Life Supreme — Page 9
12. LIFE SUPREME quote a short passage from the Bible: "As a man thinketh in his heart so he is. 22 (Proverbs 23:7). Scientific research has conclusively established the fact that man is what he thinks and he becomes what he thinks. He is the product of his thoughts. . Our character is no more than the embodiment of our thoughts. . We build our character on the foundation of our thoughts. What we think we become. We possess the power to govern our own thoughts and thereby build a character of our own choice because our character is no more than a reflection of our thoughts. An immoral character grows from the seeds of immoral thoughts while a virtuous character grows from the seeds of virtuous thoughts. This law of mental science operates as assuredly as does the law of gravity or any of the other stable laws of this universe. We may use it to our own immense advantage in the development of moral virtues by discarding and omitting impure and negative thoughts from our mind and concentrating only on virtuous ones. One thing we do possess which no government can take from us is the freedom to choose and control our own thoughts. . Just as a gardner keeps his garden free from weeds and grows only the flowers and fruits of his own choice, so may we cultivate the garden of our mind by weeding out undesirable thoughts and planting only noble, pure and virtuous ones which will grow, bloom and colour our character with their fragrance and splendour. . We wish to close our minds to impure thoughts and to discard those which happen to sneak in. Islam teaches us to keep away from those things which breed evil and for this reason to keep away from dance halls, gambling shops, public houses, brothels and low forms of entertainment. Other things which should be shunned are the lewd type of paper-back novels which flood the bookshops; magazines crowded with photographs of nude women and most films which may be described as an abomination of satan. these things are all the work of the devil aimed to bombard the mind with impure thoughts. Furthermore we should avoid all uncharitable thoughts towards others such as hatred, jealousy, deceit, scorn, envy, revenge, etc. , as they are also immoral in their way. Not only does the Holy. Quran enjoin us to keep away from evil but also to keep the company