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The Paradox of Freedom
Deep within us lies the moment of truth—the seat of real freedom. In Islam, freedom is considered the highest value God has bestowed upon human beings. Yet this seemingly simple idea sparks a profound internal struggle: How can we have freedom to choose when almost everything around us seems predetermined?
The Initial Dilemma
We enter this world without choosing our parents, country, genes, or primary schools. These unchosen elements form a significant part of who we are. After years of grappling with this dilemma, I'm finding—not found, as this is still a work in progress—an answer that challenges traditional notions of freedom.
Philosophical Perspectives
Initially, I understood freedom as most do: the ability to make choices, speak one's mind, move freely, and act on one's beliefs. Bertrand Russell defined it as "the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires"—a definition acknowledging that internal barriers can limit us as much as external ones.
Sartre offered a more radical view, claiming we possess limitless freedom because the world is empty and we have absolute freedom to choose our values. However, I discovered that such lofty philosophical ideals often evaporate in the face of daily reality—when you step outside and breathe the polluted air of your city, abstract notions of absolute freedom feel hollow.
Freedom Reimagined
The breakthrough came through a simple thought experiment: Imagine being in jail for a crime you didn't commit, serving a life sentence. How could God judge your actions if you were imprisoned without freedom?
My answer is: Freedom resides inside. It's a very small space where we are truly with ourselves and where we can have intentions independently of the outside world.
No matter how constrained our circumstances, we retain the freedom to choose our intentions and attitudes. This is consciousness at its most fundamental level.
The Freedom of Wanting
This understanding transforms freedom from an external condition to an internal state of being. It's about that small space deep within where we can want and intend, regardless of external circumstances or even our own mental barriers.
A Practical Exercise in Freedom
Try this: Think of your wildest dream. Just want it, purely and simply. Ignore the rational mind that lists all the reasons it's impossible. The goal isn't necessarily achievement—it's exercising that internal muscle of free intention.
This practice helps liberate our inner space of wanting from the constraints of rationalization. It's about maintaining that spark of intention even when circumstances suggest impossibility.
The Islamic Perspective
In Islamic thought, intention (niyyah) isn't just important—it's essential. Every action begins with intention, and any action without conscious intention is considered directionless, like gambling. This ancient wisdom aligns perfectly with our modern understanding of internal freedom.
Understanding this relieved me greatly. Now, before I consider how difficult or impossible anything is, I start by separating those difficulties from my inner realm where I can want and intend.
Living with Intentional Freedom
While we can't control external events, we can always choose our responses. We can react with anger and resentment, or with compassion and understanding. This choice—this freedom of intention—remains ours regardless of circumstances.
The paradox resolves itself: True freedom isn't about controlling our environment but about maintaining consciousness of our power to intend and want. This small space of internal freedom is our true home, the foundation from which all meaningful action springs.
Expanding Freedom Through Knowledge
The freedom to want and intend doesn't exist in a vacuum—it grows and becomes more refined through knowledge. This is true!
If freedom is a human thing, learning is a very human thing, and each reinforces the other.
While our basic freedom of intention is always present, our ability to direct that intention meaningfully expands dramatically with understanding.
Think of it like this: A person with no knowledge of music still has the freedom to want to create sound, but someone who understands music theory, rhythm, and composition has the freedom to intend specific melodies, harmonies, and musical expressions. Their freedom hasn't changed in essence, but it has grown in sophistication and possibility.
This is why the pursuit of knowledge becomes a pursuit of expanded freedom:
The Responsibility of Knowledge
This relationship between knowledge and freedom creates a fascinating responsibility: to continually learn and grow not just for practical reasons, but as a way to expand our capacity for meaningful intention. Each new piece of understanding becomes a new dimension in which our freedom can operate.
Example: A person learning about environmental science gains not just information, but new ways to intend engagement with the world. Their freedom to want and intend expands to include informed ecological choices, sophisticated sustainability practices, and deeper understanding of their environmental impact.
The Spiral of Growth
This creates a powerful upward spiral:
Our basic freedom of intention leads us to want knowledge.
Knowledge expands our capacity for sophisticated intention.
More sophisticated intention leads to seeking deeper knowledge.
Each cycle expands our sphere of conscious freedom.
Summary
The journey of freedom thus becomes twofold: maintaining consciousness of our fundamental freedom of intention while continuously expanding our capacity to exercise that freedom through knowledge and understanding. This dual path—inward to our core freedom and outward to greater knowledge—creates the fullest expression of human liberty.
Remember: While circumstances may constrain our actions, they can never constrain our freedom to want, to intend, and to learn. In this space lies our true sovereignty as human beings.
محمد العواد
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