Baba yangu ni mtu huru. Ninapomaanisha uhuru, simaanishi kwamba anaishi katika nchi inayompa uhuru wake na haki zake za binadamu. Badala yake, yuko huru kihisia. Anapoamua kujieleza, hufanya hivyo bila kujali chochote duniani. Hujieleza kana kwamba hakuna vikwazo vya nje. Nakumbuka nilipokuwa shule ya sekondari, nilikuwa nikicheza katika bendi ya shule. Kwa kuwa baba yangu alinitia moyo nichukue masomo ya gitaa la kawaida, kuhudhuria bendi ya shule kulikuwa matokeo ya kawaida ya shughuli zangu za ziada. Wakati wa tamasha la shule, baba yangu alikuwa akihudhuria na kufurahia vipaji vya ajabu na uwezo wa wanafunzi. Mmoja wa wasanii wa maonyesho alikuwa na uwezo wa kipekee. Alipokuwa jukwaani, alifikia kilele cha onyesho lake, akijieleza kwa hisia na shauku. Ulikuwa ni uonyeshaji wa kipaji wa kuvutia sana. Baba yangu alisimama na kumpigia makofi ya heshima. Alifanya hivyo peke yake, lakini hakujali. Aliendelea kusimama na kuendelea kumsifu kwa umahiri na kipaji chake.

My father is a free man. What I mean by freedom is not that he lives in a country that gives him his liberties and human rights. Rather, he is emotionally free. When he decides to express himself, he does so without a care in the world. He expresses himself as if there are no external hindrances. I remember when I was in secondary school, I used to play for the school band. Since my father encouraged me to take up classical guitar lessons, attending the school band was a natural consequence of my extracurricular activity. During a school concert, my father would attend and enjoy the amazing talents and abilities of the students. One performance artist had phenomenal abilities. While she was on stage, she reached the climactic point of her performance, emotionally and passionately expressing herself. It was a breath-taking display of talent. My father stood up and gave her an ovation. He did this all alone, but he did not care. He remained standing and continued praising her flair and aptitude.

Sote tumewahi kupata mwitikio kama huu kwa uwezo wa kibinadamu. Tunapoona maonyesho ya ajabu ya ustadi kutoka kwa shujaa wetu wa michezo, au tunaposhuhudia matendo makubwa ya ujasiri, au tunaposikiliza hotuba ya kuhamasisha, tunalazimika kusifu kile tulichokipitia. Tunasimama. Tunapiga makofi. Tunatoa shangwe. Tunaguswa, tunatiwa moyo, tunapata faraja, tunafurahi sana na tunazidiwa na kile tulichokipitia. Hatusahau kamwe nyakati hizi maishani mwetu. Fikiri na tafakari uzoefu kama huo. Zama tena katika hisia ulizokuwa nazo. Kitu fulani kiligusa nafsi yako; ilikubidi kutoa sifa stahiki.

We have all experienced such a reaction to human ability. When we see amazing spectacles of skill by one of our sporting heroes, or when we observe great feats of courage, or when we listen to a motivational speech—we are compelled to praise what we have experienced. We stand. We clap. We give an ovation. We are moved, inspired, encouraged, elated and overwhelmed by what we have experienced. We never forget these moments in our lives. Just think and reflect on similar experiences. Sink back into the feelings you had. Something affected your soul; you had to give due praise.

Hata hivyo, tunaishi katika ulimwengu huu wa ajabu. Tunatumaini, tunapenda, tunatafuta haki na tunaamini thamani ya juu kabisa ya maisha ya binadamu. Tunafikiri, tunahitimisha, tunakata maana na kugundua. Tunaishi katika ulimwengu mkubwa wenye mabilioni ya nyota, galaksi na sayari. Ulimwengu una viumbe vyenye hisia vinavyoweza kuwa na mkondo wa pekee wa fahamu. Tuna akili isiyo ya kimwili inayoingiliana na ulimwengu wa kimwili. Ulimwengu una sheria na mpangilio sahihi ambao, kama ungekuwa tofauti, ungezuia kuibuka kwa uhai wenye fahamu. Tunahisi—ndani kabisa ya mioyo yetu—ubaya wa uovu, na usahihi wa wema. Katika ulimwengu wetu, kuna wanyama wanaoweza kuhimili uzito wa miili yao mara nyingi zaidi, na mbegu zinazoweza kuota kutokana na joto la moto. Tunaishi katika sayari yenye lugha zaidi ya 6,000 na spishi zaidi ya milioni nane. Tunaishi katika ulimwengu ambamo akili ya binadamu inaweza kugundua silaha zinazoweza kuangamiza Dunia, na kutoa mawazo yanayoweza kuzuia silaha hizo zisirushwe. Tunaishi katika ulimwengu ambao, ikiwa mojawapo ya atomi zake zisizohesabika itagawanywa, unaweza kutoa nishati kubwa sana. Tunaishi katika sayari ambayo, ikiwa mioyo imeungana, nishati hiyo inaweza kutumika kwa amani. Lakini baadhi yetu hatulazimiki kumpa Mungu—aliyeumba ulimwengu na kila kilichomo ndani yake—makofi ya kusimama; kusimama, kumtukuza na kumsifu.604 Tumedanganyika, tumedanganywa na tumemsahau Mungu, aliyetuumba: “Ee binadamu, ni nini kilichokudanganya kuhusu Mola wako Mlezi, Mwingi wa ukarimu?” 605

However, we live in this amazing universe. We hope, love, seek justice and believe in the ultimate value of human life. We reason, infer, deduce and discover. We live in a vast universe with billions of stars, galaxies and planets. The universe contains sentient beings that can have a unique stream of consciousness. We have an immaterial mind that interacts with the physical world. The universe has laws and a precise arrangement that, if different, would have prevented the emergence of conscious life. We feel—deep down inside—the wrongness of evil, and the rightness of good. In our universe, there are animals that can withstand their own body weight many times over and seeds that can germinate from the heat of fire. We live on a planet with over 6,000 languages and over eight million species. We live in a universe where the human mind can discover weapons that can wipe out the Earth and produce ideas that can prevent those weapons from firing. We live in a universe that, if one of its innumerable atoms is split, can release an immense amount of energy. We live on a planet which, if hearts are united, can use that energy for peace. Yet some of us are not compelled to give God—who created the universe and everything within it—a standing ovation; to stand, glorify and praise Him.604 We are deluded, deceived and forgetful of God, the one who created us: “O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous?” 605

Mungu ni mkuu kweli.

God is truly great.

Ikiwa hatuhisi msukumo wa kumsifu Muumba wetu na kuungana Naye, basi kuna tatizo katika mioyo yetu. Tuna ugonjwa wa kiroho unaohitaji dawa ya kiroho. Ugonjwa huu ni nafsi (ego); dawa yake ni Uislamu.

If we do not feel the urge to praise our creator and connect with Him, there is something wrong with our hearts. We have a spiritual disease that requires spiritual medicine. This disease is the ego; the medicine is Islam.

Ili kutumia dawa hii, na hivyo kustahili rehema ya Mwenyezi Mungu na upendo wake maalum, ni lazima tuamini, tuyaingize ndani ya nafsi zetu, tuyaelewe na tujisalimishe kwa maana zinazotokana na kauli hii yenye kina kifuani kifuatacho:

To take this medicine, and therefore be eligible for Divine mercy and God’s special love, we have to believe, internalise, understand and submit to the implications of the following profound statement:

Hakuna mungu anayestahili kuabudiwa isipokuwa Mwenyezi Mungu (Allah), na Muhammad ﷺ ni mja Wake wa mwisho na Mtume Wake. Ni matumaini yangu kwamba kitabu hiki kimekusaidia kuanza safari ya kupona.

“There is no deity worthy of worship except God (Allah), and Muhammad is His final servant and messenger.” It is my hope that this book has helped you to start the process of healing.

Mungu akuongoze na akumiminie upendo wake maalum.

May God guide and shower you with His special love