To see Allah

God is outside of things, but not in the sense of being alien to them; and He is inside of things, but not in the sense of being identical with them. - IMAM ALI

Excerpt From: Secrets of Divine Love. “A. Helwa.”

I am reminded of the ayah in the Holy Quran where Allah ﷻ tells us:

 لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

“Vision does not encompass Him; He encompasses vision. He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.”

QUR’AN 6:103

Basar means vision or the ability to see and means to grasp or perceive something. Thus, having known what the two words mean, one can conclude that the whole of Allah's ﷻ creation will never be able to comprehend the sight of our Lord. We will never, in this world, be able to witness our Lord in a way that would encompass His Almighty Being. "وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ" He is, however, of all things aware and watches over the entirety of His creation. 

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has said:

حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي، فَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلأٍ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلأٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ بِشِبْرٍ تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ ذِرَاعًا تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا، وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً ‏

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' "

Sahih al-Bukhari 7405 

Subhan Allah our Lord is the Most Merciful. 

We, as His humble slaves, are told that He is to us what we think of Him. If we perceive Allah as our hope and means of provision, that is who He is. If we see Allah ﷻ as our Master and Guide, that is who He is. We are encouraged to pray and praise our Lord by His beautiful names (Asma Al Husna). 

Amir Al Mu'mineen Imam Ali was asked by Dhi'lib al-Yamani if he had seen Allah. Imam Ali responded by asking Dhi'lib how he can worship someone he hasn't seen to which Dhi'lib asked once again, "How have you seen Him?" 

In the following lines, I have pasted the eloquent pearls of faith from Imam Ali's sermon (179).  

 لاَ تُدْرِكُهُ الْعُيُونُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْعِيَانِ، وَلكِنْ تُدْرِكُهُ الْقُلُوبُ بِحَقَائِقِ الاْيمَانِ، قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الاْشْيَاءِ غَيْرُ مُلاَمِس، بَعِيدٌ مِنْهَا غَيْرُ مُبَايِن، مُتَكَلِّمٌ بِلاَ رَوِيَّة، مُرِيدٌ بِلاَ هِمَّة، صَانِعٌ لاَ بِجَارِحَة، لَطِيفٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْخَفَاءِ، كَبِيرٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْجَفَاءِ، بَصِيرٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالْحَاسَّةِ، رَحِيمٌ لاَ يُوصَفُ بِالرِّقَّةِ، تَعْنُو الْوُجُوهُ لِعَظَمَتِهِ، وَتَجِبُ الْقُلُوبُ مِنْ مَخَافَتِهِ

Eyes cannot see Him face to face, but hearts perceive Him through the realities of belief. He is near to things but not (physically) contiguous. He is far from them but not (physically) separate. He is a speaker, but not with reflection. He intends, but not with preparation. He moulds, but not with (the assistance of) limbs. He is subtle but cannot be attributed with being concealed. He is great but cannot be attributed with haughtiness. He sees but cannot be attributed with the sense (of sight). He is Merciful but cannot be attributed with weakness of heart. Faces feel low before His greatness and hearts tremble out of fear of Him.

This sermon delivered by Imam Ali describes Allah's greatness. 

To see Allah, we must open our hearts, for it is our hearts that can only witness Him through the various realities of belief presented to us by life and what it means to live. We are told that Allah ﷻ is near but he is not physically present bounded by time and shape. To see Allah, we must not attribute anything to Him because He is One and Everything. Allah is as we perceive Him and He is as we remember Him. 

Quite unfortunately, my humanity is bounded to the 26 letters of the English language which chain me from being able to describe my Lord's true majesty.  

I love (أنا بعشق) - Nagat Al Sagheera

       انا بعشق البحر

زيك يا حبيبى حنون

وسعات زيك مجنون

ومهاجر ومسافر

وسعات زيك حيران

وسعات زيك زعلان

وسعات مليان بالصمت

انا بعشق البحر

انا بعشق السما

علشان زيك مسامحة

مزروعة نجوم وفرحة

وحبيبة وغريبة

وعشان زيك بعيدة

وسعات زيك قريبة

بعيون متنغمة

انا بعشق السما

انا بعشق الطريق

لانة فية لقانة

رحنا وشقانا

واصحابنا وشبابنا

وفية ضحكت دمعنا

وفية بكيت شمعنا

وضاع فية الصديق

انا بعشق الطريق

انا بعشق البحر

وبعشق السما

وبعشق الطريق

لانهم حياة

وانتى يا حبيبتى

انتى كل الحياة 

I love the sea

Like you, my dear it is tender

And sometimes, like you, it is crazy

Leaving and a traveler

And sometimes, like you, it is confused

And sometimes, like you, it is upset

And sometimes, like you, it is full of silence

I love the sea 

I love the sky

Because, like you, it is forgiving

Planted with stars and joy

It is loved and strange (far, distant)

And like you, it is far 

But sometimes it is, like you, near

With beautifully arranged eyes

I love the sky 

I love the road

It is there that we met

It is there we have our joy and sadness

Our friends and our youth 

And it is there our tears have laughed

And it is there our candles cried

And it is there where we have lost a friend

I love the road 

I love the sea 

And I love the sky 

And I love the road 

For in them there is life

And you my beloved

You are life itself. (What it means to live).  

I love this song because it expresses love and admiration for an unnamed beloved while comparing them to the three elements of nature: the sea, the sky, and the road. Each stanza describes the unique qualities and characteristics of these elements, drawing parallels between them and the beloved. The sea is depicted as tender, sometimes crazy, and occasionally silent, mirroring what a human relationship may be like. Similarly, the sky is described as forgiving, adorned with stars and joy, yet distant at times. The road symbolizes the journey of life, where moments of joy and sadness, laughter and tears, are experienced with friends. Overall, I like to think that the poem describes how life itself is embodied in the beloved of the speaker.

I always enjoyed songs and poems about the sea, making the first three stanzas my favorite:

       انا بعشق البحر

زيك يا حبيبى حنون

وسعات زيك مجنون

I love the sea

Like you, my dear it is tender

And sometimes, like you, it is crazy. 

She Wore Red Trainers

I recently finished 'She Wore Red Trainers' by Na'ima B. Robert. This book is quite popular within the young Muslim community and as it's a goal of mine this year to read more books with Muslim representation, I decided to read it. 

I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't say I liked the plot but I liked the positive representation of Islam with characters who were proud of their religion. It's rare to find in young adult novels characters who are proud of their identity and I found that in this book. 

I miss her smile. 

How she would nod her head when she tickled me. 

I miss her voice. 

How she would call for me and say "thank you beta."

I miss her. 

I miss her smell. 

And her cute jokes.

I miss the person I was around her. 

I miss her arms around me as she pulled me into a close hug. 

I felt very safe in her arms when she would pull me into a close hug. 

But she is at home. 

She is with her loved ones and Creator. 

She beat me to it. 

And as she looks down at me, 

I can only hope that she sees me trying.

I miss you Dada. 

September wrap-up & October tbr

Greetings reader, it has certainly been a while. 

Life has been... life, so I haven't really been able to write on here. But all of that will change soon, I plan on writing more on here and taking time off social media (a whole blog post to be expected on the topic). 

I read four books in September: Crime and Punishment, The Prophet, Layli and Majnun, and Some Kind of Happiness. 

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I've been wanting to start Russian lit for a while now and I'm glad I started with Dostoyevsky's very emotional yet philosophical tale. Dostoyevsky's century-old message is still as unsettling, present, and alive as it is today. Crime and Punishment is about a poor university student, Rodian Roskilnikov, who commits a crime that he hopes would rescue him from his poverty, allow him to be a better person, and help others. Rodian Roskolnikov suffers a constant struggle with the moral dilemma he experiences after committing the heinous crime. It's quite intriguing to read the story of a criminal and how one could possibly live knowing that they have killed not one, but two people.

I rated this book a 4/5. I might read it again, but I wanna explore Tolstoy and Checkov next to gain a better idea of classical Russian literature. I highly suggest watching Jordan Peterson's video on the book but there are some spoilers so be aware of that.

The Prophet - Khalil Gibran 

I really liked this book. It was short and lyrical. Although there were some parts I disagreed with, overall I liked the style in which it was written. 

"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror

But you are eternity and you are the mirror." 

You can see from the quote above how lyrical Gibran can be. And how beautiful at that! I had a fun time reading his poetry and look forward to reading more. I like that he wrote in prose and it is a style that I am looking forward to exploring more in the future. Despite the short length of the book, I did not want to rush reading it. I wanted to connect with its meaning and taste its sweetness on my lips. While reading it, I found myself to be very relaxed. I felt separated from my present world. I read that book during a very hard time of my life. His poetry helped me battle my depression by allowing me a safe space to escape to. Also, September is such a good month to read poetry. September and May. I think it is because in those months we experience the transition into the next (more extreme) seasons.

Layli and Majnun - Nezami Ganjavi 

I LOVED THIS! FIVE OUT OF FIVE! I really want to re-read it Insha Allah.

Some Kind of Happiness

Really cute but depressing children's fiction book. I liked it! 

October reading list 

October is probably my favorite month. It gets chilly and I love the spookiness of the season. 

11/30/2021 8:55 pm

Crime & Punishment

Crime & Punishment is a Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. 

Crime & Punishment is set in St. Petersburg during the 1860s. It follows Raskolnikov who is an impoverished student determined to grant justice to the people of his city by committing a crime and suffering its punishment. 

"When he commits an act of murder and theft, he sets into motion a story that, for its excruciating suspense, its atmospheric vividness, and its depth of characterization and vision is almost unequaled in the literature of the world." 

Dostoyevsky quite amazingly utilizes the psychological themes of sin, guilt, and redemption to create the nineteenth century's greatest and most compelling philosophical drama. 

End of summer break reading

Greetings to my fellow reader!

Today is the first day of my last year of high school. 

As summer break comes to end, I have been in a very relfective mood. I will update you later on my travel once back home.