وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٥٥
And remind (by preaching the Qur’ân, O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), for verily, the reminding profits the believers. 51:55 Translation: Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali & Muhammad Muhsin Khan
The clouds to the right of my house look like mountains. At least they have for the past week that I’ve paid attention. A few days back I put my arm around a tree. A month or so ago I gazed at the full moon. Nature awes and frightens me. I’m not naturally a ‘tree hugger’. Before I put my arm around it I wondered, “… Is this ok?” After a few moments, I released my grip and looked at the arm of my jacket to check for dust, bugs, or thorns. But the tree was kind, I walked away unscathed.
I love nature, and I fear it. Feel called to it, but disconnected from it. Being a ‘city dweller’ most of my life, nature has not always been directly accessible. When my parents moved to the suburbs it became a bit closer and more expansive —walks in the forest, strolls around the lake, and deer in the backyard all became common occurrences.
But still, I often fail to touch nature. To be in direct communication. It’s all around us —even when I was in Brooklyn, NY, it was there too. God constantly calls our attention to nature, both as a warning, “…and when the stars are dimmed (81:2)…each soul will know what it has brought forth (81:14)” and as a reminder, “And of His signs are the night and the daytime, and the sun and the moon (41:37).
Yet despite not having consistent intentional direct contact with nature, in some ways communication is ongoing because that is what Allah commands of us. Water and dirt cleanse our bodies, the moon tells us the time of year, our shadows, the sun, and the night sky determine when we pray. He created a pathway in which we cannot completely escape from nature, we must —in many ways, remain connected.
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Related:
- Nature https://bythefigandtheolive.com/absenceofmeaning/
- Seeing God’s Presence in the ‘Little’ Things https://bythefigandtheolive.com/coffeecup/
- In the Absence of Meaning https://bythefigandtheolive.com/absenceofmeaning/
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Consider picking up a copy of my book, 40 Hadith of ‘Aisha, An English collection of 40 Hadith narrated by the beloved wife, scholar, and sage ‘Aisha bint Abu Bakr, available here.
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