Hanblecheyapi

The most powerful moments in life, as abd noted (post: The Mercy of Human Company, 12.27.05), are experienced alone. It is at such moments that the importance of human company is most apparent. Yet, just as others can be a crutch in times of need, consistent dependence on them can be debilitating to personal and spiritual growth.

The Dakota Indians, understanding this concept well, considered enforced loneliness to be a rite of passage to manhood. Hanblecheyapi, a journey each adolescent male took, involved fasting, ingesting hallucinogens, seeking spiritual guidance, and seclusion in the wilderness for days on end. Maturity was more than responsibility, loss of innocence, or age: it involved a very personal spiritual connection with a Higher Being that needed to be cultivated in solitude.

Perhaps the most intense period of personal growth I experienced was while studying abroad in France. It was not the clichéd afternoons sipping tea at cafés, nor the touristy gawking at paintings I was assured were worth the admissions price; it was my first time living with neither friends nor family. Although no hanblecheyapi, the solitude helped me become less of a knee-jerk thinker and more sensitive to differences in people, and I hope cultivated a more informed personal relationship with Allah (swt).

Ingesting of hallucinogens aside, much of hanblecheyapi is reflected in our faith. The suppression of worldly desires through fasting and the seeking of guidance from the knowledgeable are common to both traditions. It is the solitude, however, that underlines the spiritual experience in both. Just as the Prophet (saw) would meditate in seclusion, Dakota youths would isolate themselves in the wilderness. And just as the Prophet (saw) rushed back to Khadija (ra) after Gabriel (as) first approached him, we turn to our loved ones for the mercy of their company after our most intense spiritual experiences.

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No Good. No Evil.

It is a mistaken belief that the world is divided into Good and Evil. Not only is such a notion incorrect, it is simplistic. There is definitely good. There is definitely evil. But, much what what we consider to be “evil” is a matter of perception anyways; “evil” is our own construction. “Good,” however, is always from God.

Rather, the world is divided into choices. These choices are either driven by a sentiment about the afterlife, or they are driven by a sentiment about this worldy life. All of the choices you have made in the past day fall into either of these two categories.

There are those individuals who are driven with a love for elements in this worldly life and a consequent general disregard for the afterlife.

There are those individuals who are driven with a hatred for elements in this worldly life, and may attempt to compensate for that hatred by insincerely seeking the afterlife. Meaning, I have met plenty of Islamic activists whose personalities seem to betray their islamicness. They don’t present themselves as people who are seeking the afterlife. Rather, they present themselves — especially through their consistencies — as people just running from this world. And, they are running from one part of this world to another part of this world. They just keep running away.

There are indeed those individuals who see nothing in this world, except for their opportunities related to the afterlife. I know they are there. If you find one, let me know.

And, as a result of these outlooks, we each make choices. The temperature of the water of your shower. The amount of water you let run until you reach that temperature. The water you may turn off when you are soaping yourself.

Think of the choices you’ve made in the past day. Think of the difficult choices you’ve made over the course of your life. Which ones were driven by sentiments about the afterlife? Honestly.

Do not hate this worldly life; disconnect yourself from your desires for elements in it. Look at a fistful of gold as being no different in value than a fistful of mud. But, seek to find fulfillment in the Qur’an.

Do not hate this worldly life. Know that it is a prison, but it is a prison in which your choices dictate your afterlife. And, all you get is one shot.

So, there are a few lessons here:

1- Look at the world as a series of choices.

2- Look within yourself to find the motivations for your own choices.

3- Look at this world for what it really is for you: it is your servant in laying the groundwork for your own afterlife.

Now, among those who make their choices based on sentiments about the afterlife, there are select few who seek something in particular in that afterlife: God. Those people, we will — God willing — explore on another day.

Take control of your choices.

May God bless you.

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