6. The Turmoil Within

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Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) related that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:

Whoever makes this world his main concern, Allaah will scatter his affairs and place poverty between his eyes, and he will not acquire anything of this world except what was already written for him. But whoever makes the Hereafter his main goal, Allaah will gather his affairs, place richness in his heart and the world will come to him conquered and submissive.

–Ibn Majah; Saheeh according to Sheikh Al-Albaani


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Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) affirmed: The deed dearest to Allaah is Salaah at their earliest fixed times.

–Sahih Bukhari

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Black ants were scurrying in a straight line, their backs laden with scrumptious tid bits. They moved in a collective manner. Their entire focus directed towards reaching their ant hole with their load still intact.

Occasionally, a few ants seemed to drop their burden, unable to bear the weight. The rest of the ants continued while the ones who dropped their burden stopped and took their time in gathering their load. Later, they squeezed into the line with a little extra effort.

There was an undeniable co-ordination among those little creatures as they went about their routine, struggling a little too hard for their size.

Manha silently watched their movements across her coffee table. She watched as they staggered with difficulty but kept moving despite all the hardships they faced. Her eyes took it all with envy. She was sprawled over the sofa from where she had been observing the tiny food collectors for the past few minutes now; and for reasons she couldn’t fathom, she felt like messing around with them. She shifted a little, reached out, and placed the pad of her fore finger on their path, bringing them to an abrupt halt.

The ants grew alarmed at once and dissipated haphazardly. They ran without a sense of direction, utterly confused about having their path blocked. The tension in their world was no doubt palpable. Manha can feel it too.  She could see how they paused in the midst of their run, appearing as though they were asking others amongst them as to what was going on. However, as time passed with their confusion conquered and an enroute found, they began to form a steady line again, appearing determined to complete the tasks assigned to them.

Manha marvelled at how quickly they had found a solution, and how much devoted they were to their  bit of annoyance crecrepteping into her at the same time. She felt something stir inside her. She frowned.

Why couldn’t everyone be that way?

Her chest rose and fell in a sigh.

Human beings often went about with their lives just the way those ants went about with their burdens—staggering with heavy burdens and a defined destination. They often stuttered on their way, they often stopped to meet people. Their paths were occasionally lined with trials, and they braved that too—moved on, even. However, if something happened for them to drop their load by mistake, unlike the ants who made it a point of collecting it back, they ran, forgetting the purpose of their creation. Their goal of reaching the end wasn’t in the forefront anymore. Their innate sense of differentiating the right from the wrong also got blurred in the process. They forgot their Maker. They forgot their promise to Him. Their love for Him got adulterated. Worldly life seemed more attractive.

Was it so difficult in being the supreme creations of Allaah that people forget the original purpose they were created for?

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