An Revisit to an Old Draft: The Central of Intellect

"The word 'aqal' in Arabic, referring to our human intellect brings the meaning of ' to tie something'. 

 What will happen if we tie something, for example, tying the horses to the mooring pole? 

 It restraints the movement of the horse. 

 Therefore, we can conclude that our intellect has a job in managing our live- it restraints something. 

 Some will ask what the intellect restraints? 

 I would say it is clearly that the intellect restraints irrational emotions and temptations that arises within ourselves. 

 In other words, intellect hold ourselves back during such unstable condition. The reasoning is clear that when our emotions are high, our mind shut off.

 Why suddenly I came out with this topic today?

Negotiation is a part of challenge in life that involve the efficient usage... "


I wrote the above passage in November 2020 and left it as an incomplete draft in my Blogger console. It was very unfortunate that the flow of idea stopped before I drilled down further the connection between negotiation and the meaning of intellect.

But nevermind, I think it gives me the chance to revisit the above idea based on my current state of knowledge and experience, insyaAllah.

La Haula Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah.

Okay, now let me try to recap in a short sentence what does the passage is trying to tell.

Aqal = to tie something/to restraint something - restraint irrational emotions and temptations that arises within ourselves.

Now let me try to connect the above concept with the topic 'Negotiation', using my own words, without referring to ChatGPT or Google.

Yeap, let the brain works a bit.

Negotiation, or as in Malay we called it "Perundingan" is a process of pitching your idea to a counterparty and try to get that counterparty to buy your idea.

If the counterparty buy your idea, then the negotiation is successful. If vice versa, something need to be revisited.

Okay now, what is the relation between negotiation and the intellect that has a restraining characteristic?

I suppose, my old self is trying to connect that internally, we are always negotiating with ourselves. We always negotiate with our lust that always pitching to us to do bad things or not doing something worth writing.

But wait.

In business settings, we only negotiate if the counterpart, we believe, can accept our terms, and can bring benefit to us. Or at least, can bring win-win situation to both parties.

Hence, if we say we are always negotiating with our lust, let us take one step back, is the lust entity is worthwhile entity to be in the negotiation from the onset?

I think the answer is big NO.

If that is the answer, this is where the AQL comes in and restraint the lust from governing ourselves and make us fall into a fail state that is full of despair, loss and sadness.

I suppose the above may explain what my own self intend to explain before. 

May Allah guide us to the Straight Path

Amiin Ya Rabb

Al-Faqir ila Allah
Abdullah wa Abd Al-Hakim
Muhammad Zairulfikri bin Zailani