You Become a Slave to Whatever You Surrender To

A Reflection on Surah Al-Jathiyah, Verse 23

Can a person believe in Allah and yet unknowingly become a slave to their own desires?

More importantly, how can we recognize when we have placed our own wishes above the guidance of Allah?

Verse 23 of Surah Al-Jathiyah confronts us with this very question:

“Have you seen the one who takes his own desires as his god?”

What a powerful and unsettling question!

This verse does not merely invite us to recognize the mistakes of others. It challenges us to look deep into our own hearts.

Because it is easy to recognize someone else’s mistakes. But we may spend years without realizing that we ourselves have become controlled by our desires.

Think about it. When someone gives us advice, do we immediately ask, “Is this true?” Or do we ask, “Does this agree with what I want?”

These two questions may sound similar, but they lead us in completely different directions.

In one, we are searching for the truth. In the other, we are simply looking for someone to confirm what we already want to believe.

Question: Am I truly following the path Allah has shown me, or am I changing even my understanding of right and wrong to suit my desires?

To answer this question, we first need to understand the place of desire in our lives.

When Does Desire Become the Center of Our Lives?

In the Quran, the word hawa refers to desires and inclinations that arise from within us.

Wanting something is not necessarily wrong. We naturally want to love, succeed, earn money, and enjoy a comfortable life.

But danger begins when a desire starts controlling all our decisions.

At that point, we are no longer controlling our desires. Our desires are controlling us.

Imagine someone who wants a prestigious position at work.

There is nothing wrong with working hard and trying to succeed.

But what happens if that person begins sacrificing honesty, family, health, and personal values just to reach that position?

We need to ask ourselves: Is this goal serving us, or have we become servants of the goal?

Now imagine that person begins justifying injustice to protect their position. They know something is wrong, but they remain silent because speaking the truth might damage their career.

They are no longer simply pursuing success.

Consider another example.

Someone deeply loves another person and fears losing them. This is a natural human emotion.

But what if they begin abandoning their principles, their conscience, and the guidance of Allah just to preserve that relationship?

Then we are dealing with something much deeper than love.

Money works in a similar way.

Money is a tool that helps us meet our needs. But when we attach all our happiness and peace to money, we transform that tool into the purpose of our lives.

We begin telling ourselves:

“If I earn a little more, I will finally relax.”

“If I buy that house, I will be happy.”

“If I achieve this goal, I will have everything I need.”

But what happens next?

One goal ends, and another begins. One desire is satisfied, and another takes its place.

Our possessions may increase while the feeling of emptiness inside us continues to grow.

Because the problem is not always that we have too little.

Sometimes the problem is that we expect too much from the wrong things.

What Are We Really Surrendering To?

The central warning of this verse concerns what we allow to rule our lives.

Taking one’s desires as a god is not simply about wanting something.

It is about allowing our desires to become the ultimate standard by which we decide what is right and wrong.

Question: What is the difference between strongly wanting something and surrendering ourselves to it?

Wanting something means working toward it.

Surrendering to it means abandoning what we know is right because we are afraid of losing it.

Imagine that we are arguing with someone.

Deep down, we realize the other person is right. But we refuse to admit our mistake because our pride has been hurt.

At that moment, what is controlling us?

Is it the truth?

Or is it our desire to win the argument?

Perhaps a simple apology could end the conflict. Perhaps saying, “I was wrong,” could heal a damaged relationship.

But our pride stands in the way.

And this is one of those moments when we truly need to recognize ourselves.

Because sometimes, in our determination to be right, we lose sight of what is actually right.

Consider another example.

We know that a particular habit is harming us. We want to change, but every time we say, “Just one more time,” we repeat the same behavior.

Our desires and our willpower are now in conflict.

Of course, every moment of weakness does not mean we have made our desires into a god.

But if we repeatedly place our desires above what we know to be true, we need to take that seriously.

Because our desires do not merely influence our actions.

Over time, they can begin changing the way we think.

At first, we say, “I want this.”

Then we begin saying, “There is nothing wrong with this.”

Eventually, we may even become angry with anyone who questions our choices.

As our desires grow stronger, our excuses can become more convincing.

And that is where the real danger lies.

Instead of thinking to discover the truth, we begin thinking to justify what we already want.

Why Can We Hear the Truth but Fail to Accept It?

In Surah Al-Jathiyah, verse 23, Allah speaks about the sealing of hearing and hearts and the placing of a covering over sight.

These expressions invite us to reflect on a very serious spiritual condition.

Sometimes we hear, but we do not listen.

We see, but we do not learn.

We understand that someone is telling us the truth, yet we refuse to accept it.

Why?

Because accepting the truth may require us to change our habits and confront our mistakes.

Imagine a close friend pointing out something we are doing wrong.

Our immediate reaction might be to defend ourselves.

Perhaps our friend is right. But instead of considering the truth of what they are saying, we focus on the discomfort of being criticized.

Yet correction is not always hostility.

Sometimes the very thing we need most is the truth we least want to hear.

We can see this even in our relationships with our children.

When we correct our children’s mistakes, we explain that we are doing it for their own good.

But when someone corrects us, why do we sometimes react so differently?

Are we willing to show the same openness that we expect from others?

The verse also contains the important Arabic expression “ala ilmin,” meaning “with knowledge.”

This reminds us that Allah’s judgment takes place within His perfect knowledge. It should never be understood as an arbitrary or unjust act.

For us, there is an important lesson here.

Our choices matter.

Repeatedly closing ourselves off to the truth can make it increasingly difficult for us to recognize and accept it.

Of course, we cannot judge whether another person’s heart has been sealed.

But we can examine our own hearts and ask what we are willing to accept and what we continue to reject.

Question: When someone points out my mistake, am I searching for the truth, or am I searching for an excuse to prove myself right?

Sometimes the greatest barrier is not in front of our eyes.

It is the truth that we refuse to acknowledge.

Expecting Lasting Peace from Temporary Things

Modern life surrounds us with endless choices.

More money. Better possessions. Higher positions. More recognition. Greater beauty. More admiration.

All these things may have a place in our lives.

But none of them can, by themselves, satisfy the deepest search for meaning within the human heart.

Think about something new we buy.

On the first day, it makes us happy. We admire it. We enjoy using it.

But after a while, it becomes ordinary.

And when that excitement disappears, we begin looking for something else.

We buy a new phone and enjoy it for a few days.

Then we see an advertisement for an even newer model.

Suddenly, the phone we were so excited about begins to feel outdated.

But what really changed?

Not necessarily the phone.

Our expectations changed.

A desire that never learns to be satisfied will always discover something else that seems to be missing.

The same thing can happen with success.

We achieve something important, and we celebrate.

But soon we begin comparing ourselves with people who have achieved even more.

Our happiness turns into another feeling of inadequacy.

This does not mean that money, possessions, or success are evil.

The danger begins when we expect them to provide the ultimate meaning and lasting peace of our lives.

We can benefit from temporary things, but when we make them the foundation of our lasting happiness, disappointment becomes almost inevitable.

A person may appear to have everything from the outside and still feel deeply restless inside.

Because peace is not simply about what we possess.

It is also about understanding what truly deserves our devotion.

Who Can Guide Us to the Truth?

Toward the end of the verse, Allah asks another powerful question:

“Who then can guide him after Allah? Will you not take heed?”

This question does not need to leave us feeling hopeless.

Instead, it reminds us where we should turn for guidance.

We may believe that we can solve everything through our own intelligence, knowledge, and abilities.

And certainly, we should use the abilities Allah has given us.

But we must also learn to question our own desires.

Allah has given us the ability to think, the capacity to choose, and the responsibility to seek what is right.

The Quran reminds us of the principles by which we should examine our lives.

Our responsibility is to seek guidance sincerely and remain honest when we recognize the truth.

When we discover that we are wrong, we should try to correct ourselves rather than defend our mistakes.

Sometimes we expect a dramatic event to change our lives.

But real change may begin with one simple sentence:

“I can see that this desire is controlling me, and I no longer want to ignore it.”

That kind of honesty is not easy.

But it is valuable.

We can begin with one small step.

Think of something you strongly desire today.

Then ask yourself:

“If this desire conflicts with the guidance Allah has given me, which one will I choose?”

The answer may be uncomfortable.

But sincere self-examination can become the beginning of change.

We do not need to treat money, love, or success as enemies.

We simply need to give each of them its proper place.

We should never allow them to pull us away from the truth.

Now let us return to our opening question:

How does a person take their own desires as a god?

By turning personal desires into an unquestionable authority and allowing the truth to become secondary to what they want.

So let us make one decision today.

My desires may have a place in my life, but they must never become the ultimate authority over it.

Because true freedom does not mean doing everything we desire. True freedom means having the strength to surrender to what is right, even when our desires pull us in another direction.