If I don't get time to myself to sit quietly, reflect and feel close to God, then I become truly ugly! I'm ashamed to say that formal prayer is not always the vessel that helps me achieve this. More often than not, my children are climbing on top of my head or else they are attacking each other.Salat for me is sometimes just survival, can we get through it without a major injury occurring?
When I saw this image of a man praying in the Sahara, my first thought, aside from appreciating it's beauty, was to think how wonderful to be alone with Allah in such a vast space. Have you noticed how when you can see for kilometers without anything blocking your view, the immensity of the landscape can overwhelm you spiritually? It is a very primal feeling, as if something in your being is responding to it's origin. I have never visited the desert but I imagine being next to the sea is vaguely similiar, in the sense of being able to view the same landscape until it meets the horizon.
Is it looking towards the edge that is so evocative of Allah swt? Is it the combination of supreme beauty, vastness and the unknown that makes your heart swell in longing and appreciation?
In brief moments of quiet, I remind myself to step outside of my small life, beyond even ideas and issues of "vital" importance and into that space that defies description. And I feel truly blessed to be able to and I pray that it is never taken away from me.
3 comments:
Salaam Jamila,
I've been away for a while, and just wanted to say how glad I am that you've continued blogging. I really enjoy reading your thought-provoking comments.
I've had that glimpse towards something far deeper than my present understanding of Islam, and then it goes away and I'm back to fulfilling the rituals.
Walaykoum Salam,
Journeyintolight, welcome back! You deleted your blog just after me and I thought you had gone!
Yes, it's only glimpses for me also but when it happens I think that is what it means when we are told to pay attention to Allahs ayat. It's not just a one dimensional understanding that creation points to Allahs existence but that through it we are given knowledge of Him 9 i don't mean that we worship creation, for those of you jumping up and down shouting shirk!)I'm scared of writing this way because I am so totally ill-equipped anmd out of depth. I just wanted to reflect on the beauty of it.
Maliha,
This is exactly what I was getting at! Recently I asked my husband to take us to the sea, I had an overwhelming urge to be there. I thought that I just missed the water, not being used to being stuck in the city. But when we got there I realised it's something much more intense than just missing the seascape and it occurred to me that I'm often experiencing a kind of spiritual claustrophobia!
Is there a verse is Qu'ran that says to look for God's signs in the horizons and in ourselves? It's in my head but I can't place it.
Salams Sumera and Welcome! It is beautiful isn't it..
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