1. Opening
In cognitive psychology, humans often fall into social validation_—seeking justification from their surroundings. Biologically, our brains have a very strong adaptation system, but they experience chronic stress when forced to function outside their _fitrah design. Research shows that inner well-being is closely tied to alignment between actions and existential values. When we force a lifestyle that doesn’t match the Creator’s blueprint, our nervous system sends “error” signals in the form of anxiety and inner emptiness. The soul feels cool when it stops listening to the world’s “noise” and returns to the natural rhythm set by Allah SWT.
Allah SWT warns of the danger of following human opinions not based on His official guidance:
وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” (QS. Al-Qashash: 50)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said about the importance of holding firmly to the original guideline :
فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ تَمَسَّكُوا بِهَا وَعَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ
“So hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs. Cling to it and bite onto it with your molars.” (HR. Abū Dāwūd & Tirmidhī)
2. Lessons and Message
A person’s worth is not determined by viral trends or standards set by influencers. Your life is too precious to be a guinea pig for public opinion. The moral is clear: stop being a “follower” of desires. Salvation of the soul lies only in obedience to the rules of the Maker of Man. Following Allah’s rules doesn’t mean being old-fashioned—it means being smart in maintaining the quality of yourself.
There was a mother who was extremely stressed because she kept comparing her family to the perfect lives she saw on social media. She felt like a failure, became depressed, and her marriage nearly fell apart from following the “influencer manual” on happiness. One night, she heard her child reciting a verse about gratitude. She instantly realized she had been running her life with someone else’s guidebook. She cried and said, “O Allah, forgive me for trusting my phone screen more than Your words.” Since returning to the Qur’an’s manual, the peace she lost returned—without needing validation from anyone.Imagine buying the most advanced digital rice cooker. But instead of reading the original manual, you ask your neighbor how to use it—even though they don’t own one. The neighbor suggests pouring in thick coconut milk and spices without water. The result? Burnt rice, a short-circuited machine, and your house nearly catches fire. That’s what humans are like; depression and life’s chaos are the soul’s “short circuit” because we choose “what people say” or “what social media says” over “what the Factory says.”[Allah]
We’re often funny. Buy a slightly expensive electronic device and we read the manual in detail—we might even laminate it so it doesn’t get damaged. But we have only one life, and its guidebook [the Qur’an] gets used as a charm in the closet or a dusty display on the top shelf. Then when life is “burnt” and your relationship is “short-circuiting,” we start screaming for help. Remember, Allah is the Creator, not a firefighter you only call when you’ve set your own life on fire with desires!
3. Conclusion and Closing
My blessed brothers and sisters, don’t operate yourself by other people’s standards. Neighbors and influencers won’t take responsibility when your life’s “engine” breaks down. Return to the original manual—the Qur’an and Sunnah—because the Engineer knows best which spare parts of tranquility suit your soul
