THE CURIOUS LITTLE BOY

"WE ARE CLOSER TO HIM THAN (HIS) JUGULAR VEIN" [The Qur'an, 50:16]

In a tall building at the centre of the city lived a little boy with his parents. At the time, it was very unsafe for children to play outside. The air was so polluted that it could be life threatening: it was compulsory to wear gadgets to protect one's mouth and nose. Therefore, the boy spent most of his day in the apartment playing online video games on his console, and with just one touch, voila: he was virtually present with his friends. But this boy's eyes shined with curiosity, he had the desire to know more about things that surrounded him so he always searched on the internet for everything that crossed his mind.

One day he couldn't understand the answer he found on the web, so he asked his father a very intriguing question: “Dad, tell me something, who is Allah (SWT)? I want to know him”. His father was speechless for a few seconds, how would he describe such a Divine Lord with a few mere words? “Dear, I will take you to a vacation this weekend and I will tell you everything you need to know about Allah The Almighty, how is it?” the father responded with a smile on his face. The curious boy nodded and said “Yes, let's go!” and eagerly waited for the weekend to start.

When the day came, his excitement increased even more: “Where are we going?” asked the little one to his father while sitting in the car, “You'll see, it's a surprise so be patient.” They went on a long drive, exiting the noisy city until reaching the countryside painted with green grass and bright blue sky with a little lake in the middle and huge mountains on the sides. The boy was immensely enthusiastic, he only saw such beauty in images or videos and seeing it live for the first time had a totally different effect.

Is it here where Allah lives? thought the little boy.

It was a sunny day, with a few clouds scattered in the sky. They walked through a colourful path, barefoot on the grass while admiring flowers of all kinds with butterflies flying over them. And rabbits jumping away to hide in the bushes as the boy went ahead. The fresh smell of the air; pure wind pressing lightly against him, and the leaves of the trees dancing whilst making noise as the wind brushed through them. Soon he reached the lake: he looked in to the shining water and saw his reflection. When he looked deeper he saw a number of small fishes in motion. He looked a little away in the water and spotted a bigger orange fish coming towards him. The boy called his father to show him his discoveries. They sat by the lake and talked about nature's miracles as the sun went down behind the mountains displaying painted sky with clouds of fascinating colours. And later the moon and stars took the place of the sun and clouds. The lake was now reflecting the moon's brightness and the earth was filled with a pleasing silence of the night. The father told his son about the planets, galaxies and universe: everything that was above them and all the other creations their eyes could only imagine.

The boy finally spoke up his heart: “Dad, you didn't answer my question yet.. And why didn't Allah come, I thought we would meet him here.”.

“Dear son, look around you. Allah says : “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason.” If you look closely and deeper in the nature that surrounds you, you can realize that there is Allah behind every creation because he is the Creator. Allah is One and Only. There is no other like him, and no one has the absolute power and knowledge but Him. That is why we have to live to get closer to Him.”

Although the boy's question was answered, he was still uncertain about some things: “But where is He right now? Does he live up in the sky?”. “Yes, his Throne is huge and he can see everything from there.” responded his father while pointing his finger at the sky. “Oh, is that so... That means he is far away, will I be able to reach him one day?” said the child with a little disappointment. “You don't have to go anywhere because Allah says that He is closer to us than our jugular vein. You and I are also signs: a whole other world is hidden in us. So know that Allah is always with you.” his father's answer made him feel better.

As they were going back to the car, the little boy had a thought he shared out loud: “But if Allah is always with me, why did you wait and bring me here? You could've told me before when I asked.”

His father laughed and said: “Such is the nature of a human, he won't believe in something unless he sees it with his own eyes, or experience the miracle by himself. That is why we must observe every sign that Allah (SWT) has spread on this earth and beyond the sky, and open our eyes to the miracles taking place around us every single day to remind ourselves that surely He is near.”