by 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni:
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Ibn Taymiyah said:
"At times, it is necessary for the worshipper to be isolated from others in order to pray, remember Allah, recite the Qur'an, and evaluate himself and his deeds. Also isolation allows one to supplicate, seek forgiveness, stay away from evil, and so on."

Ibn al-Jawzi said:
"I have not seen or heard of anything that brings repose, honor, and dignity as much as selcusion does. It helps one to stay away from evil, it protects one's honor, and it saves time. It keeps one away from the jealous minded and those who take pleasure in your affliction. It promotes the remembrance of the Hereafter, and it allows one to reflect on the meeting with Allah. In times of seclusion, one's thought may roam in that which is beneficial, in that which contains wisdom..."

Only Allah knows the full benefits of seclusion, for in seclusion, one's mind develops, views are ripened, the heart finds repose, and one finds himself to be in an ideal atmosphere for worship. By remaining isolated at times, one distances himself from trials, from flattering the person who deserves no praise, and from the eyes of jealous and envious persons. One is saved from the haughtiness of the proud and the follies of the idiot. In isolation, one's faults, deeds, and sayings are all secluded behind a veil.

During periods of isolation, one is able to delve deep into a sea of ideas and concepts. In such a state, the mind is free to form its opinions. Isolated from the company of others, the soul is free to achieve a state of rapture and to hunt for the stimulating thought. When alone one does nothing for show or ostentation, since none but Allah sees him, and since none but Allah hears him. ~~

So, khalwa is intended to generate spiritual fruit - and possibly removing all the stains that too much socialization - saying too much, asking too much, listening too much, seeing too much puts in our hearts. Therefore, although it might be hard (initially) to let ourselves be in solitude practising seclusion can bring a lot of benefit to us. Sometimes we do not realize that a lot of information that enters within us through the different channels may not actually have any beneficial or positive impact on our heart. So, one way we can filter out such polluted/unwanted information from within our system is by constantly keeping us under survellience and by reminding ourselves of Allah (swt)'s constant observation over us.

May Allah (swt) give us the tawfiq to have a clean heart - a heart free from all the stains and a heart free from everything except Him (swt). May He grant us a pure heart, may He make all the vices to achieve such a pure heart easier on us, and may He accept our struggle to seek a better station near Him. Ameen...