In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Often I learn that “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. Nevertheless, I fail to realize that beauty doesn’t only lies in the eyes, but also reclines in the HEART of the beholder. And soon I get hold of one charming remark that say something like this “Beauty seen through the eyes is dissimilar to beauty that “seen” through the heart”. I “see” one thing, but I could perceive it with two unlike meanings. Hence, as I give this a little thought, I twig one important point – As you “see” one particular thing, don’t restrict your perception based on your five senses for the reason that we have been given one most valuable and vital “gift” which is always blocked by ignorance. This super significant gift is what I called “soul, insight or intuition” (or what ever you perceive it).
I frequently referred as traditional (hmm…some kind of having old-school or old-fashioned thinking to be precise) by a friend of mine. “Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that? You’re a doer!” Alhamdulillah, I didn’t buy the idea, because if I did, I might not get the chance to really understand my ownself and to “learn and see” things the way I should. Because I believe that I don’t have to amend any right things that I strongly uphold just to fit in. Sorry moite, I understand what I believe in and my worldview as well as the way I perceive things doesn’t get me off the right track and alhamdulillah, it just lead me to witness the truth clearer and more vividly.
When I was 19, I started to educate meself to “screen” anything ghastly that goes through the eyeballs using one perfect “filter” which is the combination of HEART + MIND. My eyes look and my ears hear – but my mind think and my insight formulate the meanings of what had been seen and heard whether it’s the right thing to do or not. To get better “formulation of meanings” of what the eyes and ears have sensed, cleanliness is the key factor because clean heart screen things better than the blotchy ones.
Call me a “doer” or “old-fashioned”, it’s the way I “see” things. Many people had persuaded me to go to the cinema and go for karaoke, when I refuse to go, majority would say “It’s not like you’re committing a sin. You just sit there and watch movie, and you’re in a room and sing. That’s just it!” Well, yeah, they have the point, but I just don’t like the ambiance and most of all, I respect my mum’s request for not going to that places. I can easily go there (without her knowing) but, I firmly “protect” her definite trust on me and so I repudiated. You can called me boring and know no fun, but my idea of fun is different. I perceive “fun” in dissimilar discernment.
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Dr. Lateef
If fun or beauty or love is only gauged downright by the 5 senses, the “fun” that we claimed as fun and “beauty” that we claimed as beauty and “love” that we claimed as love is in fact NEVER really is fun nor beauty or nor love. Closed heart has narrowed the perception. Look at Shakespeare's King Lear. Being insightfully blind, he asked his children to verbally show their love to him as a father. The malicious daughters Regan and Goneril were showing their love in extreme and exaggerate way, yet conscientious Cordelia, unable to articulate the words akin to what had been said by both sisters. She told Lear “…since I am sure my love’s more ponderous than my tongue”. The love towards her father can’t be expressed through words, as her love to her father is much greater than her speech. Lear, who only upholds to the words uttered by nasty Regan and vicious Goneril and simultaneously perceives thing with his sealed heart, blindly believed in Regan and Goneril and disowned Cordelia. His perception that love can only be measured by words had brought him to his own tragic downfall.
After all, life is a journey of a destination – the Afterlife. It’s really super crucial to have the right perceptions to do the right thing and you need to know that it’s right and you have to keep it right regardless of what others might have said or label you. I have my own aims for the Afterlife – the world of the Unseen, perhaps we might share the same aim – to the Jannah. A reminder to myself, never judge a book by its cover and do not only perceive things based on the 5 senses. Constantly looking at thing in different ways by amelioration of an open and clean heart. And thus, remember another important crux – ALLAH LOOKS NOT AT HOW YOU LOOK, BUT WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART.
**This is my favourite video. Don’t judge him by the way he look, but on how honest he presented his words that I believe comes from his heart**
Assalamualaikum Shahida,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, except for that quote -- who is that guy?? I don't remember saying that actually, but ok.. :-) Your points are great and, in fact, will help me respond to another young man from the U.S. who has claimed that he is no longer Muslim because he doesn't believe in the very things you wrote about. He believes 'truth' is only that which can be proven with the 5 senses. Anyway, maybe you can respond to him for me... wassalam
Waalaikummussalam Dr.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dr. =) Yes, the words are from you, i jotted them down during our meeting last year, it's such a powerful remark. I'd like to respond, but i dont feel that confident, i know so little, but insyaAllah, i could give it a try.