By creating me, Allah gave me the opportunity to have this brief terrestrial experience which I will remember when I am in Heaven, if I ever go there. My knowledge of the world, of Allah, of myself should be a light for me. My knowledge should strengthen my faith. My knowledge and my faith will be like my two hands, my two eyes, my two ears, my two feet. So my mind (be it in my brain or in my digestive system) won’t work independently of my heart. I need both of them like I need both of my hands, both of my eyes… My mind and my heart will show me how best to work for both this life of the world (which is only "a pastime and a spot" (6.32) and my eternal life, where I will be able to see Allah with my own eyes, if I ever go to Heaven.
In my early youth I needed to know things without questioning anything. I grew
up as a Muslim, so at school I was taught how to read the Quran, how to perform
my ablutions, my prayers, etc. As I grew older I learned more from the mosque,
from the media, from books, from society, etc. But there came a time when I
realized that what I knew was not enough.
The five pillars of Islam are known to all. There’s another five things that
are not known to all. What comes first in Islam, I think, is (1) awareness in
The Quran we read : "They said: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves.
If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the
lost!" (7.23); then comes (2) accountability "Our
Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us
such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord ! Impose not on us
that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have
mercy on us." (2.286); then comes (3) kindness "Those
who entered the city and the faith before them love those who flee unto them
for refuge, and find in their breasts no need for that which hath been given
them, but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their
lot. And whoso is saved from his own avarice - such are they who are
successful." (59. 9) "merciful among themselves" (48.29)
"and whose affairs are a matter of counsel, and who spend of what We have
bestowed on them." (42.38); then comes (4) solidarity:
"And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for
love of Him, (Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no
reward nor thanks from you." (76.8-9); then comes (5) change:
"And there may spring from you a nation who invite to goodness, and enjoin
right conduct and forbid indecency. Such are they who are successful."
(3.104)
This knowledge is necessary, especially since we have to practice what we know.
Imams and preachers will not be with me everywhere every time. It’s my heart
and my conscience that will be with me everywhere every time. So I have to work
on my heart. But how? When I am perplexed because I don’t know what to do
that means that I fear Allah, or, if I want to go a step further in my Iman
(faith), that I wouldn’t love to do anything that would displease m
(Faith)y Lord. That’s out of respect, out of love for my Lord. That’s a good
thing. And Allah likes that. He says: "And there is no sin for you in the
mistakes that ye make unintentionally, but what your hearts purpose (that will
be a sin for you). Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (33.5) "Know that
Allah knoweth what is in your minds, so beware of Him ; and know that Allah is
Forgiving, Clement." (2. 235) "Yet whoso doeth evil or wrongeth his
own soul, then seeketh pardon of Allah, will find Allah Forgiving,
Merciful." (4.110) "And whoso committeth a delinquency or crime, then
throweth (the blame) thereof upon the innocent, hath burdened himself with
falsehood and a flagrant crime." (4.112) It’s defiance that is a problem.
Even between us humans it’s not right to defy someone whom we want to be good
tous. The point is, there are limits that one should be ready to accept. All
this is a set of “operations”, a process, if you will, that take place in the
heart. Defiance comes from the heart first. So it should be tackled in the
heart first. Put simply, I should do my best to please Allah, not to defy
Him. I should do my best, but not the impossible. The Prophet (pbuh) said:
"The religion (of Islam) is easy, and whoever makes the religion a rigour,
it will overpower him. So, follow a middle course (in worship); if you can't do
this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) at
morn and at dusk and some part of night." I should therefore do what I
can. If I can worship Allah at night while people are sleeping, that’s great,
that’s the top honour for a moomin (a true believer). If I can
fast very often, that’s great too. But Islam does not ask me to impose on
myself that which I have not the strength to bear. I can express my gratitude
to Allah in many different ways. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Do good deeds
properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you
enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and
constant even if it were little." "Your body has a right over you,
your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you."
"Start with your own self and spend it on yourself, and if anything is left,
it should be spent on your family, and if anything is left (after meeting the
needs of the family) it should be spent on relatives, and if anything is left
from the family, it should be spent like this, like this. And he was saying :
In front of you, on your right and left." The Quran says: "They ask
thee, (O Muhammad), what they shall spend. Say: that which ye spend for good
(must go) to parents and near kindred and orphans and the needy and the
wayfarer. And whatsoever good ye do, lo! Allah is Aware of it." (2.215)
The mere fact that I am willing to give is a sign that I want to be grateful to
Allah. The Quran says: "What concern hath Allah for your punishment if ye
are thankful (for His mercies) and believe (in Him)? Allah was ever Responsive,
Aware." (4.147) This wish to give, to be good, is not peculiar to
believers in Allah. This wish is human because it comes from the heart and
every human being has got a heart. Even animals have this kind of thing. Many
people have been saved from death by their pets.
Now, I have the wish to do good. How can I do it? Is it always easy to do good,
by the way? One day I was listening to a radio show in which listeners asked
for advice from other listeners. One listener said this: "I am the
youngest of three brothers living in a foreign country. My problem is that I
see one of my brothers date the wife of my other brother. I am traumatised
because I don’t know whether I should turn a blind eye and thus have peace with
both of my brothers or tell my poor brother who is betrayed by both his wife
and his brother. Please help me. I need your advice." I am sorry I can’t
give my opinion on this. But the other day I found a cigarette as I was walking
in the woods. I said to myself: should I crush it since it’ll only harm somebody’s
health? or should I rather leave it for a poor guy who can’t buy a
cigarette? Well, I did not crush it. Sometimes you need to take action on
the spot.
Listen to this unbelievable story that I heard on the radio. An aged experienced hunter was asked about his hunting feats. Speaking in front of members of his tribe who knew him well, he said he had hunted 72 wolves and scores of foxes, among other things. He and his friends ate those wolves and foxes. Once, the man said, my friends and I were lurking behind a makeshift wall for foxes, wolves or rabbits. Then a rabbit appeared on the bare ground. I aimed at it, and I had never missed a game, and as I was watching it through the viewfinder of my rifle the muezzin started to call for prayer. The rabbit stopped dead in its tracks. It leaned on its posterior and remained motionless. When the muezzin finished his call, the rabbit wiped its face with its front paws, as in prayer, and went away. I was moved as I saw that, so I left it alone.
Should I think of Faith only in termes of probity: I should do this, I shouldn't do that? Shouldn't I enjoy my life as a human being?
The Quran calls on me, as a believer, to "Travel in the land and see how
He originated creation, then Allah bringeth forth the later growth."
(29.20) This travel (in Arabic, siyaha) is spiritual as well as
material. When I am practising this kind of spiritual tourism (siyaha)
in order to give my heart some rest so that it won’t go blind I am actually
practising my faith -just as if I were at prayer. Allah says: "Have they
not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified
it, and how there are no rifts therein? And the earth have We spread out, and
have flung firm hills therein, and have caused of every lovely kind to grow
thereon, A vision and a reminder for every penitent slave." (50.6-8) In
other words, I am enjoying myself. I am living my (worldly) life while
preserving and strengthening my faith.
Confrontation can work with men sometimes, but never with Allah. If I want
peace with Allah there’s one and only one option: istighfar (begging
Allah’s pardon). When I am imploring Allah to forgive me I am actually
confirming my belief that Allah is my Lord and that He Alone can decide my
Fate. I am confirming that I believe in the Unseen. That’s very, very
important. Good believers "believe in the Unseen." (2.3) "Those
who fear their Lord in secret and who dread the Hour (of doom)." (21.49)
The more I know the more I should fear the Lord. "The erudite among His bondmen
fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving." (35.28) The erudite who
think in good faith can only know Allah more and fear Him more. But what about
someone like me who is not an erudite? Well, at least I should avoid any kind
of confrontation with Allah. If I understand something, so much better. If I
can’t understand the logic of a rule, for example, I should respect the
knowledge of Allah Who set out that rule. I should also bring my humble
testimony to the fairness of Allah. "Allah (Himself) is Witness that there
is no God except Him. And the angels and the men of learning (too are witness).
Maintaining His creation in justice, there is no God save Him the Almighty, the
Wise." (3.18) It’s a question of Faith. I trust that Allah did not make that
rule against the interest of man. I trust that there must be some good in that
rule even though I can’t see it myself. If I cannot comprehand the wisdom
underlying some rules, I have to abide by them nonetheless -just as I would do
with any laws made in the public interest. I should accept the rule first, then
philosophize about it. So I should admit that my knowledge is limited as
compared with Allah’s knowledge. If I think that I know everything in the earth
and in the sky I may still have doubts about what’s most important to me: the
fate of my own soul after death. Allah says: "They know only some
appearance of the life of the world, and are heedless of the Hereafter."
(30.7) "And verily We have displayed for mankind in this Quran all manner
of similitudes, but man is more than anything contentious." (18.54)
"And they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but a guess, and lo ! a
guess can never take the
place of the truth. Then withdraw (O Muhammad)
from him who fleeth from Our remembrance and desireth but the life of the
world. Such is their sum of knowledge." (35.28-29) "Most of them
follow not but conjecture. Assuredly conjecture can by no means take the place
of truth." (10 .36) As a believer, who evidently want to have good faith
when thinking about Faith, I will not seek knowledge in books and schools only.
I am being taught everyday in the school of life too. My trials, my ordeals,
teach me loads of knowledge about myself and the world. I know and believe and
make no barrier between the Seen and the Unseen, between the world and Heaven.
The Quran tells me that, on the Day of Judgment, the good
believer will say: "Take, read my book!" (69.19) To the
disbeliever it will be said: "Read thy Book. Thy soul sufficeth as reckoner
against thee this day." (17.14) It’s no round trip : nobody is going to be
given another chance to think or decide. If I don’t want to take the unseen
into account NOW, I may regret it THEN. Allah says: "Every soul will taste
of death. And ye will be paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which ye
have fairly earned. Whoso is removed from the Fire and is made to enter
paradise, he indeed is triumphant. The life of this world is but comfort of
illusion." (3.185) "This is a clear message for mankind in order that
they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is only One God, and
that men of understanding may take heed." (14.52)
Belief in the Unseen is not easy. In the Surah of Yusuf, we read: "And
though thou try much, most men will not believe." (12.103) "And most of
them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners (unto Him)."
(12.106) When I am put to the test my tests will either strengthen or weaken my
belief. Knowledge alone is not enough, but it helps. People spend lots of money
on psychiatrist consultation. If I manage to acquire that kind of knowledge (of
personal experience, through my tests, through siyaha (spiritual
tourism)), I will never see a psychiatrist. When I am in an adversity and
implore Allah to help me and He does help me from whence I had no expectation,
that will help me strengthen my faith. I learn from this experience that when
Allah promises something His promise is true. That’s why siyaha,
whenever possible, is very important.It is very important for a believer to see
beauty in all its manifestations.
However, for us, children of Adam, the beauty of this world is supposed to be only a foretaste of the true beauty, that of Paradise. The goodness of this world is only a sample of divine goodness.
"Allah is full of pity, Merciful toward mankind." (2.143) Allah knows what life is like. It’s Him Who made the world and life. "Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Sovereignty, and, He is Able to do all things. Who hath created life and death that He may try you which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving." (67.2) Allah is running our world every day, every minute, every second. "All that are in the heavens and the earth entreat Him. Every day He exerciseth (universal) power." (55.29) "He sendeth down from the heaven mountains wherein is hail, and smiteth therewith whom He will, and averteth it from whom He will." (24.43) Allah knows what it means for me to have work, to marry, to have a roof, to have children, to eat well, to sleep well. Allah knows what happiness is. Allah also knows things I don’t know. "Lo! Allah! With Him is knowledge of the Hour. He sendeth down the rain, and knoweth that which is in the wombs. No soul knoweth what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knoweth in what land it will die. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware." (31.34) Allah knows what’s good for me and what’s bad for me. "It may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not." (2.216) What matters is my intention, good or bad faith. What matters is what I have at heart. Life is life. Most people, believers and non-believers alike, eat, drink, work, sleep, marry, build houses, drive cars, etc, etc. But, apparently, most people live for the world only. If I am a believer I can "seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah hath given" me without neglecting my "portion of the world". All I have to do is to be "kind even as Allah hath been kind to" me. Allah says : "But seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah hath given thee and neglect not thy portion of the world, and be thou kind even as Allah hath been kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not corrupters." (28.77) Nobody is asking me, as a believer, to give up my "portion of the world". For good believers everything is ‘ibaada (act of worship); even making love to one’s spouse is ‘ibaada. But to be considered as a good believer I have to be tested. I want something from Allah? So I should put my trust in Him and be patient. I should be one of "Such as are steadfast and put their trust in Allah." (16.42) Instead of being gnawed by remorse, I opt for patience, contentment and trust in Allah. If I do that here’s what Allah promises me: "Whosoever doeth right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily we shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." (16.97) "O ye who believe! Guard your duty to Allah, and speak words straight to the point; He will adjust your works for you and will forgive you your sins. Whosoever obeyeth Allah and His messenger, he verily hath gained a signal victory." (33.70-71) My "works" is everything I do in my life.
Yes, it’s easier said than done. But what could I do? Do I have another choice? Good quality life is for the faithful only. Allah says: "Shall We treat those who believe and do good works as those who spread corruption in the earth; or shall We treat the pious as the wicked?" (38.28) "Or do those who commit ill-deeds suppose that We shall make them as those who believe and do good works, the same in life and death? Bad is their judgment! (45.21) "But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life." (20.124) If I am a sensible person, I wouldn’t love to have "a narrow life". But a narrow life is not always linked with material things. As I said above, life is a feeling.
Allah knows that the material means are so important. Allah knows that some
good believers can’t do without a car, that others need to pay the rent
urgently, that others are ill and need medicine all the time, that others don’t
even have a shaver to shave their faces or socks or shoes… But Allah does not
see only my depravations. He also sees the reward which I can’t see as yet. He
sees my reward in this world and in the Hereafter. He says: "Whoso
desireth power (should know that) all power belongeth to Allah. Unto Him good
words ascend, and the pious deed doth He exalt." (35.10) "Lo! Allah
wrongeth not even of the weight of an ant; and if there is a good deed, He will
double it and will give (the doer) from His presence an immense reward."
(4.40) "And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he
clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the
likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if
thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the
people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of
old), that haply they may take thought." (7.176) Why should Allah deprive
me of things He knows are so dear to me? Isn’t it enough that I believe in Him
already and that I am striving to please Him? Well, that may not be enough.
Faith needs absolute yaqeen (absolute belief/faith). Allah
says: "Or think ye that ye will enter paradise while yet there hath not
come unto you the like of (that which came to) those who passed away before
you? Affliction and adversity befell them, they were shaken as with earthquake,
till the messenger (of Allah) and those who believed along with him said : When
cometh Allah's help? Now surely Allah's help is nigh." (2.214) Personally,
there came a time when I realized that all the "bad" things that
happened to me and all my past depravations were in fact good things. I got the
feeling that my Lord had been managing my life without my knowledge in such a
way that, were He to let me do what I wanted to do with my life, I would have
certainly done a lot of wrong to myself ! Only then did I realize how merciful
Allah is to me. This kind of personal experience would make one willingly ready
to make great efforts to please the Lord. Allah says: "And of mankind is
he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath
compassion on (His) bondmen." (2.207) "Allah is well pleased with
them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah's party. Lo ! is it
not Allah's party who are the successful?" (58 .22) When I am led to show
patience and self-denial, others will say of me: This one is lazy, he is good
for nothing; this one would love to be fed by others. It's all part of my
ordeal. It is an experience for me so that I have a strong personality, to have
more confidence in myself, to live for real principles and not only for money.
"Those who believe and obscure not their belief by wrongdoing, theirs is
safety; and they are rightly guided." (6.82) "Who have believed and
whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of
Allah do hearts find rest!" (13.28) It’s my trials that will make me
"a grateful slave". (17.3) It would be a great honour for me if Allah
considered me "a grateful slave". Allah says: "Few of My bondmen
are thankful." (34.13) If I am thankful Allah will take care of me in the
best way possible, for "He giveth His bounty unto every bountiful
one." (11.3) What could be better than leading a life managed from above
by the Lord, Who knows everything, Who can do everything? I manage my heart,
Allah manages my life like no manager can.
What about my frustrations that I couldn’t get that particular job or purchase
that home or marry that very person? Allah says to me: "No calamity
befalleth save by Allah's leave. And whosoever believeth in Allah, He guideth
his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things." (64.11) "Naught of
disaster befalleth in the earth or in yourselves but it is in a Book before we
bring it into being - Lo! that is easy for Allah - That ye grieve not for the
sake of that which hath escaped you, nor yet exult because of that which hath
been given. Allah loveth not all prideful boasters." (57.22-23) In other
words, my patience and contentment with Allah will wash all my frustrations
away.
But Satan will always be lurking for me. Satan may not be able to disturb me
when I am alone. "Lo! he hath no power over those who believe and put
trust in their Lord." (16.99) But once I am in the midst of other people
Satan will be there too. He will inspire them just the kind of words that would
make me feel frustrated over things I could not get in the past or aspire to
things I may not be able to achieve in the future. While I am being tested (by
ordeals) Satan will make me problems with friends, with family members, etc.
Those friends, neighbours, family members, won’t think of Satan. But it’s my
own responsibility to be aware that Satan is going to use some of those people
to make me unhappy. Allah says: "Lo! Conspiracy is only of the devil, that
he may vex those who believe; but he can harm them not at all unless by Allah's
leave. In Allah let believers put their trust." (58.10) Still, during my
trials, Allah will send me someone to help me when I can’t help myself. But
Allah will not give me everything I want or everything I need through even the
best soul in the world until I have passed the test. Otherwise, why should it
be called a test? Allah can make my family, or a charity, for example, help me
with food but not with money. I won’t get the money I want until Allah wills.
If I say no, there is the State which can give me a universal basic income or unemployment benefit or a fuel voucher, etc., reality will show me, though, that it is not enough. We have seen thousands of protestors smash everything in their way because their salary was not enough for them. These people have work and a salary, but they complain about not being able to go to a restaurant or the cinema, for example. We can in no way substitute the State for Providence. If Allah wants me to go through a trial, I will not escape it. So I shouldn’t blame people for what they can’t give me. Allah says: "Tell My bondmen to speak that which is kindlier. Lo ! the devil soweth discord among them. Lo! the devil is for man an open foe." (17.53) Those people who are "bad" to me may be good to other people. Those people may be "bad" to me now because I was bad to them in the past. Allah says: "And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then, And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then." (99.7-8) So if I can do good, I should do it for the sake of Allah. Allah says: "If ye publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if ye hide it and give it to the poor, it will be better for you." (2.271) "A kind word with forgiveness is better than almsgiving followed by injury. Allah is Absolute, Clement. O ye who believe! Render not vain your almsgiving by reproach and injury." (2.263-264) "And whatsoever good thing ye spend, it is for yourselves, when ye spend not save in search of Allah's Countenance; and whatsoever good thing ye spend, it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged." (2.272) In other words, I should be good and then do good. I should do what I can. I am not obliged to do good to a person who will only hurt me. I have the choice. I alone can know the limits of my patience in this regard. "Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope." (2.286) I should take life as it comes. I manage my heart and Allah will manage my life.
Allah says: "Such as persevere in seeking their Lord's Countenance and are
regular in prayer and spend of that which We bestow upon them secretly and
openly, and overcome evil with good. Theirs will be the sequel of the
(heavenly) Home, Gardens of Eden which they enter, along with all who
do right of their fathers and their halpmeets and their seed. The
angels enter unto them from every gate, (Saying) : Peace be unto you because ye
persevered. Ah, passing sweet will be the sequel of the (heavenly) Home."
(13.22-24) That’s the fruit of Islamic upbringing. My parents, my siblings -we
can all meet there, in Heaven, as we met here in the earth. Good upbringing (or
lack of it) will either reunite or separate us -forever.
We can all be psychologically broken at one time or another. Only faith can
help us rise up again. Faith is light. Faith is freedom. Faith is the freedom
of all but the Lord. As a believer, I free myself from what fills my heart with
grudge and remorse. I value myself. I look for this importance in myself, I
will find it in my faith.
I have just mentioned a sensitive subject: freedom. It affects all of us. For
example, I want to go out and let off steam a little. Where will I go? With
whom? Alone? With my family? With a friend? Which friend? How am I going? Walk?
By bike? By public transportation? What am I going to eat? Something I prepared
at home? Something I would buy at the snack shop? Faith is not far from all
that. I have the choice between several destinations, whether I am a believer
or not : the cinema, the theater, the sports club, the café, nature, the
seaside... Each time I think, if I am a bliever: 1) Is this halal or haram (licit
or illicit)? 2) Whether I am a believer or not, I remain a human, above all. I
would still ask myself: what will people say about me? Eating a home-cooked
snack in a remote corner of nature, away from people's eyes, is not like eating
in a posh restaurant among people who will notice everything about my looks and
actions.
The power of society is heavier than the mountains. Even with faith it takes a lot of effort to break free without shocking. What does faith tell me, then? One day a wise man saw a man standing staring right and left. The wise man said: "What do you want, man?" The man said: "I am looking for a clean place to pray." The wise man said to him, "Clean your heart and pray wherever you please!" If I can clean my heart, as a believer, I can go wherever I want, with whomever I want; I can eat whatever I want wherever I want; I can put on the clothes I want wherever I want. My heart will guide me. Allah says: "There shall be no sin (imputed) unto those who believe and do good works for what they may have eaten (in the past). So be mindful of your duty (to Allah), and do good works; and again; be mindful of your duty, and believe; and once again: be mindful of your duty, and do right, Allah loveth the good." (5.93)
See the grades of Faith? If I make a mistake the first, the second, the tenth
time, I will be punished, in one way or another, and I will understand that this
or that thing is not good for me; my heart will take a lesson and lead me where
I would hopefully no longer have any problems with Allah or with people. That's
wisdom. This is how freedom, as I see it as a believer, will become second
nature for me. I manage my heart, Allah will manage my life. My heart is the
most precious piece of me. If I keep it clean my life will be clean.
Freedom, yes, but I also need money. Money is essential. No wonder if we read a
book like this and want to know right away what Allah has to give us. That’s
quite normal. I have just said that the power of society is heavier than the
mountains. People would want to know whether you have a home of your own,
whether you are married... They would judge you on the basis of that. Tell me what
you have, I tell you what you are.
And even if nobody asks me about anything at all, still, I need a minimum of money. At a certain age I should be married. I should be self-dependent and not rely on my family, for example. No matter what my faith is like, I can’t help feeling the pressure of society. It’s very, very hard. But when I think about it objectively, I’d say to myself that Allah has so much to give me, but me -what do I have to give to Allah? Allah seeks no livelihood from me. He says: "I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Lo! Allah! He it is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of unbreakable might." (51.56-58) What Allah would expect of me is that I give Him a special, very, very special place in my heart.
If I have chosen for my prayers the most beautiful place in my home, I
should reserve for the Lord the most beautiful, the cleanest, the most intimate
place in my heart. Allah speaks in the Quran of tijara (trade):
if you do this I give you that. I need Allah. I need the grace of Allah. I need
Allah’s help. But I ought not to trade with Allah, literally
speaking. I should not deal with Allah on a give-and-take basis. I must see in
Him a friend, a reliable and faithful friend forever. I do not hide anything
from Him, He knows everything. I do not feign, He knows what's in my heart. If
He deprives me of one thing or another, I speak to Him as politely as possible.
I ask of Him what I want, I tell Him what I am suffering from. I show Him my
tears that I would not show to anyone else. I tell Him the best words, the ones
I would not tell anyone. I show Him how much I love Him, how honoured I am to
have Him as God, as a protecting friend. I show Him that I love Him for what He
is. I show Him how much I need Him, His Grace, His paradise, His Countenance. I
show Him, with words and deeds, that I am nothing without Him. He will make me
happy as I am, happy with what I do. He will make me feel no longer alone and
lonely. He will make me happy. He will give me -if He will- more than I asked
of Him. "Is the reward of goodness aught save goodness?" (55.60) If I
soil my heart with a sin, I shed tears, I wet my eyes to clean it. I sweep my
heart every day with the tasbeeh of my tongue. I make the
place of Allah in my heart cleaner than my clothes, my food, my home. And I
say: "Praise be to Allah, Who hath not taken unto Himself a son, and Who
hath no partner in the Sovereignty, nor hath He any protecting friend through
dependence. And magnify Him with all magnificence." (17.111)
Money can buy a beautiful car, a splendid home, the love of a woman with gorgeous eyes, but not the pleasure of Allah. And then, how much money will I need? Once inflation knocks on the door, money goes out the window.
