Decluttering

I have just started a two week break from work and am silently rejoicing at the thought of having uninterrupted time to myself for this length of time. What a luxury! I am not planning to fly off to a faraway place. Instead, I’m looking forward to clear things out and tidy up.

From doing the odd painting job at home, to recycling things I have finally conceded I will never need again, I want to start afresh. I don’t do emotional attachments to material things any more with the exception of those which are connected directly to my own sons in their childhood. Other than that, I have long realised that when my time to leave this world comes, so too will the link to all the things I possess, known or unknown.

In my opinion, when a person can mentally detach from the duniya (temporal world), letting go of objects and belongings becomes infinitely easier. Perhaps I needed to wait to get to this stage of life to feel absolutely ready to purge my home of things I no longer want or need. Not that I have a whole heap of stuff to clear out, to be honest. However, I don’t want anything that serves no purpose. If someone else would benefit from it, then I am happy to pass it on. There’s no point something accumulating dust in the back of my closet when it is bringing no benefit to anyone. The relief, or light effect on the heart and head, to be rid of unnecessary possessions is a wonderful feeling. Quite literally, if I achieve my goal, it’ll be a weight off my mind!

Once my mind is uncluttered somewhat, I can then make room to accommodate thoughts and ideas for more productive things.

In recent years, I have resolved that I want to pursue goals which bring me closer to Allah. Decluttering is a necessary part of that process. But there are other ways to achieve that too. It might be through my paid employment which enables a halal (permissible) income with which I can manage provisions for myself and my family. And for sure, I hope I can continue to serve in charitable causes where there is an organised effort to bring short and long-term relief to those most needy. For me, that kind of work keeps my conscience in check. It also reminds me of my own privileges. Whilst I may never match the effort some selfless individuals have contributed to good causes, I know that I am always striving to do more.

The most important thing is to keep moving and insha’Allah that’s what I will always do even if I miss some of my targets.