The arrival of a guest

Imagine if you were informed that an unexpected guest was going to visit your home. This will no doubt create urgency in you to ensure your home is clean and tidy, and that you are ready to receive and host your guest. You will do more cleaning and tidying in 10 minutes than what you could not do in a day. Imagine now that the announcement is that of the arrival of the most celebrated of celebrities, perhaps a dignified king of a wealthy nation or a minister of significance. How much more of your time and resources will you dedicate to make him feel welcomed in your home? Consider this parable of Imam Al-Ghazali.

“If you were informed that the King was going to visit you, know that in the course of this period you would not engage in anything but improving your garments or body, your house or its furnishing, and anything you thought the King’s eyes would cast upon.” [Imam Al-Ghazali]

You will do all that you can to ensure his visit is a pleasant one as this reflects positively upon you. You will spend your time cleaning the house, repair any damages, reduce the clutter, remove anything that is unpleasant, ride out bad odours and adorn the whole house with nice fragrance. You will beautify the house and put on view your most prized ornaments to accentuate the best features of your home. Your key focus will be on areas where you think his eyes might fall upon. You would rearrange the layout of the interior to make the home feel spacious and inviting. If he was to sit somewhere, you will make sure that place was clean, comfortable and had the most pleasant of view. You would then wear the best of your garments, adorn yourself with perfume, beautify your appearance, inform your family, dress them in the most pleasant of clothing, rehearse how they will greet the guest so they reflect well upon you and you make a good impression before him. All this you will do for a worldly king.

Conscious of gaze of the celestial guest

Now, consider this reality: the celestial realms is aware of all that you say and do in every moment of everyday. Allah has appointed two noble angels as scribes to be always with you, and countless angels of the All-Majestic visit you through out the day and night.  Some come down to witness you pray when you wake up, others come to listen when you recite the Qur’an, others seek you out when you make mention of Allah, some make supplication when you supplicate for yourself and others, some others come to visit you when you visit your brother and others lower their wings when you tread the path of knowledge. They see you even if you don’t see them.

Conscious of Divine Gaze

“Make mankind’s looking at you disappear by being content with God’s looking at you. Slip away from their approach to you by contemplating His approach to you.“ [Hikam|162]

Know that Allah sees your every movement, moment by moment, in fact, if He were to not see you for a moment you will return to the obscurity of non-existence!

“Allah observes your entire being, no thought, moment, stillness, step or movement of yours escapes His regard whether in the company of others or in the solitude of yourself, you are ever in His Presence. In both the hidden and manifest dominions, nothing that is still, is still, and nothing that moves, moves, but the Compeller of the Heavens and Earth is aware of it.” [Imam Al-Ghazali][i]

“He knows the treachery of the eyes and what is concealed in the hearts.” [Al-Mu’min: 40:20]

“He knows what is secret and what is yet more hidden.” [Ta-ha: 20:7]

When Allah looks at us, He grasps our innermost and outer being – entirely. Thinking back about the parable Imam Al-Ghazali made. We would clean our house top-to-bottom, even the insides of cupboards and storage areas should they be mistakenly opened. We would polish the place where we relieve ourselves and make that fragrant and beautiful. Subhanallah! We will do all this for the king, whilst Allah is the King of all the kings, the King of man, the God of man and the Lord of man. And not just for man but for the entire universe and the heavens beyond. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Allah does not look at your appearance and wealth but looks at your heart and actions.” [Muslim]

What are we going to do if Allah was to visit us? What preparation will we make before His arrival? We would beautify and adorn a our house for another mere mortal, what about the house of our hearts? What preparations are we making in our heart for His glance? Do we then not want the heart to appear in the best state before Him? Is it then fitting to leave our heart sick with diseases when we know it is where Divine gaze falls upon?

A delightful glance

“Be mindful of Allah at every moment of your life. Feel His nearness to you and know that He is looking at you and is aware of everything you do even if no one is nearby to see you.” [Imam Al-Haddad][ii] 

“Make your utmost effort to ensure that He never finds you present where He has forbidden you to be, nor finds you absent from where He has commanded you to be.” [Imam Al-Ghazali][iii]  

The purification of the heart is of the utmost importance and urgency for the King’s glance is imminent. Cultivate a deep courtesy before Him in your inner and outer being. From your outer being, remove the ugliness of disobedience and adorn it yourself with obedience, and in your innermost core, oust blameworthy traits and adorn it with noble qualities of good character. Empty your heart of otherness and fill it with His remembrance, decorate the chambers with the beautiful Names of the Beloved and perfume it with His aroma of worship. A glance at such a heart will indeed delight the King.

“Learn to see Him, but know whether you see Him or not, He always sees you!”

References:

[i] Bidayat Al-Hidaya (The Beginning of Guidance) – Imam Al-Ghazali – page 24

[ii] Book of Assistance – Imam Al-Haddad – page 13

[iii] Bidayat Al-Hidaya (The Beginning of Guidance) – Imam Al-Ghazali – page 26