In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
My apologies, it has been a while since my thoughts and reflections have once again been expressed in words, however today, despite it being a while since my journey, I intend to share a few short entries of reflection from my journey in a Muslim land.
Muharram 23, 1446 AH (29th July 2024):
By the grace of Allāh, we landed in the beautiful city of Essaouira, Morocco - our first pit stop in my time here. Before landing, I gazed out of the window of the plane, looking down upon the city, taking in its marvellous structure. Beneath me laid what looked like a toy world, all these dots racing around the surface, dots with thoughts, minds ambition and experience - how large our world, our lives, our thoughts appear to us, but how small we truly are. The small city is built around the sea, roads running around apartments and houses like a maze, with the minarets of Mosques towering over hardly-competing buildings. How powerful it is that the tallest structures in the city [the minarets] call down upon civilisation five times a day reminding: Allāhu Akbar - Allāh is greater. The importance of Allāh is far above our worldly affairs, the message of the Divine towers above.
After arriving, my companion and I caught a ride with his uncle. Upon the journey in the car I was captivated by the speech of the Arabic tongue, the flamboyance of the language struck me and my desire to acquire the gift of speech in this tongue deeply intensified. We eventually arrived at our place of stay and broke bread together, however my mind could not be distracted from the anticipation of hearing the adhan [call to prayer] and heading to the Masjid for the first time. My companion and I embarked on a walk around the city, and despite its vast differences to my homeland - its flamboyance and natural chaos - I felt a great affinity to it. Flowers hung over chipped cream walls, modestly dressed women made their way through the streets, men sold fresh fish barbecued in the street - despite its ruggedness the land possessed great character.
Upon hearing the adhan, I proceeded to purify my body and prostrate before my Lord. The masjid was populated, five to six rows of men standing and prostrating before Allāh in submission. At another Masjid, after my siesta succeeding Dhur, I performed my other obligatory prayers. Within the Masjid, particularly in one prayer, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was doing exactly what I was put on the Earth for. An intense peace ran throughout my mind, body and heart- I felt for the first time in a while, naturally Muslim, as if this had always been the case. Ibadah and prayers of the Sunnah became of such ease, I sat preceding the Sunset prayer [maghrib] in deep remembrance of Allāh, each Subhanallah [how perfect is Allāh] rolled from my tongue like fresh dew from a blade of grass, I almost felt my Lord and His Angels in the air around me, comforting my long anxious and turbulent heart. In prostration I felt at home again. After the end of maghrib salah, I sat and listened to a group recitation, children and men reciting the Qur’an, the words of Allāh, together alhamdulillah. I feel Allāh’s religion is so alive here, the spirit of the Divine submission is like a sweet musk in the air, the place feels alive, the consciousness of even the street cat spills into the air, more than any place I have been in some time, the air of this city is alive.
The remembrance of Allāh gives a place life.
Muharram 28, 1446 AH (3rd August 2024)
I feel that in the West our arrogance in relation to the supposed superiority of our culture is greatly mistaken. From spending time in a Muslim land [Morocco] despite it’s clear issues that can be mainly blamed on economics and the colonial legacy, there are many ways in which the culture is much superior to the West. The family, God, tradition and modesty are very much alive in this culture that we consider to be inferior to our own. Despite our clean streets, big businesses and tall buildings, the West has lost its moral fortitude, tradition - its soul. And thus, we must not solely judge a nation on the cleanliness of its exterior, but the health of its interior. In Morocco, homes, despite looking relatively shabby on the exterior, on the interior are incredible works of beauty and spaciousness which, in my mind, epitomises the current condition of the nation. (1)
(1) In this short reflection, I was attempting to express my thoughts and feelings on the deeply rooted colonial power structure that exists within the Western cultural milieu. Upon my travels in Morocco, I viewed the light and the darkness of the land. Living with locals, I viewed the existing poverty within the nation, however also the immense potential of the nation and dignity of it’s people. Islam was very much alive in the land, and served as a glue binding society together. Many of the societal ills I saw were not Islamic ones, although the land is influenced inevitably by secular attitudes and practices, however were issues of economics, inequality and poverty. It struck me that there is indeed a civilisational, social and political alternative to the West for Muslims, how the illusion of western superiority lies in finance, in ‘power’, influence, not in truth, God and morality, ‘woe to every backbiter and slanderer, who amasses wealth greedily and counts it repeatedly, thinking that their wealth will make them immortal’ Quran, 104:1-4. Do not be deluded by the wealth of the West for wealth comes and goes yet Al-Haqq [the Truth] is eternal. As Muslims, we have the tools for success before us, however in order to realise our immense potential, we must destroy the psychological colonialism that has plagued our communities for so long and end our illusion of inferiority to the peoples of the West. Clean streets, wealth and tall buildings in the West do nothing to fix the deep rooted spiritual rot we see and the profound sense of existential and spiritual ennui that individuals feel in western nations , yet we possess THE tool to clear the decay and better our families, communities and nations - Islam.
And Allāh knows best,
I hope my reflections are of benefit insha’Allah, perfection relies only with Allah, and all mistakes are from myself.
May Allāh bless and preserve all of you and your families,
Until next time,
- A
Aameen. Allahuma Baarik.