THE HONKING OF geese as they fly in V formation and head south for the winter remains one of the fondest memories from my childhood. It is an early sign that autumn is finally here.
Autumn is my favourite season. The days are more balanced than the overly long days of summer and the short anaemic days of winter. The colours too are more magnificent in my mind than spring or summer. There is also something in the air- a crispness first thing in the morning- a hint of the cold to come.
These are some of the things that we can miss and yet are subtle signs of Allah ﷻ.
Take birds flying, for instance. Flight is an incredible feat arising from opposing forces of propulsion and drag, lift and gravity. There are differences between those that glide and those that beat and those that remain motionless in the air. Even the flying in v-formation is by design and not random. It is the most efficient way to fly, enabling birds to fly longer distances with less energy.
Humans have only relatively recently worked out how to fly, and it remains far from perfect. We continue to look to Allah’s ﷻ creation for further ideas, yet deny His existence.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍۢ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍۭ بَصِيرٌ
‘Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and [sometimes] folded in? None holds them [aloft] except the Most Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing.’ (al Mulk 19)
Observing and understanding His signs should make us appreciate Him more and make us more grateful for His blessings.
We often fail to do this. Our children grow up detached from Allah’s ﷻ creation. Less aware of Him and more aware of the artificiality of what lies on their screens. Recent surveys have shown, for instance, that one-fifth to a third of British children do not know that eggs come from chickens or that milk comes from cows! How many children have not seen a sunrise or sunset or looked up at the night sky and seen the stars?
Yet all that, Allah ﷻ asks us to see and take heed from.
وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ لَعِبْرَةًۭ ۖ نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِى بُطُونِهِۦ مِنۢ بَيْنِ فَرْثٍۢ وَدَمٍۢ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًۭا سَآئِغًۭا لِّلشَّـٰرِبِينَ
‘And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what is in their bellies – between excretion and blood – pure milk, palatable to drinkers.’ (an Nahl 66)
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ وَٱلنُّجُومُ مُسَخَّرَٰتٌۢ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ
‘And He has subjected to you the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; and the stars are subjected by His Command. Surely, in this are proofs for people who understand.’ (an-Nahl 12)
As parents, it is vital that we take time to reconnect our children to these signs.
There is no shortage of signs. A trip to the park, a forest, a farm, a beach, or a hill is all it takes. If all else fails, just sit in the garden.
It doesn’t have to be expensive trips abroad. Just once a week, pointing them in the right direction and with the right intention can yield, if Allah ﷻ wills, a deeper appreciation of Him.
The key is taking the time to look and being open to what is there each day.
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