Muslims have been assigned a purpose in life, and that purpose is clearly stated in the Quran when Allah declares:
“I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.”
(Surah Ad-Dhariyat, 51:56)
The ultimate purpose of the life of this world is worship. It is not confined to ritual prayers and fasts. Rather, it encompasses everything that a human being can possibly do, think, or feel that Allah loves, and that He enjoins on humanity.
We do not have to wonder if life has a purpose, nor do we have to search for it. We have to embrace it and remember that we will be called to account for how well we strove to achieve it. Allah asks us:
“Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose) and that you would not be brought back to Us?
(Quran Al Muminun, 23:115)
Human beings, however, have common human frailties and are not stoic super beings. Even though Allah makes clear our purpose, it is only through His Mercy and Guidance that we understand clearly and act consistently on that purpose. We, as humans, sometimes lose our way and get distracted from the Straight Path. Our faith sometimes wavers. The whispers of Shaytan can confuse, delude, and distract us. We are not immune to having a weakening of faith. Therefore, in the same way that we must renew and purify our intentions for each act of worship, we have to regularly reclaim our overall purpose.
Retreating to Refocus
One way to rediscover our purpose is to remove ourselves, either literally or figuratively, from the activities and influences that serve as distractions from our spiritual goals. To remove ourselves or go into seclusion is known in the Arabic language as khalwa, which refers to temporarily withdrawing and retreating from worldly activities to focus on worship and gaining closeness to Allah. It is performed when we are fearful of falling into sin.
The practice of khalwa has been described in the Seerah. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said the Messenger of Allaah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Soon there will come a time when the best wealth a Muslim will have will be sheep which he will take to the mountaintops and the places where rain falls, fleeing, for the sake of his religious commitment, from tribulation.”
(Kitaab al-Fitan, Shahih Bukhari, #7088)
A similar narration in Sahih Muslim says that a man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said:
“Which of the people is best?” He said, “A man who strives in jihad for the sake of Allaah with his wealth and his self.” He asked, “Then who?” He said, “A believer in a mountain pass who worships Allah and leaves the people alone.”
(#1888)
According to scholar An-Nawawi in his explanation of Sahih Muslim (13/34), the mountain tops and mountain passes do not refer to actual geographic features. They refer metaphorically to being alone or in isolation because mountain tops and passes are places “usually devoid of people.”
A Time for Interaction and a Time for Withdrawal
An-Nawawi and other scholars like Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar have said that isolation is permissible in times of tribulation when we fear that our interactions will compromise our religious commitments. Our default behavior is that we should all be together. We are social beings. We live, work, and worship in communities. Our friends, families, and neighbors have rights upon us, and those rights are a part of our religious commitments. The norm for our interactions is for us to be around one another and bear, with patience, any harm that comes from that interaction. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, affirmed these behaviors when said:
“The believer who mixes with people and patiently bears their annoyances will have a greater reward than the believer who does not mix with people and patiently bear their annoyances.” (Ibn Maajah #4032; Sahih at-Tirmidhi, #2035)
During times of strife and chaos, however, the preferred behavior changes. Muslims are encouraged to seek solitude and engage in worship and reflection. Instead of engaging in impulsive or reactionary behaviors, we should seek clarity and renew our purpose by remembering and glorifying Allah.
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah said:
“Those in solitude have raced ahead. [They] are absorbed in the remembrance of Allah. Remembrance has lifted their burdens and they will come on the Day of Resurrection weightless.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī #3596)
During the extreme trials of the last days, the confusion and discord will be so widespread that the believing people will have to stay in their homes for safety. When asked about this period and how the believer should respond, the Messenger of Allah said:
“There will come after me a tribulation like the dark of night, in which a man will awaken as a believer and enter evening as an unbeliever, or awaken as an unbeliever and enter evening as a believer.” A man among the Muslims said, “What shall we do in that case, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said, “Stay in your homes and hide.”
There are many examples of this practice in our Islamic history.
The Solitude of Yunus
If we become frustrated or are constantly angry about the confusion and disorder of our lives, then temporary spiritual isolation may help. Prophet Yunus, or Jonah, peace be upon him, tried calling his community, the people of Ninevah, to worship Allah. They stubbornly refused, even though he warned them of Allah’s imminent punishment. When the skies grew dark, and the impending punishment was evident to the people, they became terrified and repented. By then, Yunus was frustrated with their rejection of the truth and their destructive behaviors. So he left his people and went on a journey by sea.
Soon, Yunus and the other ship passengers were in the middle of a turbulent storm. The pagan custom at that time was to calm the storm by sacrificing a person, throwing him or her overboard. So, the passengers began to draw lots to choose a person to sacrifice. The name of Yunus was selected three times, but the people refused to sacrifice Yunus, who was known to be a righteous man. Realizing that Allah was the One Who decreed that his name came up three times, Yunus jumped into the sea and wound up in the belly of a giant fish.
Islamic scholars often cite the story of Yunus when discussing spiritual isolation. They describe his condition as being in three layers of isolating darkness. He was isolated in the darkness of the night; he was isolated in the darkness of the ocean depths; and he was isolated in the darkness of the fish’s belly. While in this extreme triple isolation, he reflected on his frustration and how he had left the people he was tasked with calling to the Truth. Yunus prayed sincerely, and Allah answered his prayer by elevating him in this world and the next. This event is described in the Quran.
“And [remember] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him.
And he called out within the darknesses, “There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers. So We responded to him and saved him from distress.
And thus do We save the believers.”
(Surah Al-Anbya, 21:87-88)
Yunus's salvation and spiritual redirection occurred when he was in the most extreme form of isolation. For the ordinary Muslim, we can isolate ourselves in other ways.
The Voluntary Solitude of Muhammad
Before he received revelation, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, would go into seclusion in the Cave of Hira for several days. In that secluded place, he first received revelation from the Angel Jibril. After that first revelation, he never returned to Hira. He did, however, go into a type of isolation in the masjid during Ramadhaan. This isolation is known as itikaf.
The word itikaf means “to stick to something.” It involves staying in the masjid for a specified time and adhering to worship.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him used to perform itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, took his [his soul].
(Sahih Bukhari)
During the process of itikaf, we can renew our purpose. In itikaf, we are alone with our thoughts. If we are around other worshippers, they, too, will be in spiritual retreat. Without the distractions of daily life, we can take the time to reflect on Allah’s Mercy and Might. We can slow down our recitation and strive to pronounce the Quran with proper articulation. We can contemplate the words we are reciting. We can become more aware of our priorities. We can count our blessings. These actions will remind us of our purpose.
Nighttime Solitude
Allah made the night for rest. The quiet and darkness of night are ideal for nighttime worship and a perfect opportunity to renew our purpose. Tahajjud prayer, the prayer we offer after the sunnah prayers of Isha’ and preferably after sleeping a bit, is the optimal time to ask Allah for guidance and direction. It is a time when we can reflect on our actions and give thanks for those that support our purpose in life, and repent for those that undermine it. Allah says in the Quran:
“Only those who believe in Our verses who, when they are reminded of them, fall in prostration and exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.
They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate to their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend.”
(Surah As-Sajda, 32:15-16)
Teach Your Family to Appreciate Solitude
Our children will inherit the world with movement, distractions, and rapid change. We are responsible for teaching our children how to retreat to their metaphorical caves to refocus. If we make quiet time, iktikaf, reflection, and the night prayer integral parts of our routines, our children may be more likely to see their value and make them habits of mind and action.
Model taking time for quiet and solitude. Allow children to have downtime. Share with them the verses from the Quran about engaging in reflection and taking account of one’s actions. Teach them to let others know when they need some time alone. And explain to them that our ultimate goal during these special times should be to get closer to Allah via our worship.
Candice “Sister Islaah” Abd’al-Rahim reverted to Islam in 1976 and considers herself a student of knowledge. She has deep education credentials which include a M.A. in Teaching, Certificate of Advanced Studies (Post-Masters) in Administration and Supervision, B.S. in English, and experiences as a principal (in fact the first hijab public school principal in Maryland!), curriculum and staff developer, mentor, and classroom teacher of grades pre-K through 12. She is a former adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Graduate School of Education and is a doctoral candidate in Islamic Sciences at the International Online University. Islaah’s contributions to the field have earned her honors in the Who’s Who of Distinguished JHU Alumni. She is wife, daughter, mother, and grandmother and is an active member of several Muslim communities in the Baltimore area
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