Moments Of Reflection

Cooking can be an extremely humbling experience. In fact, it can be quite a well-needed reminder too. After today's encounter I learnt that every single thing we do in our lives can hold many lessons and reminders. In fact, even if it is something as minute as cutting onions like I was doing today. I usually get the job of cutting the onions, and so today as I was chopping the onions into small pieces and throwing them into the pan I realised how my eyes began to swell up, just like they usually do - however today for some reason I began to ponder over it. I began to realise how weak us human being are, how we cannot even have control over the tears that flow from our eyes whilst chopping up a vegetable! The struggle and pain, the tears and sniffs all came as a result of cutting an onion. SubhanAllah! It taught me how we are powerless species who have no control over ourselves or the way our body reacts. It taught me the power of Allah, how He can create whatever He wills and allow it to affect us In whatever way He wills. Allahu Akbar!

Surprisingly, I was confronted with another occurrence. As I was mixing the onions watching them sizzle in the pan, my hand just fell and for not even half a second touched the outside of the hot pan. And... It hurt. Actually, it really hurt. That small little impact caused me to feel a lot of pain, SubhanAllah. I quickly pulled my hand away and remembered the custom of Umar (ra). Whenever he felt a need to remind himself of the hellfire, he would light a candle and put his hand over it, he would tell himself, if I cannot take the heat of this, how will I be able to take the heat of the hell fire?! I reminded myself that that pain I felt for a millisecond or less, was nothing, so insignificant compare to the heat and blaze of the hell fire. Allah protect us all from it.

So why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because I realised that we as Muslims can derive lessons and moral from absolutely anything; it's all about thinking and reflecting. Allah mentions those who reflect on His signs in the Qur'an many times. I began to realise how even when I'm cooking I can be remembering the hereafter, the power of Allah and the weaknesses in my own self. Therefore, I want to give you all a little challenge, I want you all to deeply think about everything you do from now on, even if its one of your daily chores - I want you to think about how you can make it into Ibaadah or into a moment of reflection. What reminders and lessons can you derive from what action you are undertaking?

So, whose in? Lets put on our thinking caps and share our "Moment of Reflections"

You can post them in the comment box below or all those who have me on Facebook can share their reflections on my wall. So, come on, time to aspire to inspire :)

I would love to read them and be overly inspired, InshaAllah!