The Wrappings of Gratitude

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most-Compassionate, Most-Merciful

Let’s talk. You and me. Let’s have an intimate conversation about life, about things general and specific. Let’s be frank so that in our exchange we might find some benefit for each other, we might gain something good from each other, and then you never know where this may take us.

So what shall we talk about? Well I’ve been thinking, actually I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but its only recently that this idea has been gaining greater clarity. What I mean is that the idea has always been there, stubbornly refusing to budge, adament in its belief, but now that intuitive and semi-present idea has entered into the forefront of my mind. That idea is, who wants to be normal? Who cares to be like everyone else? Who cares for ordinary when God has made us to be extraordinary, to have extraordinary? How could we want ordinary on earth and expect extraordinary in the heavens? Should we not start now? Trading in our ordinary garments for extraordinary ones?

If God sent us an angel, which said to you and me, you have two choices tonight and you must pick one of them. Either you can live a long, happy and prosperous life, but you will be ordinary, average, like everyone else. Or you have one week to live, but you will be extraordinary, special, blessed, enlightened, bright, illuminated, like a lamp, illuminating and guiding. Which one would we choose, which one would you choose? Actually my mind had been made up a long time ago, and perhaps without even its own choice because as events came to pass, following the run-of-the-mill was never going to be something that would satisfy. But let’s think about this seriously. Do we really want to be ordinary, dim and normal, or do we want to shine like the stars, like the moon, reflecting the light of the sun, the noble prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And where does his brilliant light come from but from the source of all light, Allah.

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونِةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُّورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ
لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاء وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things. (An-Nur, 24:35)

Even if for one night we could be extraordinary, wouldn’t it all have been worth it? I for one think it would. We don’t want to simply fade into the night. Allah has not made the universe in this way, everything He has created, has been created to be extraordinary, nothing is ordinary, ordinary does not figure in His creation. And if you don’t believe me then just look at everything He has created and tell me what is ordinary about the mountains, about the vast oceans, about the awe-inspiring space within which we exist? Which one of these is ordinary? Ordinary is not the language of the universe, it does not figure in it anywhere. So if we know this to be true then why should we chose ordinary for ourselves, when Allah has not chosen it for us?

I say this to you, to myself. Let us shine and shine bright. Let us not strive to be ordinary, but extraordinary. Let us not be ordinary people but great people, extraordinary people. Let us fulfil the vision with which our Lord created us, when He chose to bring us to life, and chose for us our names and our colours, our tongues, and our spirit. And none of these He gave us were ordinary because they came from Him and He most certainly is not ordinary. For He is most extraordinary. As the prophet once spoke of Allah, ‘You are beautiful and You love beauty’. Then what of true beauty is ordinary? True beauy has always been so extraordinary that it has astounded people. The truest of true beauty is a beautiful spirit, for in the human being there is nothing more beautiful than his spirit, when that spirit submits to its Lord and reflects the light of Divine Guidance. This is true beauty and this beauty is extraordinary, with the power to bring light where there is darkness. For what else is darkness, but an absence of light?

So what do you say?
Should we not be as the stars?
Should we not shine?
Shine even if it’s for one brilliant moment?
A moment that will last for eternity?

·01 Rabi-Al-Thani 1429·