We
are all like leaves adrift at sea washed towards the shore. When you
reflect back on your life, you could say that it was spent the way the way you
viewed it. How often have you remarked that had you done this or that the
outcome would have been different, but at the time, it dealt with what you
wanted and not what it should have been.
The death poems are well-known in Japan. They tend to offer a reflection on imminent death by the author in a general sense. The practice of writing a death poem has its origins in Zen Buddhism. It is a concept or worldview derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence, specifically that the material world is transient and impermanent, that attachment to it causes suffering, and ultimately all reality is an emptiness or absence of self-nature. These poems became associated with the literate, spiritual, and ruling segments of society, as they were customarily composed by a poet, warrior, nobleman, or Buddhist monk.
Life is Complex and Unpredictable.
Many parents invest in their children’s education with expectations but most often turn out to become something else. Many educated children with good jobs end up marrying someone viewed rationally and logically to be a disaster. It reminds one of Zaid, the freed slave of the Prophet (s.a.w.) marring Zainab, a woman of status. Their different backgrounds and upbringing made coexisting incompatible. It ended in the Prophet marrying Zainab.
This is life. It is unpredictable. It takes its own course in life, often lead by the heart rather than wisdom. This element within us reflects the Qur’anic verse of “man was created of haste” (Surah Anbiyaa 21:37). There is no doubt, we are led by our emotions, not by reasoning. If you look up Ahadith in Sahih Bukhari, you will not that Adam (a.s.) was impatient. His body had hardly been perfected, yet he wanted to reach out to fruit he had seen. We often act irrationally without wisdom. In a way, we act in accordance the way we were created. On the other hand, if we acted with wisdom, it too would not be wisdom because our perception of wisdom is a calculated one, serving our interest and often corrupted!
When We Were Young, We Were Led by Our Desires.
We all wanted to grow up so that we could be independent. We then decided to get married, often for the wrong reasons, only to realise later that it was a mistake. To say that we were immature sounds valid but in truth we had already determined what we wanted to do. Many have been advised about their salt and sugar intake but did they act upon it? They probably did when they ended up with high-blood pressure or diabetes. We hardly listen to advise, thus most learn the hard way.
We Create Our Own “Bed of Roses”.
We determine whether we want to be a rose garden or a rubbish dumb without realising it. Well, that is how it appears in foresight, but it does not necessarily turn out to be so because there is an element of “forgiveness and mercy” arising out of a higher ideal, which descends upon us from time to time. This exists because He created us and in a way is responsible for what we are.
Children remain created in their own mould by Allah. You can only guide them to a certain extent. They will still remain faithful to their beliefs and will only realise them in old age. That is the way Allah made it. In Kashful Mahjub there is an interesting story. A well known respected Sufi Shaykh held a gathering in his house. Many other shaykhs attended it. In the midst of the celebrations his son turned up drunk. The whole religious gathering of saintly people was stunned. The Sufi Shaykh noticing their inner perceptions said that his son was such because his wife was given some food from a wealthy neighbour but the food was tainted, thus causing his son in her womb to bear the consequences. This is just one example. It common for Muslims to harp on ‘halal’ food and earnings. Others will tell you that there are rippling effects of sins and misdeeds which may not strike you but may strike your children. Children inherited the ‘make-up’ of their parents and thus set their ‘bicycle wheel’ into motion. Therefore, it is essential to conscious and to realise and to accept what your children want to be.
We Are Leaves Adrift
Muhammad (s.a.w.) became a Prophet at the age of forty. We are supposed to take on a serious approach to life after forty. I started out working as an apprentice printer and after years in the job decided that I would not last long in that environment because I was not physically built for it. As you progress in life, you realise that you love doing the job you. It not just about surviving.
As you age, you recognise that something is missing in life. Peace of mind and tranquility are very essential to existence. We all need money but money is not the only thing in life. Spiritual contentment strikes a balance between worldly life and life in the hereafter. However, even in old age spiritual attainment is an illusion. I have come to recognise it “as an effort without expectations”. It’s like ploughing a field without looking back. In the worldly context, you would look back to see its results but in the spiritual context, it’s an undertaking solely seeking Allah’s pleasure. “And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He alone is sufficient for them. Certainly, Allah achieves His Will. Allah has already set a destiny for everything,” (Surah Talaq 65:3)
Was the Leaf Green or Brown
Did you notice the colour of the leaf adrift. What was its condition on being washed ashore? Was it green or brown? That’s what we will end up to become at the time of death and after it as we “cross the river to the other side”.
There are countless perceptions on life. It depending on how fortunate or unfortunate you are; your initiation into existence; your environment; your genetic make-up etc. All these scientific studies present intellectual conclusions based on research but ultimately, it was Allah’s preordainment that set the course and direction we would all take. We call it ‘destiny’.
The Stagnant Leaf
There are moments and times when a leaf adrift at sea remains stagnant. We experience such moments in life. It is a pause, a time to reflect upon life and to embark on a new direction. Many people are faced with such situations in life. They are indeed critical moments in one’s life. Getting a job or losing your job. Getting a serious illness or having to face one.
These events are check and balances in life because often we get carried away with worldly success. It like a person who makes money and plans in a big way, only to find everything crashing down upon him. Many have gone bust during the Covid endemic. What this clearly indicates is that life does not always go the way you want it to go.
There is a ’higher force’ above and beyond us that dictates terms. Often a response from Allah takes place due to stubbornness and arrogance on our part. People who fail to take heed of worthy advice often end up suffering because that’s the only way for Allah to save someone He loves and cares for, after all, He is our Lord and Creator.
During critical moments like this, there is a need to seek forgiveness, mercy, and kindness from Allah. One should then take a new approach to life with a change in attitude. It is going to take some time to become reality because even though Adam (a.s.) sought forgiveness, he had to pay the price of disobedience. We are fortunate because we have Muhammad (s.a.w.), who by Allah’s grace has made things easier for us in terms of repentance (tawbah).
Leaves Come in Different Shapes and Sizes
I visited my personal doctor, a very nice and decent non-Muslim. After the initial greetings, I mentioned that I was 81 now. He looked frail. I noticed that with age we all shrink. I asked him how he was and he went into a ‘preprogramed’ format over visiting his relatives in his village in India. It was a typical traditional story that strikes all in the Indian-Subcontinent. It dealt with those members of his family in India trying to leave him out of his share of the property left by his deceased parents just because he had migrated to Malaysia. I listen to him patiently and said to myself, this is what life is all about for many.
This situation is common around the world. Many in the West are known to will their wealth to their dogs or cats. Was it done out of malice? Or maybe, their animals loved them more than their children did? Many wealthy children are also known to leave their parents in old folk homes. It appears to be a good way of disposing of the chores of having to look after aged parents.
One thing for certain is: none of us have been able to get everything we desired out of life. That is the reality of existence. Accepting this reality means identifying your existence to a ‘Creator’ or a ‘Supreme Being’, one who determines and has the final say over your existence. Of course, this does not mean that you are denied free will. It only means that your free will is an exercise that enable you to act in accordance with your desire and then to face reality as it really exists with Allah, (Surah Takathur).
Every Leaf Does Not Make It to Shore
The creation of Adam (a.s.) and his appointment as Vicegerent of Allah on earth does not make us all vicegerents on earth. The completion and fulfillment of vicegerency can only be viewed in Muhammad (s.a.w.). When asked about his prophethood, the Prophet (s.a.w.) replied: “Verily, I was already ordained the Seal of the Prophets in the sight of Allah when Adam (a.s.) was still kneaded in his clay.”
Understanding this is important because there are many more ‘human beasts’ than there are ‘vicegerents’ on earth. With the departure of every prophet, life returns to what it previously was. Only those who ‘believe’ remain safe. This explains the current turmoil throughout the world. In Gaza, it is at its worst, with even so-called ‘believers’ remaining indifferent to the killings of their brothers. Even Moses (a.s.) under the patronage of Pharoah could not accept it.
Perception on Existence
Having reached an old age, one would have by now got a fairly clear picture of what life is all about. Freedy Mercury of Queens expressed it well in his song: “These are the days of our lives”. Was he expressing events in his life, over what he should have and could have done then and had he done so, the outcome might have been different?
Khwaja Mir Dard a poet from Delhi, during the Mughal Empire, uttered these words: “My friends, we are going home, you can stay.” Kozan Ichikyo, a Japanese poet, wrote before his departure: “Empty-handed I entered this world; Barefoot I leave it; My coming and my going two simple happenings that got entangled.”
What will you utter at the end of your existence? Hope you will be given the time to do so. Many are just summons back to the presence of Allah without warning. Some die while shopping in a supermarket; others by a horrifying accident; some burnt or murdered to death; others by drowning. No one knows for sure how they will go but consider the way you live to be a part of it; consider that it is your preordainment in life, or maybe it is a choice you have embarked upon, where every living soul is insignificant and an obstacle to your ambitions in this world.
Know that the day you were born, the ‘arrow has been cast’. It has been destined to hit its target. When and how may appear to depend on you to some extent, but in reality, like Adam (a.s.) it has been preordained. Your only hope is to do good, said the Prophet (s.a.w.) and to pray to Allah to change your Qada’ and Qadar (Destiny) as well as your Fitrah (your Created State). Beg Allah to save you from the Blazing Fire of Hell and the Torment of the Grace, for of a certainty you will come to know the reality of existence (Surah Takathur).
If you think you have a ‘bad deal in life’, think about the general attitude towards Chowkidars (servants) in Pakistan. They are in general treated quite badly and there is a reason for it because if you relaxed your hold on them, they would be up to all kinds of mischief. If you can understand this, then you should be able to understand why Allah treats us the way He does! The Qur’an is clear on our attitude and behaviour. Countless verses depict how ungrateful we are. Even a dog is far more loyal and grateful to its master over crumbs of food than we are to our Master (Allah).
We all strive to succeed in life but we are governed by egoistic selfish desires (the nafs). No matter how hard we try to remain on the 'straight path' we succumb to our desires. We fail to realise that our course and direction in life has been established the day we were born (refer to Sahih Bukhari on the descendents of Adam) and that this direction can only be changed by Allah's will and through submission and supplications.
Be An Epitome of Faith (Iman)
Shaykh Abu Ni’ma Maslama as-Saruji is an epitome of faith (iman). It was his nature to treat guests with hospitality; strangers with dignity; paupers with sympathy; the weak with civility and the wretched with mercy. During his lifetime, his town was attacked by the enemies of Islam. They killed, looted, and took prisoners.
The shaykh’s followers, on hearing that their retreat was about to be attacked went to their shaykh and said, “O our master, the enemy has come.” He replied, “Be patient!” They kept repeating the warning until the distance between them and the enemy was no more than a stone’s throw. Only then did the shaykh step outside.
With a wave of his noble hand, he ordered the enemy to retreat. Their horses promptly carried them away with such compelling force that they could not reverse their stampede no matter how hard they tried. Fatal casualties were many indeed among both the cavalrymen and their horses. Their formations were scattered, and they reached the town walls in terrible shape. They then dismounted and acted in keeping with chivalry, turning their faces to the Muslim retreat. Later they sent an envoy to the shaykh, apologizing and begging his forgiveness. The shaykh replied, “Tell them (your leaders), He will send you the answer you deserve for what you have done tomorrow morning if He so wills.”
The enemy were thus left wondering what the answer might be. It came to them early the next morning, when the army of the Muslims arrived on the scene, rooted them out and utterly annihilated them. [Neckless of Gems, Shaykh Muhammad Ibnu Yahya at-Tadifi] (Mokhtar Stork, 2012, Pearls of Wisdom).
Be A Leaf Guided to Safety
I have uttered these words often in anticipation. “Ya Allah, I am what You made me out to be. I thank you for granting me an ‘extended existence’, thus enabling me to realise that there is far more to life than meets the eye. Having reached this point in time, I can say that life is about submission and servitude and not purely about desires, efforts, and expectations, because everything lies in Your hands. It is You who determines every outcome and in You lies my hope to salvation.”
In concluding, I would say that there is a need to move forward with goodwill and to ignore the ill-will around us… to keep focus on our own journey towards Allah, without being distracted. Be a person immune to the world because it is in keeping with its deceitful nature. Only serve withing your capacity without expectations or reward because our destines (Qada’ and Qadar) are played out like an unfolding book… always full of disappointments because we were seeking reward. Many live a life of tragedy. Every calculated deed set into motion brings relief and more suffering and disappointments. Be a leaf adrift at sea being guided by Allah toward what He has destined for you.
As for ‘hope’ and ‘hoping to be granted something’. Hope is an illusion. It exists to give us hope but it is not a promise. Hope only exists in this context… where you hope Allah may look upon you favourably and not as you hope for.
The reality of existence is submission and servitude. As created beings we know this, yet, we have been granted speech to ask…. Ask about what that He does not already know off. Allah Hears, Sees, and Knows just what you are hoping for but has He granted it? Climb up the mountain blindfolded to be unfolded with what Allah deems fit for you. Be like the doctor at Gaza who lost his whole family, his beautiful kids serving Allah. Only do good without expectations of reward. [Mokhtar Stork, 4 June 2025]
