ISOLATION AND ITS POSITIVE EFFECT

If applied with a correct understanding, isolation can be most beneficial.

Ibn Taymiyah said:

"At times, it is necessary for the worshipper to be isolated from others in order to pray, remember Allah, recite the Qur'an and evaluate himself and his deeds. Also, isolation allows one to supplicate, and seek forgiveness, stay away from evil, and so on."




Ibn al-Jawzi said:

"I have not seen or heard of anything that brings repose, honor, and dignity as much as seclusion does. It helps one to stay away from evil, it protect one's honor, and it saves time. It keeps one away from the jealous minded and those who take pleasure in your affliction. It promotes the remembrance of the Hereafter, and it allows one to reflect on the meeting with Allah. In times of seclusion, one's thoughts may roam in that which is beneficial, in that which contains wisdom."

Only Allah knows the full benefits of seclusion, for in seclusion, one's mind develops, views are ripened, the heart finds repose, and one finds himself to be in an ideal atmosphere for worship. By remaining isolated at times, one distances himself from trials, from flattering the person who deserves no praise, and from the eyes of jealous and envious persons. One is saved from the haughtiness of the proud and the follies of the idiot. In isolation, one's faults, deeds, and sayings are all secluded behind a veil.

During periods of isolation, one is able to delve deep into a sea of ideas and concepts. In such a state, the mind is free to form its opinions. Isolated from the company of others, the soul is free to achieve a state of rapture and to hunt for the stimulating thought.

When alone, one does nothing for show or ostentation, since none but Allah sees him, and since none but Allah hears him.

Every person who was a genius, a mental giant, or a great contributor to the human race watered the seeds of his greatness from the well of isolation, until the seed became a plant, and then finally, a formidable tree."

Another said:

"I found company in my solitude and I remained fervently in my home.

So felicity was perpetual for me and my happiness grew, I have severed human relation and I couldn't care, whether the army has gone forth or the president has given us a visit!"