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In just a moment I am going to disconnect my personal computer from the internet; I am going to unplug the network cable from the back. In the Qur’an we read that there is good and bad in alcohol, but the harm outweighs the benefit. Just now, at this moment in time, the internet is my wine. Its harm is outweighing its benefit to me.

Protestant Christians—brought up on Paul’s appeal to Grace and his sustained condemnation of legalism in his letter to the Galatians—are sometimes heard lamenting the Muslim’s insistence on living by the letter of the Law. Grace sets mankind free from all that, they will argue, but surely the state of the world around us bears witness to the fallacy of that view. Some people are indeed blessed with great self-restraint, but isn’t our Sunnah really just being realistic about the strength of individuals and communities?

Yes, some people are just good folk. And yes, some people can become good folk with the promise of reward. But it is true too that some of us must be deterred from deeds which are harmful to us and others. In truth it is few that live by Grace; like donkeys, most of us will only respond to a carrot or a stick, or both depending on our state of mind. I appreciate this. I appreciate possessing a faith which is realistic about human nature. I appreciate possessing a faith that doesn’t simply tell me that mankind is born in sin and can do nothing about it except rejoice that a ransom has been paid on my behalf. I appreciate possessing a framework through which I might overcome what holds me back.

I sometimes feel sad that I do not have the pure, beautiful, sound heart of some of my fortunate brothers and sisters in faith. Sometimes we meet people whose whole being oozes kindness. I envy such people a lot, but I also recognise that all is not lost for me. The Sunnah, the Law, this noble framework for our lives, is a blessing for those of us who need a little more help. In our lives we sometimes deprive ourselves from certain pleasures, for which we are often derided by those around us, but we do so because we know that in the long run it is good for us. At other times we expend our efforts on tasks which we may find a burden, which we may even dislike, but we persevere nevertheless because we know that it is good for us, our family or our community.

I doubt that disconnecting myself from the internet is a prescription of our Sunnah, but depriving ourselves of that which brings harm upon us most certainly is. My first step—of promising myself not to spend too much time on the internet—failed in rather spectacular fashion. I have great self-restraint in many spheres, but this is not one of them. To unplug is my next step. If that doesn’t work, then I may just have to cancel our service altogether, although that would deprive my wife of her online training, Turkish news, video conversations with her family and www.reciter.org (she manages to obtain all the good of it). Perhaps that won’t be necessary if I can get her to hide the network cable from me—I can’t imagine this being a problem because she already does it with the cakes.

In a moment or two I am going to disconnect my personal computer from the internet, not for an hour or two, or a day. For quite some time I hope. At least until I have achieved everything I need to. I can’t say I have high hopes, for I know myself too well and I know I have been somewhere like this so many times before. But I am going to unplug the network cable now, so let’s see how I go. And God help me, and us all.