is it just me, or is it dark in here?

One night, my mom and I were on our way to pick up a rental car, and we were driving in what seemed to me like complete darkness. To gauge how dark it really was, I glanced at my watch and was surprised; It twinkles at the very hint of light, and yet I couldn’t even see it on my wrist. SubhanAllah, something that was so evident with even the tiniest amount of light was virtually unrecognizable in the midst of all this darkness.

It was at that point where I remembered the verses in Surat TaHa -

“But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Quran nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.” [124]

He will say:”O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I had sight (before).” [125]

(Allah) will say: “Like this, Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) came unto you, but you disregarded them (i.e. you left them, did not think deeply in them, and you turned away from them), and so this Day, you will be neglected (in the Hell-fire, away from Allah’s Mercy).” [126]

Before this point, I genuinely did not understand how non-Muslims, the one’s who are aware of the signs and beauty of Islam, do not see the truth so clearly when it’s shining like a bright light in front of them. I know Allah subhanaHu wata’ala puts them in a state of ghaflah (heedlessness) – and while their eyes can see just fine, their mind and intellect is completely clouded by the darkness of the night. So much so that not even one jewel or gem of Islam is evident while they are in that state.

 

So while I was in the car, trying to recognize my watch, this hit me. I knew that this watch was jeweled and beautiful – whether it was in the dark or not. I knew this because I’ve seen it in the light and can recognize it as my own. If I, however, had constantly been in this darkness (without exception), I wouldn’t even realize there was a watch there at all.

 

SubhanAllah, this is how it is for them. Their perception intellectually is covered by darkness – to the extent where they would come across the gem and beauty of Islam, which regardless of whether or not they acknowledge it to be so, remains as priceless as it is – but lack the vision and proper state to recognize that this jewel in front of them is in fact, quite clearly and indisputably, the most valuable thing they’ll ever have the opportunity to come across in this life.

 

The amazing part is – when Allah subhanaHu wata’ala wills to guide them, they can be taken out of that darkness for even a tenth of a second (in relation to my watch at this point, there was a car passing us that let off some light and I saw a bit of the twinkle) – but if they noticed that gem shining, they would then realize that what they thought was light, wasn’t indeed light. But because they’ve been in darkness for their entire life, they’ve come to accept it as what they see by. At that point, if Allah wills to guide them, they will go out searching for more of this light so that they may perhaps see fully this gem that had initially caught their eye.

 

And so it is – the gem itself in beauty, magnificence and glory is a gem whether you cannot see it in the night, or whether you can. But to recognize that you have that gem is when Allah subhanaHu wata’ala allows from His Mercy to shed light on the gem of Islam (even if it be for a split second) – for you to recognize the beauty of it.

 

I believe in Islam like I believe in the sun rising, not just because I can see it, but because, by it, I see everything else.

-unknown