Archive for April 17th, 2008
The Oyster and the Pearl
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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In the Name of Allah Most-Compassionate, Most-Merciful
What is the oyster in the shell, let me tell you the tale of the oyster in the shell. The oyster is like us, soft and vulnerable and the sand on which the oyster lies is the world, unpredictable and ever-penetrating. Just like the world invades our space so the sand of the ocean bed invades the space of the oyster’s shell. From being comfortable in its home it is no longer at peace, the grit puts it in constant pain and irritation. So what can this tiny creature ever do in this vulnerable state? Well not even this helpless creature has been overlooked by its creator. It begins to react against the grit and every time the grit comes into contact with the oyster the oyster begins to form a protective layer from the outside and eventually manages to protect itself from the pain of the grit. But it doesn’t end there, for the oyster did not just turn into just any hardened object but it turned into a beautiful pearl. The earth is to us what the sand is to the oyster, an opportunity to become a beautiful pearl, by responding in the best way possible to the tests and tribulations of our life, given to us in this world. But how we respond to those experiences depends entirely on us and how we choose to see the world, either as a place that fills us with disdain or a place we are inspired by and feel privileged to belong to because of who we could become through the trials set before us by our Creator.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَسْتَحْيِي أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلاً مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَـذَا مَثَلاً يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيراً وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيراً وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلاَّ الْفَاسِقِينَ
“Allah disdains not to use the similitude of things, lowest as well as highest. Those who believe know that it is truth from their Lord; but those who reject Faith say: “What means Allah by this similitude?” By it He causes many to stray, and many He leads into the right path; but He causes not to stray, except those who forsake (the path)” (Baqarah 2:26)
