Prisoners

People behind bars are called prisoners. There are people who roam around freely in all dignity and honour. But they are not necessarily free people. They too are prisoners although in a different way. They are prisoners of their vices and passions. This category of prisoners is far more extensive than those prisoners behind bars. How can a person consider himself to be free if he is not free of his inner self and his bad conscience? A person who is truly free is a person who has the will to resist his passions and desires and this can't be realised as long as he does not submit himself totally to the obedience of Allah Ta'aala.

A person must not believe that, in the name of freedom, he can do whatever he wants. In reality, it is this mentality that makes a person become a prisoner. He becomes a prisoner thereby depriving him of his well-being in the Dounyaa and the Aakhirah. On the other hand, a person who acts as a prisoner without actually being a prisoner, by resisting against his vices and against the lowliness of immorality and indecency, enjoys true freedom.

[English version of "Prisonnier" - Al Jamiat Vol.7 No.11]