Full Moon

Full moon tonight.

I wonder how much of our awe for the natural world has been lost due to the introduction of electric lights.

It’s easy to feel self-sufficient when everything is warm and bright around you. Take that away, and the majesty of the world and its Creator becomes apparent. People in ancient times must have looked up in wonder at the seemingly infinite number of stars in the vast night sky above them. Getting caught in a sandstorm in the desert must have been terrifying. What must it have been like to experience thunder, lightning, and hail when you’re out in the open?

I’m not saying we should go and get ourselves into these situations on purpose. Rather I am lamenting the fact that people nowadays often have a false sense of security just because of some minor creature comforts that they have in their environment.

Everything appears to be under control, we think. But it only takes one event, a natural disaster, or a health crisis in the family, to jolt us back into the realisation that we are helpless but for the mercy of Allah S.W.T.

In my line of work, I see this practically every day.

If anything, it acts as a notice for me to look after my own health. More importantly, it also reminds me that “to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return”.