25/08/2025
Some people imagine a very abstract relationship with the Divine, picturing a Lord who is distant and transcendent, far above and removed from us. They think of Allah Almighty as if He created the world, left it to unfold on its own for a time, and then returned later to see how matters had developed. Yet this conception is contrary to the teachings of the Messenger ﷺ. In the hadith we have spoken about in recent weeks, Allah ﷻ says that on the Day of Judgement He will declare to someone, “I was sick and you did not visit Me.” The person will reply, “How could I visit You, when You are the Lord of all the worlds, exalted be He?” And He ﷻ will answer, “My servant was sick, and had you visited him, you would have found Me with him.”
The question, then, is how do you encounter the Lord of all the worlds, exalted be He, day by day? Certainly, you encounter Him in spiritual practice. There is intimacy in the daily salah, which is obligatory upon us, for the Lord of all the worlds wishes to draw His servants into that intimacy and into that conversation. You encounter Him in the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, where a direct connection is felt. You encounter Him in dhikr, for He ﷻ has promised, “Remember Me and I will remember you. If you remember Me within yourself, I will remember you within Myself.” The lines between servant and Lord are therefore not distant. Allah ﷻ says in the Holy Qur’an, “I am closer to you than your jugular vein.”
You encounter Him through His signs, through His ayat. You encounter Him through His Names, for all of existence is nothing but a manifestation of those Names. The Lord of all the worlds, exalted be He, governs the black ant upon the black rock in the black desert on the darkest of nights. He governs every leaf that falls from a tree. There is no power, no strength, no creative force except by Allah ﷻ. This means that in every moment He is revealing Himself to you, showing Himself to you, whether through the wind, through the leaves that dance in the breeze, through the call of a cat in the street, or through any other sign in creation.
He is the Creator of all matters and all affairs. None understood this more perfectly than the Messenger ﷺ. When someone approached him, he would turn fully towards that person and give his entire attention. Why? Because that person was not a mere instrument for worldly advantage. Rather, that person carried a trust, a secret, or a gift that Allah ﷻ in His eternal wisdom had chosen to deliver to you through that very encounter. There is something in every interaction, something in every person who comes before you, that is intended to reach you. Otherwise, it would not have come to you.
