Masumiyat, It’s a word from Urdu and even in Turkish, but its origin is Arabic. If you look at the translation, it will say “innocence,” and that’s how most people define it.
Does it sound so bad? I hope not.
But why I’m telling you all of this?
Well, first of all Masumiyet is my favorite word, and secondly, recently I came to the conclusion that people tend to perceive innocence as a bad thing.
Being innocent, or kind is not a crime, but it becomes a burden when people accuse you of doing something wrong, yet you remain silent.
Why do we have this desire to tease the innocent? Is it envy?
― Graham Greene, The End of the Affair.
People consider your silence as acceptance of accusations and turn you into a criminal. People make sure that kind and innocent people don’t survive easily.
There is a belief among people that being kindhearted gets you nowhere in life and only pushes you backward in the ever-competing world.
No matter how weak they may seem, the innocent have the power to defeat even the most cruel hearts!
― Mehmet Murat Ildan
My father used to say, “Everyone considers the silence of a goodhearted person as stupidity, but in truth, the kind and gentle person understands everything yet says nothing.”
That’s the difference between a naive/innocent person and a cunning person. A goodhearted person will always win in the long run because of his/her kindness, whereas a crafty man/woman still only achieves whatever God has stored for them despite using all sorts of tricks in their books.
Benefits of A Good Heart:
Inspiration: If you are a Muslim, you already know that having a good heart will lead you to heaven. It’s plain and simple. But even in your individual life, a good heart can provide you with opportunities to see the world through a different lens, a lens unique from others. You won’t become a blind sheep who follow whatever someone feeds it. An innocent soul can become an inspiration for others.
Empathy: My favorite scholar, Dr. Israr Ahmed, once said, “If you can help someone, yet you don’t do it, then you can be a pious person, a dedicated worshipper, but not a virtuous person.”
Innocence or a kind heart allows you to have empathy for others. It makes you human. It brings you closer to God.
There is a famous poem, “Abou Ben Adhem.” written by Leigh Hunt, one of the 19th-century English poets. The poem depicts the feelings of Abou Adhem, a strong belief in God. The poem describes an event when, one night, Abou woke up from his deep sleep and saw an angel sitting in his room writing something in a golden book. Upon inquiring, the angel told him he was writing the names of the people who love God. Abou Adhem asked if his name was on the list. The answer was negative, which made him sad. But he cheerfully requested the angel to write his name among people who love God’s slaves/creation. The next night, the angel appeared with a book that had the names of all the people God loves, and abou adhem’s name was at the top.
It was just a poem, but it showed how being kind and innocent is enough to win in this world.
While we are going round and round in the ever-competitive world, getting carried away by this unforgiving world, there could be a naive or innocent person around us, or perhaps inside us. A person who believes in colors, trusts people blindly, and still believes in words.
You might think you are far from innocent and won’t survive if you are not cunning. Ashfaq Ahmed, an Urdu writer from Punjab, Pakistan, said something beautiful about it:
“It’s fine if you can’t become a rose, but that doesn’t mean you should become a thorn. Here is a secret I should share with you; those who don’t become a thorn eventually turns into a rose.”
We may think we will craft a whole evil scheme so things will turn out our way. But the truth is, things only turn out like Allah swt wants them to. Our schemes, our evil desires, are just that, mere desires. Losing your innocence and replacing it with arrogance and evilness will never benefit us.
Because once you lose a good heart, you can never win in life, and you do need a trustworthy companion in your life in the shape of a pure heart. No matter how much you deny this goodness that Allah swt has put in your heart, and no matter how many times you consider it useless, the truth is, you will need it when you want to breathe and when you want to get away from the chaos and misery of this world.
Yes, it can get lonely. Since there might not be not many goodhearted or innocent people left in this world, there is a high chance you won’t find another one either. But have you ever seen a rich man giving up on his gold only because of its rarity? So why do you want to give up on your good heart for the sake of a rusty world?
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