Inspired By The Sky

The beauty of the Sky always leaves me in awe. Many times in the past, when I was feeling low, down, or when the winter blues kicked in, I would take a glance at the sky above me and would instantly be reminded of the greatness of Allah. I would be reminded of the countless times Allah mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth in the Qur’an, and of how He raises the sky as a canopy and how from the sky He sends down rain for vegetation and growth.  

The Sky radiates a sense of peace and serenity. When you glance above you, you realise, that only Allah, the Most Great and Perfect, could create something so vast and intricate and awe-inspiring as the sky. If the sky is such a flawless and beautiful creation, then how must be our Lord, the CREATOR of this creation? Even on a cold winters day, or in troubling, confusing times, taking a glance above brings about a sense of peace, especially when it reminds you to trust the One who perfectly designed the Sky, for He also perfectly designed your story.

When I first began taking steps to practice my faith properly, I remember having a deep connection with nature. I was going through turbulent times and sky-watching and reflecting on the signs of Allah was one of my favourite things to do. It was a beautiful experience. I also know many who felt the same way when they first began practicing. There is this indescribable feeling of curiosity, of wanting to know more, of wanting to deeply connect with your Maker through reflecting on His signs.

But slowly, as the years pass, that feeling of when you first discover something new begins to wear away; when you look at the shy or the trees or the fallen leaves, you can’t connect anymore. You’re not instantly reminded of the ayah: “And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darkness’s of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.” (6:59) You can’t seem to find lessons in what you see, hear or touch because your sense of curiosity has disappeared.

I realized this is what had happened to me. So many of the things in my daily life started to become habitual, like a chore that had to be done. So much so, that I had forgotten the true reason of why I was doing what I was doing. This slowly led to a decline in drive, motivation and connection. I also wasn't being mindful or living in the moment. It all became about ticking boxes and getting things done and there that connection was missing.

Many of us may be able to relate to this feeling. That feeling of disappointment because you feel like you keep falling short. That feeling of being disconnected from the Creator and sometimes even the creation.

However, our faith is something that will always rise and dip. Sometimes the dip can be for a long period of time. And it can be dark and worrying and scary. Yet, there is always a way to lift yourself back up. Sometimes falling makes us stronger because we realize how weak we really are and so we do our utmost best to bounce back better than we were before.

Sometimes we are soaring and that soaring leads feeling accomplished, and so through our dips in faith, Allah reminds us, that without Him we are nothing and everything we have achieved or will achieve is all from Him and not from ourselves. It is a gift from our Maker. When we fall we are reminded of our position as weak slaves, we cry in Sujood because we feel like we’re failing but in this is a mercy for He teaches us that the ground is where humility lives.

And so, after reflecting and contemplating of how we can reconnect with Allah and bring meaning back to our Ibaadah and our goals and actions, I found a few things that personally helped me and may help you too:

-        Be More Mindful: Mindfulness is to be fully present in the moment. To write, without thinking about the next paragraph, to pray without thinking about your long to-do-list, to sit on the grass and gaze at the Sky above without the constant urge to check up on your news feed, to read Qur’an and pay attention to each words that’s being recited, to have moments of silence where you are focused on remembering Allah. Mindfulness helps you regain your focus and be present without worrying about the future or cry tears over the past.

-        Review your goals: When going through a dip in Imaan, one of the things that helps me is to review my goals and my vision in life. Simply reading through my list and the reason why I set it as a goal sparks that drive and motivation to want to achieve them and reminds me that there is no time to waste when there is so much to be done.

-        Salaah: When we’re going through an Imaan dip, although we will still pray we find that something is missing. That sweetness. Maybe we don’t keep in mind the purpose of Salaah and the Greatness of the One we are standing before. And so, reading about Salaah and Khushu’ and actively implementing the knowledge we learn is one of the ways to reconnect with our Creator. Salaah was gifted to the Prophet (s) when he was going through a troubling time in Makkah, and it too is a gift for us, to strengthen us in our faith and remind us of our true purpose of existence.

-        Spend time with Nature: I remember when I was in Madinah, I used to love sitting the Masjid of the Prophet (s), particularly at the time of Fajr and Maghrib. I would watch the sky turn from a pale blue, to a shade of purple, to a light orange and then to a deep blue. It was amazing. Reflection on nature does help you connect with Allah. You are reminded of how intrinsically Allah creation everything and how great and glorified He is. Allowing yourself some time to contemplate will help you regain a sense of focus and peace.

Also, remind yourself that it is the effort that counts. Don't ever give up completely. Even when it is a struggle to get our of bed for Fajr or Tahajjud, when before you used to be able to wake up without any alarm, even if you find that you are completing only one thing on your to-do-list every day, when before you managed to juggle so many things at once, don't forget, that you are trying. This is what matters. And everyday is another day to do better than the day before. So keep trying and if you still keep falling, keep trying again. Lift yourself back up and seek Allah's assitance in your Du'aas for it is only He who can grant us strength and help us get back on our feet and on track, for without Him we are nothing.

Picture by Laila Hassan