Always Being Watched
My point in writing this entry is to remind myself and you that SOMEONE is ALWAYS watching. As teenagers we grow up with this peculiar certainty that we are invincible. We can do what we want to do, and if we’re caught we’ll think up something clever and get away with it. If we’re not – keep on livin’. What if what you’re doing is something really bad? Would you want to die in the presence of such vileness? We justify what we do whether it is right or wrong, but imagine dying in that state. I know I just said that…but seriously think. What if we were to die in the state of total sin or malice? If you believe in the Hereafter, then a person either goes to Heaven or Hell. If you don’t believe in the Hereafter…what if your parents, children, friends, neighbors or anyone else you might look up to, find you in that state? How can a person justify doing wrong, no matter how small, if we never know when we’ll die?
One thing is for certain, once we are conceived we are all destined to die. So no matter what your convictions may be, just think, what if your last moment on this Earth was marked with disgrace?
There was an article on CNN.com about why Muslims seem to be more religious than other faiths. I am not claiming this to be true. I know for a fact that when a Muslim goes “bad”, they can go really bad. When a Muslim goes “good” they can go really good, bettering their communities and making a difference in the world. When I got to thinking about this entry on CNN…I immediately thought about prayer. I know that every faith prescribes prayer to its followers, the difference of Muslim prayer however, is that we have to do it on a habitual basis. Every day, every few hours, we take a few minutes of our time to remember God and to talk to Him. Prayer is our gateway to a literally Divine conversation. Reciting and reading Quran is the way to give our conversation a two-way line. God is in constant dialogue with us throughout our lives. We see His miracles all around us, we see his Mercy in our everyday interactions and trying circumstances. We hear His Word through opening up that dusty Quran on the top shelf of our libraries.
For Muslims, the way to become and stay God-conscious is through the Quran, prayer and ascribing to our 5 pillars of Islam and our 6 pillars of Faith. For my respected audience of other faiths I say look to your hearts, your reason, and your religion and dictate what it mandates, because no matter what your faith may be, I am sure that it directs you to do good.
Peace be with you fellow Journeyer of this delicate life.
~Mona
Nice post, Mona. This reminded me about a time I lived in Austin and I had gone shopping at my local store after having dropped off my daughters to their school. I got out of my van and as I walked down the parking lot, I noticed a large, sharp shard of glass. I reached into my purse & found a tissue to pick the glass up and walked over to the big trash can outside to throw it away. Then I walked back to the store's entrance and watched an elderly lady nearly trip as her cart hit a "bump" made by the rug/carpet the store had put at the entrance. After making sure that the lady was Ok, I went over and "smoothed" out the "bump" -to make the path clear. I walked into the store and hadn't gone but a couple of feet when I found some boxes had fallen off the shelf that cluttered an aisle. I chuckled to myself thinking, "Well, mama always said that things always came in 3's." But as I picked up these boxes, an elderly man spoke up behind me, "Can I ask you something?!" I should mention that this was a few months after 9/11, so when people approached me to 'talk'- it usually wasn't a pleasant exchange. But he was an elder, so I stood back up and said,"Yes sir." and waited. He said,"How come you did all those things? Throwing away that glass, fixing the front mat,and picking up these here boxes? Aren't you a Moslem?" I was shocked that he had been watching me through all of that because I didn't see him while I did these things that to me, seemed to happen very quickly in a span of 5-10 min.s. So I told him, "Oh yes, I am a Muslim- a follower of Islam. In my religion, it teaches us that if there is a harm in the path we should remove it to make the path safe for everyone." and then I smiled as I put the last box up. "Really? I had no idea that your religion says that. Having watched you, I can see for myself that not all Moozlims are bad." Then he smiled and bid me good day. Now don't think I'm trying to pat myself on the back here, the point is I had NO idea that he or anyone (human) was watching me but I try, and I don't always get it right, to live my life that my religion-Islam, becomes a natural way and habit to strive to do my best to please Allah (SWT). In sha Allah (God-willing) this is what I try to help my children and students to learn- but more to let their love for Allah (SWT) fill their hearts so that these habits of following hadith (sayings from Prophet Muhammad[S])become as natural as breathing to them. ~And Peace be upon you, Sr. Jenny
ReplyDeleteSr. Jenny, Thank you and Jazaki illah khiar for coming by my blog. I loved your post! We really never do know who's watching! It can be one little thing that we do that makes a world of difference in someones' eyes and heart. I really think it is amazing how things "happen" for apparently no reason at all...and we all too soon find out that they really did matter in the big scheme of things. Please come by again! I love hearing from you :) ~Mona
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