Voice of British Muslim Women

Sumayra Ahmad, Manchester

When one holds the belief that God is the ultimate Creator of all things, it becomes difficult not to see the beauty of God in everything that surrounds you.

My journey towards understanding, seeing and believing in God began when I made a conscious effort to establish a personal relationship with Him.

The prayers I had been taught as a child, the words from the Holy Qur’an I had learnt, the practices and sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) I was familiar with, began to rise to the surface of my mind and stirred something within my consciousness, almost as if awakening my soul, as though a veil was being lifted from my heart, and out of darkness the light of the Almighty God was pouring into my being.

Then, it was easy for me to assign a deeper meaning to the things I was taught regarding religion, faith, God and how to conduct myself as a human being and a Muslim.

One of the first things a Muslim child will learn is ‘In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful’. This is usually followed by the first chapter of the Holy Qur’an entitled Surah Al Fatihah: ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Gracious, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. Thee alone do we worship, and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the right path. The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.’

In just a few short sentences such profound words and meanings can be found.

When I began to really understand the significance of these words along with the attributes of God Almighty, I then began to love and appreciate Him, the world He created, and everything in it.

‘In the name of Allah’ we are reminded that we should begin every task with His name and that by remembering Him, He will in turn remember us, help us, be with us and bless us in all that we do. How beautiful a teaching.

The Most Gracious and Ever Merciful. We are taught to remember Him by His attributes of graciousness and mercy.

He bestows His grace upon us by giving us things we need that we have not asked for nor made any of effort to attain. We do not ask to be born, we do not pray to have the ability to breathe, see, feel and walk. That is God’s grace and mercy. When you understand this, how is it possible to ignore the beauty and presence of Allah in every breath you take, every time you look in the mirror, or into the eyes of your loved ones who He has created?

We do indeed live in a material age where we are constantly being exposed to advertising, promotions of the latest gadgets and new technology, a world in which our success is measured by how much money we make and all the things we can buy.

It is in these times that I remind myself in no uncertain terms that this life is temporary. That I will one day depart from this world and meet with my Lord. My Master, my Creator. I will leave all my worldly possessions behind.

But in this world, I take comfort in seeing the beautiful face of God Almighty in the warm rays of sun that give us light, in the beautiful lush green leaves in the trees that help us breath, in the sweet sound of chirping birds, and every moment that I am blessed to feel the love and kindness of a family member, a friend or even a smile from a stranger, I am reminded of my Allah, The Gracious, The Merciful, My Master and Creator. For all I have and all that I experience is from Him.