Disclaimer: This blog post is a thought in progress as I work through my stray thoughts and source materials. It is raw, unfinished, could be factually incorrect, and might not represent my latest understanding on any matter.  #TheRelearningProject

﷽

It is beautiful that the very first introduction that a Muslim child gets as his welcome into this world is the adhan, the call to prayer. I remember being moved to tears when I saw a father cradling his firstborn for the first time at the hospital, his head bent down close to hers, cheeks almost touching, semi-whispering as he tried to mask the cracking in his own voice,

"Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
       Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
 I bear witness that there none worthy of worship but Allah
       I bear witness that there none worthy of worship but Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
       I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
Come to prayer
       Come to prayer
Come to success
       Come to success
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
       Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
 I bear witness that there none worthy of worship but Allah
       I bear witness that there none worthy of worship but Allah"

The father was not really familiar with the words to the adhan; occasionally he would look to his wife for assurance as she held the words in her hand, found through a quick search online. These were, perhaps, parents who were still struggling with their faith, and yet, still, even if they have yet to grasp the meaning of the Arabic words that left their lips, they knew it was important enough to be the first words that their daughter hears from her parents.

Welcome to this world, my love. It is great but know that Allah is greater. Allah is greater. Everything that happens to you and everything that you will pursue, is only so that you will truly bear witness that nothing is worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. You might chase after many things, but know that true success will come to you only in prayer. Because everything else you will experience in this world that may seem amazing or overwhelming? They are all nothing in His sight. Allah is greater than everything.

I’m in my early thirties now, and I cannot help but ponder with greater urgency if I have, at this point, truly witnessed with my being that Allah is greater than everything else in my life? Can I say, from the depths of my soul, that I am living as per the guidance of the Messenger ﷺ ? Does my personal definition of success align with that of prayer, of worship, of servitude?

Despite the hundreds and thousands of words that I might have written, the honest answer to myself would be no, I have not. But I am trying. And trying is good, alhamdulillah.

So I ask myself today: What does it mean to be a servant of God? Or to put it in easier terms, what is expected of me as a servant of God? What are the rights I have to give? What are the tasks I have to fulfill?

(Tbc…)