The world loses too many good people, every day, at the hands of unexplained, sudden attacks of psychological or physical diseases. Leaving their loved ones devastated, unprepared, and shocked at the turn of the events they are now left to deal with. But I fail to understand how anything can happen ‘suddenly’ in God’s systematically perfect natural world, premised on laws and governed by unchanging principles. How then are we ever left unanswered or unequipped to handle life? The answer is the cold and bitter truth- it can not.

While disease takes a toll on our physical self long into the journey of destruction, the deterioration begins well before it starts showing to the outer world. The first and most affected entity of any human being’s existence is his soul. And unfortunately, most often than not, we aren’t even aware of the death we have already died spiritually. Unknowingly, we are on our way to the “sudden” cardiac arrest or “shocking” cancer growth.

What entails spiritual death? The moment we stop seeing life as beautifully and positively as it is, the chains we stop letting go of which keep us locked up in the regrets and grudges of the past, and the minute we begin to selfishly live for ourselves than for the greater good of the society at large, we have already dug our graves deep and dark. The moment we realize the need of our soul, we start to live for what’s deep inside rather than the cloak we are carrying only for the duration of our stay in this life, that moment, we will gain utmost peace and wellness and cure the scars of our soul.

The fact of the matter is: God’s laws of nature can never be changed or manipulated, if the only man understands what these are and how they function, can one finally get what he wants all along – health and happiness.

Amidst this unfortunate blend of natural and unnatural, man has become the victim of disease, illness, depression and havoc on his health and wellness. From autoimmune diseases to cancers and psychological illnesses, we have faced the most atrocious attacks on our health in the past few decades along with a steady rise in man-made interventions and inventions within all realms and walks of life. The connection is supremely evident for those to see, however, where should one draw the line between man-made and organic living, and what is the optimum way of being in today’s world with the way God has made us? These questions are ones to ponder over through experience, learning, and wisdom.

Dear Readers, now most of you would be born Muslims, identifying yourself with a Faith and religion that has belonged to your father and forefathers, or one that belongs to the state, and being born within these confined entities, you, too, call yourself a Muslim. My question, however, is simple. At what point in life, did you choose this lifestyle, this belief system, this set of moral and ethical decorum, this history and future, for yourself, consciously, if at all? At what point in life did you stop reciting the chapters of the Holy Quran as excerpts of a foreign language you barely understand, but which, for some unknown or unquestionable reason, hold utmost significance and sanctity, and started understanding what each word meant for you as a Muslim and as a human being?

The fact is, most of us never experience this moment. But for some fortunate or, as some may say, ‘unfortunate’ ones, this moment comes in the highlights of our life. That one life-defining, life-altering, monumental wakeup call from God above, can be at the best of times, or the worst of times, but while most rationalize it and reduce its importance to some worldly explanation, a very few choose this moment as their ‘calling’ and therefore, there and then, decide to be Muslims – reborn, revitalized and reassured.

Here begins their journey of Faith – no longer born Muslim, but chosen to be one, to live every waking moment upholding that identity and moving, step by step, closer to understanding and submitting to God.

(Verita is a Positive Living Institute which combines human behavior and social sciences with religious studies to understand truth from a nuanced perspective. Faith Matters is a one day willshop which focuses on embarking on a journey of transformation from the inside out, through the most vital component where the story started, and where all stories will eventually end – Faith).

Every waking minute of everyday, we tirelessly engage in tasks dedicated to nurturing, maintaining and improving one aspect of the human existence- the body. We sleep, eat, bathe, embellish our bodies with clothes and makeup, we exercise and rest, and work all day to sustain this lifestyle we have chosen for ourselves. Rarely, if at all, do we spend our precious time and effort in polishing our hearts, minds, and least of all, our souls.

Beneath the cloak of our physical form, lies emotions, thoughts and a spirit which encompasses the most significant facets of who we are and what we are meant to do. Unfortunately, amidst this obsession with presenting our outer garment as most beautiful to the eyes of the society, we forget that real beauty lies deep within – in a beautiful soul. While the body can be decorated with fancy clothes and jewellery, the adornment of the soul is in acts of gratitude, forgiveness, empathy, compassion, love, trust and positive thinking.

As we forget this critical aspect to gain inner peace and harmony, we are, time and again, faced with terrible bursts of emotional, mental or physical illness manifesting the vacuum within. Stuck in a vicious fixation with the physical, we run to doctors and hospitals in the hopes of physically trimming the stems of these diseases and regaining our beautiful garment. But disease keeps springing back, as the root of the problem remains – a scarred and infected soul.

Readers, take the metaphor of an apple in a box. When the box that we can see starts decaying, we realize the apple inside has become completely rotten and spoilt. The box is similar to our physical packaging, and the apple is what in inside of us, while the packaging deteriorates much later, a slow decomposition of the soul has begun long ego, and that is the root, which we barely tend to. When we do, we treat our disease “miraculously” and permanently, when we don’t, we are left in a constant chase for temporary relief, gradually seeing life crumble to pieces before our eyes.