Imagine that you are in a Michelin star restaurant, and the chef has made spectacular food, from a stunning starter, delicious main course and mouth watering dessert. The most exquisite cooking methods, and the irresistible combination of flavours. At the end of the day, he comes out of the kitchen. You would want to meet him, congratulate him and if he were a really famous celebrity chef, take a photo with him.
Imagine that you were in an art museum and you see a stunning work of art – delicate strokes of paint, composed and blended beautifully that they are almost lifelike in their vibrancy. A painting so beautiful that it costs a fortune. Imagine if you had a chance to meet the genius behind the masterpiece. If you managed to get an autograph from the same artistic hands that created the artwork, it would be a cherished possession forever.
Imagine that you see an iconic skyscraper, that even from far away, you have to crane your neck to marvel at the structures of glass and steel, the architectural detail and the gigantic scale. How grand it would be if you could meet the architect, to congratulate him on his impressive achievement.
Yet … these are just lifeless creations. Creations of the created, limited to a plate, a piece of canvas, a slice of the horizon. The food will disappear, the colours will deteriorate, and the building will eventually crumble into the dust.
What about the biggest Creator behind it all, the one that fills the land and ocean with food, the world with flowers, deserts, forests, oceans and mountains, the one where a hill can easily dwarf the tallest skyscrapers in the world? The one that gave life to the ingredients that the chef assembled into his dishes, put before the artist the beauty of the world to inspire vision and filled the earth with iron, silicone and all other raw materials to build the building.
But it is not just what we see in our direct line of vision, if we look heavenwards, and breathe in the wondrous sight of the clouds, the stars at night, the luminescence of the moon, the blazing sun. And consider that what our naked eye can see, even if we could see all the stars sparkling in the sky, all we see of the universe around us, is just a grain, a mere speck in His ultimate palette of creation. Our universe is just a grain of sand in the scheme of creation.
If we are so impressed by such small things in life, we should look around us … and once we realise the perfection of the system we live in, from the biggest stars to the smallest microbes, from the black of night to the brightness of noon, every single life form with its perfectly operating system, or every inanimate iceberg, stone or speck of sand, or if we even consider our own selves, pulsing with life, each part of our bodies down to our fingernails perfectly placed in an equilibrium that took mankind millenia to even begin to comprehend … we will realize that the one worthy of praise is not the chef, the painter or the architect, but rather the ultimate Creator of the universe and all it contains. To Him belongs all glory
Imagine what an honour it would be to meet the Creator of all of this! And imagine the bigger honour if the Creator allows you to see His beautiful face, for the simple reason that He is pleased with us … and imagine what we would be willing do in order to achieve this wonderful moment!
“Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.
And indeed, your Lord – He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
And recite to them the news of Abraham,
When he said to his father and his people, “What do you worship?”
(Quran 26:67 – 26:70)
(Abraham said): “… the Lord of the Worlds
Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me.
And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink.
And when I am ill, it is He who cures me
And who will cause me to die and then bring me to life
And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense.” (26:77 – 26:82)
