A Command To Read

Inspired by 'A thousand splendid suns''

Reading allows you to visit places you never even knew existed. It takes you on journeys, through the lives of those who struggled, fought, endured and sacrificed. It allows you to step into the shoes of those who worked tirelessly, day and night, who held onto but a thread of hope, so thin, it could barely be seen.

Reading gives you a taste of history. It allows you to explore cultures, traditions, lifestyles and norms. It broadens your mind, is a means to draw out emotions you never even knew you had, and helps you appreciate your every blessing in life, big and small.

Reading enlightens you about the suffering of those who who went through war, who fled their homes, who lived through darkness, yet still survived - still had a happy ever after. On the other side, it gives you a feel of the life of the rich, of those whose hearts are but attached to materialsim, so much so that it devoured them, caused their heart to rot. It makes you thankful for Islam, for a better way of living.

No wonder the first word to be revealed in the Qur'an was "Read!." Read the Qur'an, read books, read about history, broaden your knowledge through it. Because no movie, film or picture, can give you what reading can, and that in itself is a gift from Allah to mankind.