THE INNER JOURNEY

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم

اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد عبدك ونبيك النبي الأمي وعلى اله وصحبه وسلم تسليما, 

THE INNER JOURNEY

As we have seen our lives changed with lockdown–almost lifted for most of us in most of the countries–we see our lives changing to what we knew as a norm and breaking away from what became the norm.

A time we saw in our lives when we were not just disconnected from our communities, from our societies but we were also disconnected from our families and loved ones.

A time that we became very isolated and lonely not being able to share any happy or sad moments with those we loved and cared for.  Cut off from community, family and wider society.  Literally coming to a stand still.

This was a time that gave us an opportunity to reflect. Reflect on our being.  Our surroundings and existence in this world.  What life means and how quickly things can change  Giving thought and reflection opened an internal world to us allowing new horizons to open.  Reflection is what the Qur’an invited us to, to have tadabbur And it is something that we probably were doing very little pre lockdown.

And as we see ourselves back into our works, back into our schools, our universities, back into wider society–a time that we are finding, again and again is becoming very short for us, is of reflection, of taking the journey within.

We have been taking and planning journeys to see our friends, our family and our loved ones.  Journeying far and wide to see and visit those we love and care for.  Having the opportunity to visit the blessed lands of Mecca, Medina, Masjid Al Aqsa and other places that provide us a sense of calmness and stillness and rest. But one place that is becoming far again is ourselves.

So in a time when our lives are becoming very busy again, it is important that we take out time for reflection.  For tadabbur that connects us to ourselves and our Lord Subhanahu wata aalah. We reflect on ourselves, on our emotions, on our feelings and on our thoughts.

A time that has been mentioned to be beneficial for reflection is after sunrise, mid day and when the sun is setting. This is a time in which major changes are taking place in nature.  You will find many people in previous culture would keep that time for reflection and remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wata aalah.

It is the time that the great change is happening in nature–the sun is rising, the night is going and the day is coming, the sun is at its peak, half of the day has gone, the sun has gone to its optimum height. And when the sun is setting, again, the day is ending, the night is beginning.  An imagery of our life mirroring the journey of the sun in our sky ..of our life rising and travelling it’s course and reaching it’s optimal height and then going towards declension and setting with our life’s coming to an end.

The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Imran verse 190 mentions:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ

Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day (with their periods shortening and lengthening) there are signs (manifesting the truth) for the people of discernment. (Ahmed Ali)

May Allah Subhanahu waTaalah make us of those who remember and reflect on The Aayaat (signs) of Allah Subhan-wa-Taalah and take the inner journey of reflection.