A farmer works hard on his land, engaging the soil, the seed, the animals, the wind, the water. A gardener does the same on his patch of grass, digging, planting, pruning his or her crop/flowers or whatever he plants. Based on their effort, some in their control, some not, the yield varies and not all crops are the same, nor do they all live. Some thrive, some survive, some don’t.
Water flows through our bodies. Water is present in the oceans, the lakes, the rivers, the rain. Water can drown us, cause floods, and scare us yet it can quench our thirst, grow plants, and nourish the soil that the crops need to survive. Too much will do damage. Too little will dry things out. Some animals live and breathe in water, some would die if they had to. The same water holds creatures of all sizes, colors and characteristics as well.
Wind is always welcome on a hot day and we call it a breeze. If it comes with full force it ends up destroying and uprooting things. Winds can turn into tornadoes or simply bring the waves to the shore. Winds dry our wet clothes or bring rain with them to drench us as well. Winds can be loving and winds can be angry and destructive.
Fire is heat and energy, needed for cooking, fuel, warmth and yet if we are not careful and the fire is not stoked properly it can burn us and damage everything. The wood that is needed to burn the fire, can start burning itself and its sparks can burn everything else around it, destroying whatever is in its vicinity to char.
These are the signs I look at when Allah says in the Quran :
“We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Quran) is the truth” [Quran, 41:53]
“There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. It is He who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear. And you see the ships cleaving through it so that you can seek His bounty, and so that perhaps you may show thanks. He cast firmly embedded mountains on the earth so it would not move under you, and rivers, pathways, and landmarks so that perhaps you might be guided. And they are guided by the stars. Is He Who creates like him who does not create? O will you not pay heed?” [Qur’an, 16:10-17]
He asks us to ponder over his signs and the way I translate the elements of the nature He created is to see humans and how they behave with each other. The way we can be like the gentle breeze and yet we can be the destroyer of the ones we love. The fire in us can warm others and yet burn others if we turn it into negative energy. If we nourish and take care of our families, we see fruits in our children and relationships that can go either way. We can control some aspects of it and have no control over other aspects. Some things are the result of hard work and some things are just fate. We live in the same household, being nurtured by the same parents, living in the same city and breathing the same air and yet in the same house, siblings are so different its like seeing a different creature emerge from the ocean. A jelly fish or a shark.
To me, all that matters is what I have control over. My actions, my words, my intentions. I do the best I can, knowing that the One who controls me is the one who controls everything around me. He will give me freedom to be a certain way and yet He will mould my life as He thinks is best for all the elements around me.
This is how I find peace. In just letting go and controlling only what I have been given control over.
The Saudi Expat 