Journey to HappinessEpisode 24

Reflecting on Allah’s Creation

A relentlessly grinding material life with advantages and disadvantages of technology engulfs us and leaves us heedless of performing a worship that has been deserted by most of people to end up almost gone. This worship can only be performed by heart and eyes and we can know Allah1 by it, this worship is the Prophets' worship, it revitalizes the soul and heart and fills them with serenity, so much as a deep breath vitalizes your life! The name of this worship is Reflection on Allah's Creation.. a very beautiful and tender worship. It serves as a filter that purifies your soul from the impurities of problems and worries.Reflecting on the vast great universe dwarfs the problems in your eyes, it makes you feel Allah's Majesty and honor and see this world in its real normal size. There are two types of knowledge of Allah:

1. Knowledge entails recognizing His existence, which is shared by all people. 2. Knowledge necessitates loving, honoring, fearing and clinging to Allah, and

here where people vary in away only known to Allah.According to Hadith2 Ibn Omar, " And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal", it was appraisal based on their reflection.The Prophet (SAWS3) used to say at the end of his prayer of witr: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thy good pleasure from Thy anger, and in Thy forgiveness from Thy punishment, and I seek refuge in Thy mercy from Thy wrath. I cannot reckon the praise due to Thee. Thou art as Thou hast praised Thyself."Knowing God in this way will make you happy.The value of this worship is derived from the fact that it was the Prophet's worship before his prophethood as was narrated by Lady Aisha that " The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira…" Sahih al-Bukhary.

1 The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does. Allah is the God worshipped by all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

2

The Prophet’s actual sayings or actions as narrated by his companions

3 SAWA = Salla Allah alayhe Wa Salam [All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him].

1

That was as well what the Prophet Ibrahim (AS4) did until he gained certitude. " And thus We show Ibrahîm (Abraham) the dominion of the heavens and the earth that he may be of the ones of constant certitude." (TMQ5,6:75)The companion Um Al-Dardaa asked her husband Abu Al-Dardaa about the Prophet's best worship and his reply was that it was reflecting on Allah's creation and taking lessons.Aamer bin Qays said that he heard more than one companion of the Prophet (SAWS) saying that good reflecting on Allah's creation is the light of faith and reflecting for one hour is better than worshiping for a year. " Reflecting on Allah's blessings and creation is the best worship," said Omar bin Abdul Aziz." If you had reflected on Allah's creation, you wouldn't have disobeyed Allah," said Bishr Al-Hafi.The Quran invites you to reflect on Allah's creation, "Supremely Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the Kingdom, and He is Ever-Determiner over everything. Who created death and life to try you, whichever of you is fairest in deeds; and He is The Ever-Mighty, The Ever-Forgiving. Who created seven heavens as strata (i.e., layers, one above the other).In no way can you see in the creation of The All-Merciful any disparity; so return your gaze; (Literally: “your” beholding) do you see any rent? Thereafter return the gaze, again and again, (Literally: recurring twice) the gaze turns over to you spurned, and it (becomes) regretfully most weary. And indeed We have already adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them outcast (meteorites) for Ash-Shayatîn (The ever-vicious “ones”, i.e., the devils) and We have readied for them the torment of the Blaze." (TMQ, 67: 1-5)

"Will they then not look at the camels, how they have been created, And at the heaven, how it has been raised up, And at the mountains, how they have been set up, And at the earth, how it has been encrusted? (i.e., provided with a surface or crust)." (TMQ, 88: 17-20)

"Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation (Or: differences) of the night and the day-time, and the ships that run in the sea with whatever profits mankind, and whatever water Allah sends down from the heaven - so therewith He gives life to the earth after its death and disseminates therein all kinds of beast - and the (constant) turning about of the winds, and the clouds subjected between the heaven and the earth, (these) are indeed signs for people who consider. "(TMQ, 2: 164)"Say, “If the sea were (a constant) supply (Some interpret the word as “ink”) for the Words of my Lord, indeed the sea would be depleted before the Words of my Lord are depleted, (even) if We come with a replenishment the like of it." (TMQ,18: 109)

4 Alayhe as-Salam [All Peace of Allah be upon him].

55

TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an.  This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an.  Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

2

Let's perform this worship bearing in mind that it has one condition: Don't lose wonderment!In order to have this worship yielding happiness and serenity in your soul, you must let each Quranic verse that reaches your hearing pass to your heart and mind , you must feel it.Let's live with thoughts that would bring us closer to Allah the The Ever-Innovating:

1. To create is to make an unprecedented thing. Human beings can copy things.. the submarine is an example of incomplete copying, so is the airplane. The camera is an incomplete copy of the eye, so is the computer to the memory, only Allah can create unprecedentedly.

2. Creation without tools. Human beings need tools to produce things in their factories while Allah creates things without the need to tools.

3. Creation free of modification. Human beings make things that later need to be modified, take cars for example, need to be modified to better models after flaws been found out in the previous versions, only God created Man with no need to modification.

4. Infinite creation. Every painter, no matter how creative can be, would repeat himself in his works, whereas when you look at people's faces through out history, look at their eyes and fingerprints, look at Allah's creation, you will see infinite novelty! let alone Paradise!

5. Unobsoletable creation. Look at fashions and people’s tastes in the sixties , you find yourself laugh at their styles because our creation is subjected to obsoleteness and outdatedness, however, you can't look at a tree or a rose and say that we won’t plant roses anymore, they look unfashionable, and the reason is that Allah’s creation is unobsoletable.

6. Repeating the novelty in creation is a proof of creativity. If a man created a breathtaking thing, he may not be able to repeat it while Allah's wonders are repeated every season..the spring, roses, trees, fruits…!

7. Allah creates great things out of small things, He creates Man from a sperm, a tree from a seed, a bird from an egg.. no need for big factories and copious equipment that result in pollution.

8. Allah created the universe in away catered to our needs and tastes. He created water to quench your thirst, milk to help the growth of a baby, bird singing to please your ears and water falls to please your eyes.. We and the created universe are in harmony and this is confirmation that Allah is The One and The Only One.

9. Imagine the beauty of colours in your eyes, imagine if the grass was black or the sky was dark blue or the sea was dark red! Imagine if the universe was only in black and white…

To reflect on Allah's creation is the light of faith. After this episode, go out and reflect on things ..leave the city once a week , summer resort is an excellent idea! .. walk with a rosary in your hand, do this worship once a week.

3