The Good Person - On Compassion (Rahma) - Final Part

Reflections from The Risale-Nur  a Qur'an commentary by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi

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Transcript

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This is the last part of a reflection that we had started a while back. It was a reflection on one of Allah's names, Al-Rahman, which we know every chapter in the Quran begins with Allah's name, the most merciful. And Al-Rahman typically, as many scholars have explained, is related to this dunya, that in this world, Allah makes his unconditional love mercy and compassion accessible to everyone which means that nobody is left out of that mercy in this world everyone has the same access the same entrance the same connection to allah and allah showers everyone with that same mercy now in order to bear witness to that mercy and to that compassion in order to be always connected to allah's mercy, rahmah, there is one formula that Allah invites us to constantly recite and be mindful of throughout our daily lives. And that is what we know is the basmala. So beginning everything, every action, every thought, every day in the name of Allah, Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. And this is the core. that we need to cultivate, that we approach everything always with a sense of mercy, always with a sense of rahmah, that we are aware that in our dealings and interactions, that we try to be a vessel of Allah's mercy, that we try to increase our connection to Allah. and come closer to His mercy, but also that we reflect His mercy in all of our conduct and our interactions with people. And that means to meet people with unconditional compassion. We are now about to enter the sacred month of Ramadan, which is the holy month of mercy. It's the month of rahmah, it's the month of mercy. And I've been reflecting a lot these days, what does this mean for us, Ramadan this year, in this climate, in this moment, in this global atmosphere? And I'm thinking a lot about emotional starvation, mental starvation, emotional hunger, and how we can connect, how we can bring more mercy When we are addressing emotional starvation, mental starvation, I want to talk about this a little bit in this hour. It's very important that we feed the poor, that we make sure the needs of our stomachs and our physical needs are met. And there are certainly so many people around the world who are struggling. facing poverty and starvation and physical starvation, and why that's important to address those needs and be charitable and increase our acts of mercy and rahmah in this month, because like I said, Ramadan calls us to be even more mindful of rahmah. But how do we respond to what we're now collectively witnessing? The mental struggles around the world, the sense of despair and hopelessness, the sense of darkness, the thirst and hunger for spirituality, for purpose, for meaning, for support, for hope. I mean, just in my immediate circle and living in the United States, we hear so much about the loneliness epidemic. We hear about people mentally struggling. And this is not just simply outside the Muslim community. This is a global, a collective spiritual disease where we see just recently I visited a family where one Muslim brother said to me, So many Muslim friends, brothers, sisters in his own circle are struggling right now mentally because their faith is struggling in this moment where they are exposed to so much suffering and so much death and all the struggles and hardships around the world. What is it then what we need to provide if all around us, people, many of us, alhamdulillah, their physical needs are met, the tummies are full, but the hearts, the minds are hungry, they need nurturing, they need sustenance, spiritual sustenance, spiritual strength, spiritual support, mental support, emotional support. And the genius of this work of the Risale-i Nur and the practice and methodology of the Risale-i-Noor is to cultivate these intimate, sacred and holy spaces where people can come together and build resilient community, where they can come together weekly, consistently, regularly to check in with each other, to talk about life, to talk about their struggles, to share and process their grief, their despair, their hopelessness, and then to have people, sisters, brothers around them, who provide that emotional care, that emotional sustenance, that spiritual sustenance, and respond to the mental and emotional starvation that is around us. And let's be clear, it's definitely a major calamity if we are facing poverty and hunger, and that's a reality for many. But at the same time, you provide somebody food and they will be okay daily. Their stomachs are fed, their body's needs are met. But if somebody's heart, if somebody's spirit is suffering and somebody's Iman is so shaken and so weak and so much in desperation, then he is about to lose his eternal home. His eternal future, His everlasting future, His ultimate shelter, His ultimate home. So we need to call it, what is it that the Prophet saw, Sam, who was an embodiment of mercy? His concern was to respond to feeding the emotional and spiritual needs of of his community, of his followers. So what can I do in this moment as I'm entering the months of Ramadan, the months of mercy, to be a vessel of mercy and rahmah and respond to the emotional and mental starvation? Can I open my home up to two, three people and say, come, have a cup of tea with me, share your sorrow, share your grief, share your struggles? and hear them out, listen to them, be their companion, be their sister, be their brother. Weeks go by, people don't see each other. This is not the childhood we were growing up. We used to check in on each other. People would play, have unstructured time, spontaneously check in each other. Now, this is the challenge that we are all facing. in building intentional community, strong, spiritual, resilient communities who take care of each other, who respond to each other's emotional, mental needs, spiritual support, so that, God forbid, their eternal home is not lost. Because once you lose your eternal future, your ultimate home, your everlasting home, your akhira, then that's the utter loss. That needs to be our concern more than providing shelter and food and clothing in the world. Yes, those are important. But I invite myself and everyone to think about what it means that now all these studies coming out where people are facing deep mental, spiritual struggles, that we are all called to to have responsibility like the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, that sacred responsibility to bring more rahmah and mercy and hope and light and purpose into the world. And we can only do that. It starts with us daily opening our hearts. I shared that in the group. For Allah to open your heart, to open your home, and to open your pocket and share what you can. Yes, financially, this is the month, this is the month, this is the moment where we are trained and disciplined and then, inshallah, carry it into the future. So those are the things that I'm thinking in terms of rahmah, what is the ultimate mercy, compassion that you can give to another person, feeding them spiritually, feeding them, nurturing them, supporting them spiritually. because this is what Allah does. He doesn't just address our physical needs. So if we in Ramadan simply focus on addressing physical needs, material needs, that is not a holistic care. So we need to make sure that we nurture ourselves spiritually. That's a priority because that's the core of everything. If the heart is sound, everything else falls into place. We can overcome hardship. We can overcome suffering. We are not crushed by the events in the world. But sadly, that is the case that I'm seeing. A lot of people are going through life and hardships alone. They are not willing or they are scared to be vulnerable to be shared or they don't have time to meet people during the week to check in with each other but that's the wonderful thing about sacred community sacred sisterhood and brotherhood and to turn my home into a place of mercy and remembrance and learning and support that people can be nurtured is so critical in this moment because this is something that we all need to keep in mind as we are entering the months of Ramadan. What is it that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ultimately brought to us? It's the spiritual sustenance. We feel so alive by engaging with the Quranic message. It gives us purpose. It gives us direction. It allows us to discern right from wrong. It gives us a holy GPS orientation in the world, how to read the events in the life, what to make of suffering and death and illness. And especially seeing so many young people around me being in physical pain, chronic pain, going through some fatal illnesses like cancer, that's even more critical to help them to cultivate a sacred outlook and script To flip the script, thinking that they are not a productive Muslim because they cannot fast in the months of Ramadan, please, everybody who hears me out right now, if you are thinking that you're not a good Muslim or a good person of faith because you cannot physically fast in the months of Ramadan, please let go of that notion. There's nothing in the Islamic tradition, nothing in our sacred resources that suggests that that you are less of a Muslim, less productive if you are not participating in the fast of Ramadan just because you have some physical illness or physical hardship and a medical expert doctor has said you cannot fast. I hear that in this moment. Please let go of that. That is not a healthy way to approach Ramadan because the sense of productivity This idea of success, what it looks like to be a successful Muslim, a productive Muslim, those are not acts of mercy to yourself. This is harmful. And Allah prohibits us to harm ourselves because these are not acts of mercy. We have to show compassion to ourselves first to accept and surrender and find peace. and embrace the notion if Allah has placed us into a moment of physical illness or physical sickness, and we cannot participate fully in the fast of Ramadan, that doesn't mean that we are less valuable or worthy, or somehow we have no value. Those are very worldly, egotistic understandings of Islam. So I've been talking about this a little bit, reflecting because this idea of how a certain Muslim has to look like. They have to be able-bodied and fully participate physically in charge. Those are false notions. We don't know where the quality of our worship lies in Ramadan and beyond. Maybe that illness or that physical hardship that prevents you participating in the fast of Ramadan, maybe that certainly is an act of rahmah. But it's this egocentric understanding of Islam, how I need to look and participate as a Muslim, our own vision of what a productive Muslim looks like. And if we fail, if we are not that, then we feel like a failure. And that is putting pressure on ourselves, unnecessary harm and zulm. It's oppression to our souls because Allah loves and his compassion embraces the ones who are also going through physical suffering, through some severe illnesses. I say that because I see in my own circle, brothers, sisters struggling with very severe diseases and the idea that they cannot participate in the months of Ramadan, they are putting that on themselves, this idea that they feel like a failure or missing out. Of course, it's a beautiful blessing to fast in the months of Ramadan. It's an amazing act of Ihsan that we can do so, and we should try our best. But if we cannot do that, if Allah placed us in a certain condition, We are leaning into that. We are accepting and we are surrendering while still seeking treatment, of course, medical treatment and all of that. But if we reject the illness, if we see it as an enemy, if we see it alien, then we actually perpetuate and exacerbate the pain and we become victims. And to understand that we have agency and that we are valuable despite that, Certain physical challenge is really important in this moment. So please convey this message. There's nothing in Islam that tells us that Allah says only if you are physically able in participating, you are a better Muslim. There's no such thing. This is something that we create in our own minds. So we need to flip the script. And I say that in relation to Rahmah, because Allah's Rahmah is all encompassing. It's so vast, it's so expansive that it also includes illness. Illness is not outside the fold of Allah's rahmah. We don't know what impactful transformations are happening when somebody is bedridden. You know, the quality of their worship, the quality of their patience, the quality of their acceptance, the quality of their gratitude, of their trust, of their resilience. There are important internal transformations and elevations happening, we are not always often aware. And of course, as Muslims, we do not ask to suffer or we do not ask or desire illness. But when Allah has decreed it to us, when it's our destiny to go through some painful chapter, then we must be accepting of that. And that, inshallah, makes then the journey easier. So let me read a little bit here and then hopefully wrap it up. O man, O human being, if you are truly a human being, say, in the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, find that intercessor. For sure it is clearly, self-evidently divine mercy, which without forgetting or confusing any of them, raises, nurtures and administers the innumerable plant and animal species on the earth at precisely the right time and with perfect order, wisdom and beneficence, generosity and stamps the seal of divine oneness on the face of the globe of the earth. The existence of divine mercy is as certain as the existence of the beings on the face of the earth. So do the beings offer evidences of its reality to their own number. So basically everything around us expresses or displays Allah's vast and expansive mercy. I mean, you see it right now when I look out my window and the snowflakes coming down, this sense of peace and gentleness and kindness. You just feel it. It's an experiential knowing. You see it in the birds and how Allah protects them in this harsh season. They are not freezing. They are protected. Allah closes them. dresses them with special feathers, gives them the knowledge to navigate the harsh weathers. We were just the other day walking, doing a nature walk, and we had a bird specialist, a sister in our group. And I asked her, how do the birds even know how to navigate and how to orient themselves in this migration season? How do they find the way? I'm unable these days to... to find a street without the GPS system. And she said, scientists still don't know. The birds, they always find their way. They are never lost. They never get lost. For me, this is a display of Allah's mercy, of His rahmah. He sends these birds with an inborn GPS system. They find their way. They are never lost. Allah is Al-Hadi, the guide. He gives them the orientation. They find their way, they know how to go into the warmer regions, and then they come back. SubhanAllah, isn't that a display of Allah's mercy? Who else? I mean, how do they know how to orient themselves, how to find their way, if it's not Allah who has equipped them, endowed them, sent them ready into the world? Not one bird is neglected. Not one little creature is neglected, forgotten, abandoned. So how come that we sometimes think that in our, in this journey of life, in our lows and highs, that we are somehow forgotten or abandoned, or it's just us who's going through some difficult time? No, that's not the case. See how Allah guides them in this harsh season, in this cold season. If it would be me outside, I would be frozen. But there I look at the cardinal on the tree and subhanAllah he says, see how Allah protects me in his divine mercy. I'm not cold, I'm not shaken. That's complete trust in his mercy, embracing his mercy, seeing his mercy and cultivating the sacred outlook into the creation and the world. And then you take it back inwardly and you also feel that Allah is constantly surrounding you with his rahmah. Everything in this universe is sent to us, made servant to us. The Quran constantly tells us that this world is prepared for the human being. The air, the wind is so clear. You go out, you feel refreshed, you feel rejuvenated, re-energized. The cleanliness, the purity, the hygiene, subhanAllah. Isn't that divine mercy? What else are we looking for? If I'm here in this house for a long period without that clean air, without Allah's pure air that he sends me out of his divine mercy, I would cease to thrive. I would cease to live. Yet constantly, every second, Allah cleanses, purifies, provides us clean, fresh oxygen. That is his whole encompassing mercy. None of us goes into a store and buys bottles of oxygen. Yet we see people struggling breathing. So it's a basic nyama, basic sustenance, existential need like clean air. We are not even mindful of that. Who does that? I mean, we have to do it in our little home every hour and then to cleanse the air, purify the air, but you go outside, it's just there. We just take it for granted. And none of us says alhamdulillah for that fresh air that Allah, out of his mercy, creates every second for me so I can breathe. And it's accessible to everyone. Nobody buys it. Nobody has to pay for it. Nobody is excluded. Nobody is otherized. The non-believer and the believer, everybody is enjoying the same rahmah. And Allah wants us to display that same rahmat to each other. It's not my job, my duty to judge another person. I don't know their context, their circumstances. Leave judgment to Allah. Your job, your duty, Zainab, is to meet everyone with that unconditional compassion that Allah has called you to show, to display. And that means to defer ultimate judgment to him. We don't know people's circumstances. We don't know people's social upbringings, their struggles, their contexts, their influences. So leaving that and meeting people in that neutral, compassionate space, regardless of their convictions and beliefs. Yes, I do have my principles and beliefs. I do not compromise or negotiate them. But that's this ultimate fundamental principle in guiding human interaction, is to meet people with a sense of compassion. And that's what the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam showed us, as this ultimate mercy to the worlds, to meet always people with a sense of compassion and granting them forgiveness. Seeing that they've been also, that actually when they do something harmful, or follow some misguided idea that they are harming themselves, not me or you. And to see that and give everybody that kind of compassionate behavior and meet people with a sense of embrace to make them feel safe And we see that in the life of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And in this month again, as we are welcoming the months of Ramadan, another thing that people are starving for is forgiveness. Let's try to work towards forgiveness. Because one of Allah's name is Al-Ghaffar, Al-Afu, Al-Tawwab. And this is a month to be cleansed, to be purified. to let go of grudges. And this is not something that happens overnight, but at least have the Nia in our hearts to work towards that. In this month, I want to arrive at a sound heart, at a peaceful heart, return to my Lord in peace. I will let go of grudges. I will let go of negative and destructive feelings. You hear so many stories about people not talking to each other because of something they said 20 years ago. Forgiveness is not about allowing the harm to continue. It's about coming closer to Allah. Our duty as Muslims is to come closer to Allah, our aim, and help others to come closer to Allah. That's why the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam expressed forgiveness, even to the most horrific crimes. And he was human. I mean, we know that even when the companion Vahshi, may Allah be pleased with him, came to him and said he seeks forgiveness for the murder of his beloved uncle Hamza, the Prophet granted it to him. But he said, please don't appear again in my sight because I'm afraid the negative feelings might come up again. So it doesn't mean when we forgive in our heart or let go of certain things that we can easily forget the past. That just bubbles up. It's just what makes us human. We are reminded of that painful action or moment. But when we are working towards forgiveness, towards maghfirah, we are coming closer to Allah and we are allowing the person also to come closer to Allah. I'm always terrified by the thought thinking, somebody on judgment day, somebody I'm still struggling with forgiveness. He's there standing in the heat and terrifying moment on judgment day. And because of me, he's waiting. Because of me, because I couldn't give him forgiveness. And I'm the obstacle. I mean, that terrifies me, that thought, thinking, I don't want anybody to be in that difficulty and hardship on Judgment Day. I don't want anybody to, I don't want to be in between that person and Allah. Allah wanted to forgive that person, but it's still the person, you know, the interrelationship, the human relationship that needs to be solved out. And if people don't reconcile or grant each other that forgiveness, that makes it so much harder for us on that terrifying day, that judgment day where we all just, we don't want anybody to have more extra burden and hardship. So trying to work towards forgiveness in this month of Rachman, we all have things that we carry with us in our hearts. Forgiveness is not an easy thing to do, but we know Allah loves it. The person might not be worth it, but Allah is worth it. There are a lot of people who are difficult to love, granted. And when you hear people's stories, you say, yes, sister, brother, you're absolutely right. He's not deserving of your forgiveness, but Allah is deserving. Allah is deserving. So that's why, hopefully, I pray that we each can work towards forgiveness, towards liberation of the heart, that true purpose. Otherwise, we become slaves of our past. We constantly replay the painful past, the painful harm, the painful moments. Oh, this person did this 20 years ago. They said this 20 years ago. They've done this. They hurt me. They harm me. And to be clear, it doesn't mean to allow the harm to continue. Allah did not create us so others can oppress us. We have to create boundaries as an act of rahmah towards ourself. We have to create that boundary and say no. But at the same time, we can also work towards forgiveness. Saying this person, that's what I love in the Risale-i Nurah section on uhuwa, sisterhood and brotherhood, teaching us to minimize some of the evil because there's shaitan, There's the role and the temptations of the devil and Satan. So we all fall into misguided behavior or wrongdoing because of Shaitan's temptations or whispering. We all have that reality. Then there's also the inner reality of our nafs, of our lower egos, the inner struggle, the constant temptations and the struggle to be a better person. It's not easy. And then that last portion, is our portion or the person's portion. So what's beautiful here to try to minimize things a little bit. So there is the social determinism part. There is the part where we were all born into certain circumstances. We learned certain wrong behaviors, adopted certain patterns for maybe dysfunctional families and marriages and being raised in a certain way. That's that. And then we struggle to unlearn and relearn healthy behaviors. Then there's our nafs and then there's also shaitan. And when you minimize and minimize, minimize, maybe we can arrive to compassion towards that other person and say, he had a difficult, you know, there was a difficult context. He didn't have anybody to guide him, to show him, to teach him, to mentor him. There's so many factors in a person's wrongdoing, in our wrongdoing. And to grant ourselves forgiveness, also the things we didn't know in the past. You did the things that you knew at that time and you acted upon it and to forgive yourself that you didn't know any better then. But now if you've evolved, you've changed. And you hug that young girl or young person and you say, it's okay. It's okay. We can make mistakes, right? So to arrive at that kind of compassionate place, showing forgiveness to ourselves, and I want Allah to show me forgiveness. So maybe by expressing forgiveness to others, that also helps to come closer to Allah's name, Al-Ghaffar. That's the ultimate goal. And another expression of Rahmah is forgiveness. So, urging everyone, myself, in this month of Ramadan to reconcile, to work towards forgiveness, to work towards restoration, to bring hearts together, and inshallah come out with a sound heart, a heart that then goes back, returns to Allah in peace, in peace. in serenity, in soundness, saying, alhamdulillah, I have a clean slate. I don't want anybody, I don't want to be at somebody's graveyard and have regrets, remorses, I should have, I could have. And we don't want to be, death is a powerful reminder. And alhamdulillah, in my own life, as I'm thinking about this, showing each other forgiveness, It was such a beautiful moment recently when somebody that I had really difficulty, all of a sudden said, please forgive me. I didn't know any better. Nobody showed me. Nobody guided me. I acted upon a lot of misinformation. And just asking for forgiveness was such a bold, courageous, brave act. I was in awe. And I shared that and I said, it was such a beautiful moment that somebody like this, so stern and strong, but as we age also, we look at the arc of our life and we see it with more nuance, more complexity. When we are younger, we think black and white, but when you are aging, that's the beautiful thing about aging, I guess, is you think with more compassion about others and what happened in your life. So that's also something that is related to mercy, to rahmah. Allah wants us To forgive ourselves, to forgive others, and this is not a one-day process, but at least to have the intention to at least work towards that and to be gentle and kind in that process and not to think that this has to be happening overnight. Because this is what Allah wants and He is deserving of that. Just as there is a seal of mercy and stamp of divine oneness on the face of the earth, so on the face of man's nature is a stamp of divine mercy that is not inferior to the stamp of compassion and vast stamp of mercy on the face of the universe. Simply man has so comprehensive a nature, he is as though the point of focus of a thousand and one divine names. And again here, Allah shows his mercy to everyone, all people. In this world, the rahmah is accessible to all, to those with wrongdoing, with misbehavior, with false conduct. So we can emulate that. We can imitate that mercy. We should expand in that and always try to always err on the side of mercy and compassion. And we will never go wrong in that regard because this is the divine quality of Allah in this world. And he wants us to expand, to expand in that mercy vast like the universe. Don't narrow it to one place, one country, one territory. No hate, no exclusion, no discrimination, no racism, no aggressive, excessive nationalism. Those are creating... basically constructing these barriers and divisions and walls between human beings. It's one human family and trying to bring everybody together under the umbrella of mercy. And while these differences are unique and they are created by Allah's will, they are not what are the foundation for relationships. Relationship is compassion. That's the best in the human being, the quality. People will always remember how we made them feel. It's not the knowledge or the lecturing, but how we made them feel, that compassionate, caring, affectionate presence. And I see that all the time when somebody dies, and people talk about how accessible they were, how kind they were, generous they were, compassionate they were, nonjudgmental. Those are all acts of mercy, and we see that displayed by Allah. Everybody has access to clean water, clean air, the endless blessings, the food. It is only the human being who denies that to one another, who excludes, who denies. who discriminates and oppresses, who takes away, who's greedy. And so our goal is to expand that mercy, vast and vast, and to meet everyone with that sense of compassion. O man, O human being, is it at all possible that the one who gives you this face and places such a stamp of mercy and seal of oneness on it would leave you to your own devices, attach no importance to you, pay no attention to your actions, make the whole universe which is turned towards you futile and pointless, and make the tree of creation rotten and insignificant with decayed fruit? Would he cause his mercy to be denied, although it is as? Although it is as obvious as the sun, as well as his wisdom, which is as clear as daylight, and neither of which can in any way be doubted, nor are in any way deficient, God forbid. O men, understand that there is a way to ascend to the throne of divine mercy, and that is, Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. should like really mindfully say these holy words, in the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate. I begin every act, every interaction, every thought, every encounter with a human being with Ar-Rahman. I'm going to meet this person with Ar-Rahman. How does Allah want me to meet this person, to interact with this person, to be at my workplace, at school, in my family, In all my interactions, how does Ar-Rahman come to life? Or am I disrespecting Allah's Ar-Rahman? Am I showing harshness? Am I showing too much judgment? Am I weedy? Am I limiting my compassion? So these are the questions that actually the basmala, that's why it is so center and core to all what we are doing. It is basically a prayer, a starting point. In my interactions, it's not about trying to be just, but the mercy, to really anchor myself in mercy and try to show that in the best way I can. If you want to understand the importance of this ascent, Look at the beginning of the 114 surahs, the chapters of the Quran of miraculous exposition, and at the beginnings of all estimable books, and at the start of all good works. So if you want something to be good, we start in the name of Allah. And even if things do not play out the way we want, which is another expression or manifestation of egotism, like I explained earlier, That still is still, everything still is wrapped in mercy. So you might start off your day with the basmala, but then you go on the route or you entered the car and you have caught, an accident happened. Does that mean that rahmah is not at play? No. Allah's name, ar-Rahman, is still there. Not maybe on the surface. Yes, it's painful, it's chaotic, It's destructive, but underneath all of it, the rahmah is still working its way through. It's not always evident in the first sight, in the illness or the pain or the suffering or the hardship, but the rahmah is there. And it's for us to uncover the deeper layers of it. So yes, when I'm looking at my table with the blessings of fruit, that is rahmah evident. But sometimes in the tough moments of our lives, like I said, accidents, hardships, disasters, illness, loss, death, you might think, where's the rahmah? Like many of these Muslim brothers, sisters might be struggling. Where's the rahmah? Where's Allah's mercy? If there's a merciful Lord, God or creator, why does he allow for this? Hasha, as if Allah is saying, out of touch with his creation. Can anybody who is immersed in the book of creation ever claim that? No, but that's the ultimate test. That's the ultimate invitation. Are you able to see my mercy behind the veil, behind the veil of confusion and chaos? So, and that is where then we are, Waste was the ultimate, where we learned trust and tawakkul and patience and resilience and persistence. And we learned the deeper meanings of Allah's name, Al-Hakim. What's the meaning here? What's the purpose? How do I bring life and beauty in this event? It's up to us. We can decide. There are many people we've seen in the pandemic or in other global events. Many people who turn to Allah and many people who sadly reject Allah. One event, but multiple different responses. So many people, even now with all the sufferings around the world, many people run closer to Allah and many people reject Him. That's the test, that's the filter, but we have the choice. We are deciding which way and what we see, what we want to see. But we have the Quranic guide. We have the book of the universe. We have the prophets, the messengers. We have our holy GPS system. We have our holy map making. But ultimately, it's a human choice. how we want to orient ourselves in the world. If we begin in the name of Allah's mercy, we will always see mercy. It's how we see the world, how our inner outlook is. The things are not the way they are. They are the way we see them. That's very important. So Allah says in many of these sacred narrations, I am according to the assumption of my servant. If you think Allah is out there to torture you, if I think that Allah is out there to torture me or punish me or send me the illness to torture me or neglect me, then this is how I will experience it. But if I experience my illness, my aging, my struggles as a form of elevation, as a form of transformation, as a form of positive change, then I will come closer to Him. I'll see all of this as acts of mercy. Allah, this was hard, but I've learned so much through these tough times. You've taught me a lot. You've shaped me. You've formed me. We just read it. Allah is shaping your face. The wrinkles on my face, my face is shaped by him, al-musawwir. Why do I think that my character is not shaped by him? That my weaknesses and my strengths, that Allah in His mercy wants to bring out my strength and jewels and maybe wants to minimize my flaws. That's also acts of mercy. So to finish up, a clear proof of the God-determined grandeur of in the name of Allah is that Imam Shafi, may Allah be pleased with him, one of the very foremost Islamic scholars said, in the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate is only one verse, yet it was revealed 114 times in the Quran. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.