The Inevitable Setting

Wake up before the sunrise and step outside, witnessing the birth of the sun that day. Make it a point to watch its every move as it slowly makes its way from east to west throughout the day. Study the intricate changes. Then be sure to watch as the sun descends into the horizon, setting to where you can no longer physically see it.

Would this experience make you more aware of your own rise and your inevitable setting one day? Wouldn’t following the sun’s path on a daily basis automatically make us more conscious of God in our lives?

Thankfully, God gave us a way to do that, and it doesn’t involve watching the sun all day. It simply involves praying the five prayers which are already conveniently linked with the phases of the sun we physically see. Every prayer is a reminder that the sun is slowly setting, just as our day is setting, and just as our lives will one day set.

Now the question is, are we utilizing those prayers to echo that inescapable reality?

Blood and intestines = Purity?

Would the thought of blood and intestines ever allude to something so pure that quenches your thirst? Naturally, no. But when we study the Quran and study how things are formed, we can and will surely be blown away. 

In this groundbreaking verse in surah Alnahl, God describes the milk that is produced from cattle. He says:

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًا سَائِغًا لِّلشَّارِبِينَ

“And surely in the cattle there is indeed a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, between the contents of intestines and blood, as pure milk, appetizing to those who drink it.”

While reading and reflecting on this verse, you are given this image of something a bit gruesome, but within that gory image arises a tasty liquid free of impurities. This concept strikes the reader even more as a listener, while hearing the words being recited slowly, clearly, and beautifully all at once. The fact that a God-given barrier was formed between the different fluids so that neither the color, taste, or smell of blood enters the milk, keeping it “pure” as the verse confirms, is a miracle within itself. 

And when we study the science behind the production of milk, we discover that it is created when nutrients from the intestinal tract are carried by the blood to the mammary glands. And suddenly, you are left speechless, amazed, and bewildered all at once. 

Oh how the pearls of the Quran are infinite. 

#Quran #God #Purity #Truth

*Translation and meanings of this verse were taken from Yahiya Emerick’s “The meaning of the Holy Quran in today’s English” and Syed Nasr’s “The study Quran”. 

*Video is an audio clip of Qari Alminshawi reciting this verse so beautifully and eloquently. 

The Power of Prayer

As I sit on my comfortable leather couch watching my daughter read her books so attentively, my mind wanders into thoughts of worries clouding over me in this specific moment. I feel a constriction, as if I was looking at my fears head-on, refusing to see an outlet for them. It’s in this precise moment that my phone buzzes. It’s a message from a good friend I had not heard from recently. Her message is short, concise, and to the point: “Send me prayers so I can pray for you.” This sentiment takes me by surprise, such a surprise that I almost forget what I was just thinking about. Without much thought, I quickly jot down: “That God ease my worries.” But that wasn’t enough for her. She replies, “Send me more.”

Instantaneously, like a pile of waves crashing over each other, my fingers begin pouring out continuous prayers. With each prayer I type, I feel weights of worry escaping, slowly releasing the constriction within. Minutes into this process, I am now done, inadvertently at peace.

I think to myself, “What just happened?” There I was, moments ago, alone and trapped in my perplexed mind, trying to escape the internal walls I’ve built. But my friend’s message was more than a message. It was a key to unlock these isolating thoughts and redirect them to the appropriate door: prayer.

I don’t think my friend knows what her random but purposeful message meant to me. I think I owe her a gracious gift: I’ll pray for her. 

Change comes from within

I distinctly remember placing myself onto my therapist’s cozy sofa thinking that with every word I utter I was slowly transferring my problems and worries onto her plate. Sometimes, we make the mistake of presuming our therapists are God-like, begging them for solutions to our problems and waiting for them to fix us. But session after session, to our surprise, we come to realize that the solution was trapped within ourselves from the get-go. We just had to unravel what was preventing us from unleashing that potential within us.

If I could concisely sum up therapy in a nutshell, I would say it’s character building. Therapists don’t fix people’s lives, they enable them. They help them understand triggers, channel unhealthy habits into healthier avenues, discover defense mechanisms, analyze the root of personal worries, realize their potential, and open their eyes to see the world in a broader perspective, thus giving YOU the strength to fix your own life.

As a worshipper of God, I have found therapy to be one of the most powerful things that brings me closer to Him. When I understand my self, my thought processes and my psychology, it inevitably leads me back to Him, my Fashioner, the One who molded and designed me in this form.

A famous psychologist once noted: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

This quote aligns with the famous verse in the Quran that affirms that change comes from within. The power to rise above the corruption around us lies within our very own selves. We simply have to seek it, be conscious of it, and use that God-given window of space for growth to the betterment of ourselves and humanity around us.

If you or a loved one are hesitant about therapy, I urge you not to imprison yourself in the false ideology that therapy isn’t necessary. Each and every one of us can and will benefit from analyzing who we are at our core and releasing the chains that hold us down from growth. Get to know yourself, know the God who created you, and you will begin to appreciate the intricacies that form you, and recognize your vast potential. Therapy will not only help you become more confident in your own creation, but a better servant to the Creator of creations. 

Spreading of mercy

Here I am waiting for the sun to finally rise, waiting for the rain to finally pour and remove the drought within. I’m coming to you God with full brokenness. This is me, this is who I am. I’m in need and I’m at your door begging for your help. I’m down so pick me up. I’m poor so enrich me. I’m unfulfilled so fulfill me. I’m alone so give me company. I’m exposed so cover me. I’m hopeless so give me hope.

It’s at this point in my thoughts that I hear the Quran reciter on TV recite a verse I’m familiar with, but today it struck a major chord with me.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا قَنَطُوا وَيَنشُرُ رَحْمَتَهُ وَهُوَ الْوَلِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ
“And He is the one who sends down the rain after they lost all hope for it, and He spreads His mercy far and wide, and He is the One to rely on, the One worthy of praise.”

This verse this morning was like a sudden breeze in a time of extreme heat. I’m reminded that in my brokenness is hope. In my loss of that hope is a spreading of His immense mercy, for He alone is the best One to rely on. At the end of the day, who but He can send down the rain? 

Letting go

How many of us need to let go of something? Let go of past hurt and pain, of chains holding us down, or grudges that have been weighing on us for so long, too long?

I imagine a person up 12,000 feet in the sky grounded on a plane about to do their first skydive. The hardest part could be letting go of the stable ground on that plane. But the minute they let go, they are set off to an amazing journey; diving with clouds, flying with birds, and enabling their body to partake in one of the most breathtaking out-of-this-world experiences.

It is important to ask what helped that person let go? It came with immense preparation. It wasn’t a blind fall, but rather a carefully and strategically planned undertaking. The wind was studied and the necessary equipment was given. It is these vital tools that helped the one diving finally let go.

It comes without question that the fear of letting go can be one of the most debilitating. But that debilitation is only preventing you from the most beautiful embarking of your life. Thus, without that preparation, the fear of letting go can easily turn into an endless constraint.

So when you are fearful and stuck, seek those fundamental preparations. Study the wind, build your parachute, and prepare for your flight.

To sum it up, stop worrying about letting go. Prepare for landing. 

Walduha

If every dark night was carefully gift wrapped and the unwrapping of the paper granted us the shining sun every morning, how much more grateful would we be for that light? If you’re in the phase of darkness right now, {breathe} and be certain that the gift is in the process of being wrapped. God has not abandoned you. You will unwrap that darkness and enter into the shining world of light.
(Late night inspirations from Surah Alduha, chapter 93 in the Quran)