Mission Statement

Please take a moment to reflect on this powerful hadith:

Hadith 25:

Abu Hurairah (raa) narrated: Allah’s Messenger May peace be upon Him said :
“When a slave (a person) commits a sin (an evil deed) a black dot is dotted on his heart. Then if that person gives up that evil deed (sin), begs Allah to forgive him, and repents, then his heart is cleared (from that heart covering dot); but if he repeats the evil deed (sin), then that covering is increased till his heart is completely covered with it. And this is Ar-Ran that Allah mentioned (in the Quran),
“Nay! but on their hearts is the Ar-Ran (covering of evil deeds and sins) which they used to earn” (83:14)”
At-Tirmidhi, Vol 5 , Hadith No: 3334

As creatures endowed with intellect we can apply our reasoning and derive meaning from these words. As usual the guidance of a learned scholar is always recommended in these cases. Individuals with out a proper background in Islamic studies tend to make erroneous interpretations. I don’t claim to be an Islamic scholar however I do strive to learn from such individuals. I then internalize their teaching and seek greater understanding of my faith in the process.

It is this understanding that I wish to share with my readers. Simply because it excites me and I feel a need to voice this excitement. Can you imagine in your minds eye how your heart may look after committing a sin and the black dot is upon it? As God fearing believers this image should inspire us to seek forgiveness, repent for our sins, and pray that our lord remove that disdainful blemish from our precious hearts.

But what of the second part of the hadith? What if an individual lacks taqwah (the fear of God) his faculties would not respond in a similar manner. He may derive some morbid pleasure from the sin and seek to repeat it. As described if he continues in this manner and fails to seek guidance the covering will grow and grow until the entire heart is covered. This covering has been specifically mentioned in the Quran.

Estagfurallah May we never reach such a dismal state, may our hearts remain soft and pure, may they always be receptive to good teachings and urge us to do good deeds.

Typical durs or religious talks stop here and we go about our way, feeling spiritually recharged. Which is great. But have we done enough? Have we spread this enlightenment to others? And by others I don’t mean other Muslims. Its all to easy to preach to the choir. How about to the unbelievers? Would they be inspired with the same urge to repent? If they are spiritually inclined perhaps they will. They could appreciate the wisdom in these words.

But what of the soul whose heart is nearing Ar-Ran, how do we reach them? Imagine a deviant soul mired in sin, reveling in sin, deaf and dumb it moves about the earth with utter abandon. Heedless to the calls of good and virtue. A monster in human form, sent to deceive and wreak havoc. We dare not walk where it walks, we dare not speak what it speaks. In our silence and inaction it grows strong. With conviction the evil soul justifies heinous acts, genocide, theft and debauchery. Pain and misery falls upon the earth, humanity loses its dignity and the devils claims another soul.

Can we think of examples of such individuals from history, current events? How does this happen? How do people get like that? This is a topic that begs to be studied in depth. That’s why I love this hadith so much. It gives us a glimpse into that process. I would say that black dot could also be thought of as the Dark Seed.  A seed by which evil grows. No one is immune from it, we may be growing it in our hearts as we read these words. Its only the fear of God that can reduce it send it back to where it came from.

Isn’t this fascinating? Do you wish to learn more. Maybe even see this process in action. Enter Reapers of the Damned: Dark Seed. The sequel to my first full length novel Reapers of the Damned. I seek to chronicle a key character’s fall from grace. The series of events that led him to becoming a genocidal monster. This is by no means an original theme, Anakin Skywalker -> Dark Vader anyone? But I am giving it my own twist. My own unique brand of story telling.

Hey man, I thought you were keeping all this top secret and all cloak and daggery? You gave the project a codename and was keeping it secret from everyone. Ya well its such a good secret I don’t know much about the project either. That’s because life has gotten in the way. I never had the “time” to sit down and write. After reading  words written by a wise man, I soon came to realize what my problem was. The problem wasn’t a lack of time it was a lack of motivation. I had plenty of time for TV but no motivation to write.

Where did my motivation go? Its all too easy to say that life dealt me a swift blow and that I am too beat up to go on. To busy feeling sorry for myself to get back up. Well I got back up and I am swinging back. But still no motivation. Why is that? The wise man went on and said that you have no Mission statement. The goal you are achieving can not be communicated in a few eloquent prose. You know what he’s right. The storyline for ROTD:DS was so jumbled in my mind I couldn’t get it out. I was trying to do so much. Sure I did character sketches, plot mapping the works. But it still didn’t come together. It never seemed to work on paper.

I am sure seasoned writers have gone through this and have ways to work through this. But I am no seasoned writer. I am just an enthusiasts. It will take hard work and dedication to produce something worthwhile. But I aim to enjoy the process and grow by it. Join me on this journey. Share your thoughts in the comment thread. In the meantime God Bless and stay safe.

UPDATE:

The wise man also said no one can succeed on his own. That's why I am reaching out to you. Help me explore this topic. Share your thoughts. Let me get you started. I really like the title I came up with. I like how the main title compliments the sub-title. We all heard the phrase "reap what you sow". Well in this case they have sowed the dark seed now they will reap evil.