Life, Spirituality, and Islamic Wisdom

How we can see the signs of divinity all around us

I was at an event in Vermont yesterday, and had to catch a flight immediately afterwards. I got to the airport, breezed thru security, and hustled to the only restaurant in the terminal. I had 12 minutes until my flight would board, and I hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

I stood in line for about 5 minutes, so I had 7 minutes left. I asked how long it would take to prep the food. They said 20 to 25 minutes. I figured it would take the passengers about that long to board the plane, and that I could be the last one on if needed. I was hungry and decided to take the risk. I placed my order.

I stood and watched the clock. Seven minutes went by, and on my cue, my flight started boarding. Then 10 minutes. Then 12. Then 15. My sandwich still wasn’t out, and they were moving through the boarding process quickly. I wasn’t irritated or upset. I knew it was my choice to take the risk. But I was hungry, and really hoped I could make it work. 16 minutes. I went and checked the gate. 17 minutes. I told the gate agent I’d be right back. 18 minutes. I asked the restaurant worker how much longer. She said there were three people ahead of me, so at least 10 minutes. And then my gate agent announced final boarding call.

Trying to be nice, I told the woman standing next to me that she could have my sandwich. She thanked me and apologized for my bad luck, but I told her that it was my own choice to take the risk. I told her to enjoy and hustled to my gate.

As I stepped up to scan my boarding card, someone tapped me on the shoulder. The restaurant worker was out of breath, and she handed me a bag.

“No way! That is so nice!” I said it so loud, so out of character, that it surfaced my disbelief. This woman really didn’t have to do this for me, but she did, and I was so thankful. I thanked her five or six times. The people around me realized what was happening, and a few even clapped for her. One woman said “That really is above and beyond.” The worked smiled, embarrassed, and then headed back to work. The gate agent ushered me onto the flight.

It was one of those moments that could easily mean nothing. Somebody did their job, or even slightly more, and it was nice. Sure. But it’s also something to which I ascribed immense meaning. I had just given a talk on how compassion for others builds societal trust. What I didn’t say there was that seeing compassion and practicing compassion also deepens my own faith. It’s a reminder to me of the goodness that’s all around us.

I recently had a conversation with my friend Hussein Rashid that touched on these moments, how they are a practice in seeing the signs of divinity in our world, what some Muslims might refer to as ayat. I want to share some of what he said to me then, as well as a link to the full conversation that we recorded for Wisdom & Practice.

Here’s Hussein:

It's about quieting yourself. You know, part of my religious practice is trying to do… again, language is a problem, but I'll use the English word meditation…. in the morning, and that quieting, that centering, that listening.

But there's also this idea in the Quran–God tells us that in creation are signs for those who think, who ponder, and I think that listening is understanding that it's not silence you strive for, but for listening to what God has provided.

So, right, I can hear in the morning trucks driving by, and I can hear that as a distraction. But I can think about who's driving the trucks, and I can think about what is that person's life? Who's that person who is up at 4:30 in the morning, driving a truck right now?

And then, more closely, I can hear the birds outside my window and hear the tweets and the coos. That's a sign, right? What am I listening for? And how am I thankful for that?

And so I think listening as one expression of the senses that we have, but really trying to use all of that to give yourself towards God consciousness, I think, is really transformative to how you move through the world, right?

It’s that everything around you is a reminder of God's presence. And so what then are you obligated to do in response to that gift? And how do you act with the idea that God is present and is imminent?"

I loved chatting with and learning from Hussein, as a I always do. Listen now to our full conversation on Wisdom & Practice, and please remember to rate and review our show :)