There’s this problem I have, it’s either I say very little or too much. I take very hot showers or freezing cold ones. I eat very little or too much. Like me a lot of people struggle with finding the right balance in their life.
An advice I come across quite often is there’s a time for everything. I mostly agree with the statement but I believe there’s a time for certain fixed things such as prayers and sleep. Everything else to be honest is circumstantial; it’s not that simple for we humans are complex beings with complex issues.
As a young adult I sometimes wonder what it will be like for me when In Sha Allah I become a full grown woman married with kids. How will I balance the time for work, kids, husband and self? The usual way things play out in reality is that the father spends more time with his work than with his family. The mother spends more time with the kids than with herself and the kids spend more time on themselves than on any other thing. During this particular period you don’t think theres a time for everything, the truth is you spend time on what you deem the most important instead.
One of the many things that fascinate me is the sky. If someone else was to look at the sky they would probably see blue skies and white clouds but what I see is balance. When I look up to the sky and see that Allah is still maintaining its balance, I remember the imbalance in my own life; for example how I’ve not spoken to both my grandmas in a while, so I call them. The sky always reminds me to strike a balance in my life.
A good example of balance in the Quran is found in suratul Fatiha (1:67) When we ask Allah “Guide us to the straight way. The way of those whom you have bestowed Your grace, not the way of those who earned Your anger (1), nor of those who went astray(2). Do you ever wonder why we say that? On the one hand there are people who have knowledge but do the wrong thing (these people earn Allah’s anger). On the other hand there are people who don’t know and therefore do the wrong thing (these people went astray). As muslims we recognise these two categories of people and ask Allah for a balanced path in the middle; that we may become people of knowledge and good actions.
In suratul Rahman 55:7-8 Allah said “And the sky he raised high, and He has set up the balance. In order that you may not transgress (due) balance.”
Every great artist or designer has a signature…something to set their work apart. If you were to see their work, you’d immediately recognise its theirs. Allah is the greatest designer of all; He is Al Musawwir and just like every other designer, He has got a signature too. One thing Allah loves and creates is balance. Things are in order. Multiple things are working with each other in harmony. Just before that ayat, Allah said “The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each.”
Another example of balance in the Quran is found in suratul Nahl (16:68) when Allah compared believers to the honey bee. Why the honey bee? If you study the honey bee in contrast to other bees, you’ll learn that the honey bee when it sits on a flower, it can be far more aggressive than it actually is. It has the power to be, but it takes from the flower just so much to not damage it and render it no good for the next bee to come. Also the honey bee does not only take, it also carries pollen to the plant. Subhanallah balance. The whole ecosystem is in place and balanced.
Back to the ayat of surah Rahman: Allah said He raised the sky and set up a balance in order for us not to transgress that balance. In other words Allah said He made the sky balanced to teach us the lesson of not loosing balance. If any of us are able to access the sky, its sight alone should be enough to set our act together. Very powerful ayats, things we should reflect a lot more on.
I hope you all see the sky differently from now on and strive towards achieving balance in your life. May Allah make it easy on all of us. Ameen.
NOTE: Speaking of balance, as a student with a tight and demanding schedule, I will not be able to achieve my aim of posting something every week. I shall on the other hand try to put something up in every two weeks.
Have a wonderful week ^.^
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