Daisy chain | Yttria A.

Posted by Yttria on Sunday, March 25, 2018 // 06:29 // 0 comments (+)

Life is a test, and it is never easy; even for the people who’d say they got what they wanted. Even for the people who’d claim they have tamed everything. Even for those who’d like to think they got all the glitters in the world. Comes in all kinds of form of painful and difficult - sometimes even beyond difficult - matters; the test pursues everyone. Not to mention you and I.

Each one of us faced different sorts of trial. As a human being, there always seems to be a time in our life where we felt like we were in our lowest point. It felt like we were drown in the sea; sank to the bottom of the seabed, without even knowing why. All we know was that we didn’t want it, we hated it, and even we cried; simply because we were drown. We were at the rockbottom. It seems like there was no way out of the situation. Everything around us was disappointing. We looked around and asked for help, but nothing or no one seemed to come around to give us a hand.

Step back a little to see the situation in a bigger frame: everything apparently started when we were occupied by the object(s) offered by the worldly world we live in. The dunya - world - has everything that we desire. These might be people or things; we loved them and seems like we couldn't live without them. We became so immersed to these objects, we grew dependant towards them. We developed an attachment to them, like these people or things were the air we breath. We worshipped them like there is no tomorrow. Though in the end, truth is they only made us suffer. They left us, leaving us miserable. Our expectations killed us. Yet we didn't stop. We continued to experience the same thing all over again, over other kinds of objects. Life in the world seems to be never enough.

With the general love definitions that we had in mind that are been flagged and worshipped by mankind through generations; we struggled to get what we desire, what the world had offered us; expecting false perfection. What is love really? There are many definitions and they seem to be alright, but it feels like they are lacking something: the genuine, everlasting concept of love. A definition of divine love which we will never find in this world. Not in poetry, nor in songs. So is it real love that we feel... Because if it is love like what they said... Then why disappointment relentlessly comes after disappointment?

Do we realize that they are only gifts? We just don't realize it yet. Why gifts? Now, do we get to bring these people or things with us when we die? Will they be with us forever? No. Simply because they are all gifts. Not only the nice thing, but the difficult thing is also a gift. People that we love, intelligence, richness, healthy body, good-looking face, talents, skills, you name it... They are all gifts given to us.

We should cherish a gift by being content of it, as it is a gift and therefore will be gone eventually. And because it is only a gift, shouldn’t we be just fine when it gets taken away? Why should we be attached to it when we know for sure it can be taken away someday? Was it really ours in the first place? Do we want to bet our whole heart on something that we know will possibly fail us? Do we want to lose our heart for something that we cannot rely upon? No, because it is only a gift; which means it should have only remained in our hands. It should not take over our heart, nor make us fear of losing it.

Let the gift go when it gets taken away, let ourselves detach from the gift. Detachment will help us reclaim our heart back from occupation of worldly world. Because it belongs to the One. The One who creates us and our heart, and gives us all these gifts. God is the One to be put in heart.

Could we find the message in the bottle? God knows everything even a fallen leaf (Quran 6:59), and even a fallen leaf has a purpose. Leaves have to fall to then become a natural mulch on ground, which keeps tree root comfortable in a certain temperature and moisture level. If a fallen leaf has purpose, then our problem must have had it too. We just basically need to find the purpose, which will lead us to glimpse just a little more of God. Every single tighten faith bond will empower us to grow into a better person. To have a different way to see a hardship. Because with every hardship comes growth. The recovering, self-healing bit would also be the time when we grow, with every bit of it to be the means to be closer to God. God gives these gifts simply as a test that is also a means to us to get closer to Him.

When we look back to what had happened in the past, everything start to make sense and we start to realize that nothing happens without a purpose; not even a broken heart, not even pain; we will eventually understand about the things that happen to us. God does not test us except with that within our capacity (Qur'an 2:286). We put the pieces back again, and everything start to make sense.

So why were we drown in the sea? Certainly; to get the pearls in the seabed.

It is only natural that as a human being, we look for something that we desire, something that we think will complete us. The only thing we didn't realize yet is that we were actually looking for perfection; in an imperfect world. And without doubt; we ended up being disappointed. From the very start, we knew for sure that nothing was ever meant to be perfect.

"Prophet Ibrahim studies the moon, the sun, and the stars, and realizes that they are not perfect. They set. They let us down."

And why is that? Because perfection is only in God; the One who made the moon, the sun, and the stars.

Beautifully written by Mogahed; it is a simple book about basic, core things with very deep, humble meanings, which tells about Islamic life concepts - simple ones that we're possibly already familiar with - that are often misunderstood. I might say that this is the kind of book that could really speak to its reader, especially when you are in a drown-in-the-sea situation (hope not! But if you are, I wish you to become stronger. And remember to get all the pearls). Just to think of the idea that everything comes with a purpose makes my heart lightens, puts my mind at ease.

A book given by a nice friend I know last December (give the person du’a please, will you readers?). If I could ever have the chance to meet or talk with the person again; I’d deeply thank him and wish him all the very best in life. I will inshaAllah be stronger and inert like an Yttrium.

Image was taken from Amazon UK.

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Hello! My name is Yttria. Here's where I share some of my photoworks, sketches, stories and quick thoughts. Some are just doodles and mumbles. Hope you enjoy it.

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