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I was trying to study yesterday, when Muhammad called me. I knew he'd get me into a long conversation so I ignored it. He left me a voice mail, then a text message and then 10 more text messages. I finally gave in and called him back.
Me: Asalamu Alaikum. What's up?
Muhammad: Walaikum Asalam! I MET SHEIKH BOHOT ACHA!
Me: WHAT?! The world renowned Islamic scholar? You actually spoke to him?
Muhammad: Well not really. I just went to an MSA event he was speaking at. I was too shy to talk to him.
Me: Uhhhh did you call me just to tell me that?
Muhammad: No, not just that. He answered a question.
Me: Ohh so he answered your question?
Muhammad: Not really. It was someone else's question. I couldn't think of anything to ask.
Me: Muhammad! Why does this matter? I'm trying to study!
Muhammad: Listen, it's really good. So this guy went up to the mic and said that he was researching Islam for a while. They had a discussion that went something like this:
Guy: Mr. Bohot Acha, I have everything anyone would want in life. I make lots of money, have a big house, expensive cars, eat delicious food for every meal and I've had lots of girl friends, but I'm still not happy. What does Islam offer that will give me what I'm missing?
Bohot Acha: Thank you very much for your question. Let me ask you something. How long does it take for you to become full from this delicious food?
Guy: Hmmm not too long. Why?
Bohot Acha: And when you eat too much, doesn't it give you discomfort and sometimes even pain?
Guy: Oh yea, definitely. That heartburn kills me.
Bohot Acha: So these worldly, carnal pleasure are only temporary and inherently have some bitterness in them. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with it as long as it is regulated, but your body has a different kind of need that is fed in a different kind of way.
Guy: What do you mean?
Bohot Acha: Well, every person is composed of a physical body and a soul. Our body will eventually die and rot away, but our soul is eternal. Just like how we need to nourish our body, we need to nourish our soul and just like how we feel discomfort when we starve our body, we feel discomfort when we starve our soul.
Guy: So how do we nourish our soul?
Bohot Acha: We receive nourishment for our soul from the One who created it, Allah. We feed our soul by worshiping Allah. We pray, we give charity, we fast, we recite the Quran all for the sake of Allah. So to answer your question, we need to follow Islam, because it gives us pleasure which is not accessible by any other means and which is not limited to only this life. One day we will all die and we will lose all of the things in this world which made us happy. But after we are resurrected, if we worshiped Allah and followed the way of life he prescribed for us, we will be rewarded with Paradise, which will be eternal and superior to any happiness we have ever felt before that.
Guy: That makes sense. I never thought about it like that.
Bohot Acha: Yea it's pretty cool. So you wanna become Muslim?
Guy: You know what? I do!
Bohot Acha: Yaaaaay =D!Me: Hey that was really nice. Thanks for sharing that with me Muhammad.
Muhammad: No problem bro. Hey, shouldn't you be studying?
Me: Arghhhh!
Here's some nice videos about the soul. By the way "Ruh" is often translated as soul:
And just cuz it looks delicious:
