Allah is everywhere

Some people imagine thatthey themselves, matter and the world they see
all around them are all absolute beings. But they regard Allah (surely
He is beyond that) as an imagination pervading that absolute matter.
Or else, since they cannot see Him with their own eyes, they say:
"Allah must be somewhere we cannot see, in space or far away from
human eyes." (SurelyAllah is beyond that.) But these are all grave
errors.
Because Allah is everywhere, not just in the sky. As the sole absolute
being, Allah enfolds the whole universe, all people and places, the
heavens and everywhere. And Allah is manifested in the whole universe.
According to the hadith, our Prophet (saas) said that someone who said
that Allah was in the sky was telling the truth. But this account in
no wayconflicts with the fact that Allah is everywhere. Because if
someone at your location on Earth raises his hands and prays to Allah
and thinks that Allah is in the sky, while someone at the South Pole
turns to Allah in the same way, while someoneelse at the North Pole
raises his hands and yet another individual in Japan, or America or
Ecuador raises his hands tothe sky in the same way and turns to Allah,
then it is impossible to speak of any fixed direction. In the same
way, if djinn, angels and demons at various points in space and the
universe also pray toward the skies, it will again be impossible to
speak of anyfixed direction, and the situation will be one that covers
the entire universe.
We must not also forget that Allah is unfettered by time and space.
Allah's selfis something different. Butthe manifestations of Allahare
everywhere. If someone enters a room and says Allah is not there,he is
denying Allah. The manifestations of Allah arein that room and
everywhere. Wherever you may turn, manifestations of Allah arethere.
Several verses of theQur'an state that Allah pervades all places, that
He is closer to us than our own jugular veins, and that we will see
His face wherever we look. For example, in verse 255 of Surat
al-Baqara Allah says"... His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the
earth...." Verse 92 of Surah Hud says, "...But my Lord encompasses
everything that you do" meaning that Allah also pervades what people
do.
The truth revealed in the Qur'an is clear: Allah is not only in the
skies. Allah is He Who enfolds and pervades all places. This knowledge
is provided to us by way of the Qur'an. Describing the reality of the
secret behind matter will enable people to better understand these
verses. People who realizethat matter is not an absolute entity will
realizewith complete clarity that Allah is everywhere at anymoment,
that He sees and hears them at all moments, that He witnesses all
things and is closer to them than their own jugular veins, and that He
hears the prayers of those who pray.
Some verses of the Qur'an on the subject
Both East and West belong to Allah, so wherever you turn, the Face of
Allah is there. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. (Surat
al-Baqara, 115)
Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is
notsubject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the
earth belongs to Him. Who canintercede with Him except by His
permission? He knows what is before them andwhat is behind them
butthey cannot grasp any ofHis knowledge save what He wills. His
Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth and their preservation
does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat
al-Baqara, 255)
When We said to you, 'Surely your Lord encompasses the peoplewith His
knowledge.' Weonly appointed the vision We showed you and the Accursed
Tree inthe Qur'an as a trial and temptation for the people. We
frighten them, but it only increases them in their excessive
insolence. (Surat al-Isra', 60)
There is no one in the heavens and earth who will not come to the
All-Merciful as a slave. Hehas counted them and numbered them
precisely. (Surah Maryam, 93-94)

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Prayer of a Sick Person

Imam Baihaqi has stated on the authority of Hadhrat Ali (ra) who
stated: "Once, I was present with the Prophet (peace be upon him). At
that time, I had fallen so much sick that I prayed to Allah Almighty
to grant me death if I am destined to die so that I may get relief
from the sickness, otherwise, I may be restored to normal health from
the sickness if I have to live for sometime. I, also, prayed for being
granted patience if this sickness is a test for me from Allah
Almighty." Hearing that, the Prophet beat Ali with his foot and
observed: "Oh Ali! repeat what you were saying." Ali(ra) repeated his
prayer. Then the Prophet prayed to Allah Almighty: "O Allah! Heal him
from the sickness." Ali (ra) stated that he became healthy the same
day and the painnever appeared again.

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Thirst for Learning

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
"After the passing away ofthe Prophet (peace be upon him), I said to
an Ansari friend of mine: 'The Prophet is not now with us. But a large
number of Sahabah are still among us. Let us go to them and get
knowledge of the Islamic practices.' He said: 'Who is going to
approach you for learning a regulation in the presence of these
eminent Sahabah?' I was not discouraged. I kept up my quest for
knowledge and approached every person who was supposed to have heard
something from the Prophet. I managed to gather substantial
information from the Ansar. If on my visit to someone of the Sahabah,
I found him asleep, I spread my shawl at the gate and sat waiting.
Sometimes my face and body would get covered with dust, but I kept
sitting till they woke and I was able to contact them. Some of them
said: 'Abdullah you are the cousin of the Prophet; youcould have sent
for us. Why did you take the trouble of coming to our places?' I said
to them: 'I must come to you, for I am a student and you are my
teachers.' Some peoplefor whom I had waited said: 'Since when have
youbeen waiting for us?' I informed them that I had been sitting there
for a pretty long time. They said: 'What a pity! You could have
awakened us from our sleep.' I said: 'I did not like to disturb you
for my own sake.' I thus carried on my pursuits, till there came a
time when people began to flock to me for learning. My Ansari friend
realized this at that time and remarked: 'This boy has surely proved
himself more sensible than us.'"
Source: From the book"Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad
Zakariyya Kaandhlawi.
Besides our quest for knowledge to earn a livelihood in this world, we
must as well gain sufficient knowledge of Islam. No matter what
agegroup we belong to at thismoment, we should atleast have that much
Islamic knowledge with which we can turn our 24 hours life into
worship. Those with knowledge and practice will be exalted in this
world and in the hereafter.

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The Fisherman

An investment banker wasat the pier of a small coastal village when a
small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were
several large yellow fin tuna. The investment banker complimented the
fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to
catch them.
The fisherman replied,"Only a little while."
The investment banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and
catch more fish?"
The fisherman said, "With this I have more than enough to support my
family's needs."
The investment banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of
your time?"
The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, playwith my
children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each
evening and spend time with my family, I have a full and busy life."
The investment banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you.
You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a
bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy
several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.
Instead of selling your catch to a middlemanyou would sell directly to
the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control
the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this
small coastal fishing village and move to a big town and eventually to
the the city where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."
The fisherman asked, "But,how long will this all take?"
To which the investment banker replied, "15 to 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the fisherman.
The investment banker laughed and said that's the best part. "When the
time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to
thepublic and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions?...Then what?"
The investment banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small
coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little,
play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village
in the evenings andspend time with your family."

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