{"id":30391,"date":"2022-01-14T08:08:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T00:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/new-wp\/?p=30391"},"modified":"2022-01-14T08:08:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T00:08:30","slug":"geotranscendence-amidst-hardship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/geotranscendence-amidst-hardship\/","title":{"rendered":"Geotranscendence amidst Hardship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of my beneficial readings during this pandemic is a book titled The Longevity Project<\/em>, co-authored by Professor Dr. Howard Friedman and Professor Dr. Leslie Martin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The compact book is a summary of research, based on interviews as well as health data of 1,528 participants in the USA, all in the span of 80 years (since 1921), from the participants\u2019 youth until death. Its long subtitle thus: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study. <\/em>Indeed, the book presents many revolutionary findings on diet and nutrition, fitness and longevity; and chapter 11 is devoted to relation between healthful longevity with religious faith, under the title \u201cLong life meets the afterlife\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was led to the book by an article by Markham Heid, \u201cWhat people who live long\u2014and through pandemics, war, and more\u2014have in common\u201d. Heid interviewed researchers specialised in healthy ageing, including Professor Dr Peter Martin of Iowa State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Prof. Martin, an underappreciated element which is very contributive towards health and longevity is \u201cgeotranscendence<\/em>,\u201d referring to any worldview based on spirituality vis-\u00e0-vis sheer rational ideologies or materialistic mind sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prof. Martin\u2019s researches found many long-lived individuals inclined to spiritual attitudes as they reached old age and maturity. At that point of trajectory, they are more contented of life, with faith in a higher being. This attitude is very helpful in handling a life full with unexpected adversities and disconcerting disruptions. From here spring patience and perseverance, which are elements in the recipe for healthful and satisfying life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a prophetic tradition of a man asking, \u201cO Messenger of God! Who is the best of the people?\u201d The Messenger answered: \u201cHe whose life is long and his deeds are good.\u201d The man asked again: \u201cThen which of the people is the worst?\u201d The Messenger answered the same: \u201cHe whose life is long and his deeds are bad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Ghazali\u2019s celebrated work Ihya\u2019 \u2018Ulumiddin<\/em> narrated it with a variation: \u201cThe most excellent happiness is a long life in obedience to God.\u201d A simple survey of the lives of the Companions of the Prophet, early devout Muslims, scholars and Sufis found that a majority were bestowed with long life. The Prophet used to pray that Allah graces the life of his assistant, Anas ibn Malik, who lived up to 100 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, one hundred years of age were also endowed to luminaries like \u2018Abdullah bin Buraydah and Abu Ya\u2018la al-Mawsuli; while 90 years or more were obtained by eminent personalities like al-Nabulsi, Abu Nu\u2018aym, Hakim Tirmidhi, Harb Kirmani and Hasan al-Basri \u2014 just to mention a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Researchers are quite amazed, as such notable personalities were very healthy even as their times were yet to boast of modern medical treatments of antibiotic, surgery, anaesthesia, vitamins, or empirical sciences of microbes and pathogens.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Relevant to \u201cgeotranscendence<\/em>\u201d, in the worldview of Islam, faith in Allah coupled with sincere prayer, supplication, divine remembrance, worships and God-consciousness (taqwa<\/em>) are some pathways towards profound happiness and well-being. A tranquil spiritual heart conduces towards healthful life, while a corrupt heart impacts body, mind, soul, and even society and biosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with the risks of death, infectious disease, loss of job and income, the Qur\u2019an beautifully reminds that \u201cno kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of God: and if anyone believes in God, He guides his heart aright (to move on): for God knows all things\u2026. God! There is no god but He: and on God, therefore, let the Believers put their trust\u201d (al-Taghabun<\/em> [64]: 11, 13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The verse punctuates that a calamitous situation ought to be perceived with a religious conviction in One God \u2014 the above-mentioned vague \u201cgeotranscendence<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A calamity comes as a test from Him, to assess one\u2019s ethical and spiritual perseverance; thus, a servant must return to Him so that He would put an end to his suffering. Hence, God commanded the Prophet to \u201cgive tidings of happiness to those who remain steadfast in adversity, who, when afflicted with calamity, say, \u2018to God we belong, and to Him is our return.\u2019\u201d (al-Baqarah<\/em> [2]: 155\u2013156).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calamity heightens their consciousness that they belong to God; parting from the disaster, they return to God, the All-Preserver. Hardship becomes their source of motivation, towards beneficial actions to themselves, to people they care about, to society at large, and to their environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Tidings of happiness\u2019 refers to invaluable \u201cDivine Blessings, Mercy and Guidance\u201d (al-Baqarah<\/em> [2]: 157). With the Divine Mercy, there should be no agony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the contrary, for those who decline such spiritual discernment, the calamity afflicts agony on their hearts. Difficult challenges cause them to get angry, prone to worry and anxiety, as well as always assuming the worst or \u2018catastrophising\u2019. Feeling frustrated and resentful about life, they are deprived of this beauty: a moral virtue of patience and perseverance when confronted by difficult times. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of my beneficial readings during this pandemic is a book titled The Longevity Project, co-authored by Professor Dr. Howard Friedman and Professor Dr. Leslie Martin. The compact book is a summary of research, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-straits-times","category-139","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30391\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}