PEACE ON A ROOFTOP
We’ve all had intense moments. For me, one such moment happened while standing on the rooftop of
Masjid al-Haram. Above me was only sky, below me, the most beautiful view of the Kaba’a and an
acute sign of Allah, this life, and the life to come. I was surrounded by an overwhelming crowd—that
exists nowhere else on this earth—but, for me, it could have been that I was standing completely
alone. With Allah.
I brought with me to that rooftop so much heartache, confusion, and doubt. I came with so much
weakness, human frailty, and pain. Standing at a crossroads in my life, I brought with me fear of what
was to come, and hope in what could be. So, as I stood on that roof, I remembered the story of Musa
(`alayhi assalam—may Allah be pleased with him) standing at the Red Sea. His physical eyes saw
nothing but a wall of water, entrapping him as an army approached; but his spiritual eyes saw only
Allah, and a way out so certain it was as if he had already taken it. While the voices of his people—
bereft of trust or hope—spoke only of being overtaken, Musa (as) did not waiver.
As I stood there, I heard the distant voices warning me of what was to come—but my heart heard
only, “Inna ma’iya rabee sa yahdeen...Truly my Lord is with me, He will guide me through.”
(Qur’an, 26:62)
However seeing through the illusions of hardship, confusion and pain that surround us can only
happen when we allow our heart to focus. The foundation of Islam is tawheed (Oneness), but tawheed
is not just about saying that God is One. It is so much deeper. It is about the Oneness of purpose, of
fear, of worship, of ultimate love for God. It is the oneness of vision and focus. It is to direct one’s
sight on one singular point, allowing everything else to fall into place.
One of the most beautiful traditions of the Prophet captures this concept perfectly. He
said: “Whoever makes the Hereafter his preoccupation, then Allah places freedom from want in his
heart, gathers his affairs, and Dunya (worldly life) comes to him despite being reluctant to do so. And
whoever makes Dunya his preoccupation, then Allah places his poverty in front of his eyes, make his
affairs scattered, and nothing of the Dunya comes to him except that which has been decreed for him.”
[At-Tirmidhi]
If you’ve ever seen a “magic eye” picture, you can see a wonderful metaphor of this truth. At first
glance, the picture looks like nothing but a collection of shapes, with no order or purpose. But if you
start by bringing the picture right up to your face, focusing your eye on one singular point, as you
move the picture slowly away from your face, the picture suddenly becomes clear. However, as soon
as you take your eyes off that singular point of focus, the picture disappears and again becomes
nothing but a sea of shapes.
In the same way, the more we focus on the dunya, the more our matters become scattered. The more
we run after the dunya, the more it runs away from us. The more we chase wealth, ironically, the
more poverty we feel. If money is the focus, you will find that no matter how much money you have,
you will always fear losing it. This preoccupation is poverty itself. That is why the Prophet
says about such people that poverty is always in front of their eyes. That is all they see. No matter
how much they have, there is no contentment, only greed for more and fear of loss. But, for the ones
who focus on Allah, the dunya comes to them, and Allah puts contentment in their hearts. Even if they