This was a great write-up. It got me thinking how truth, though absolute, rarely arrives in absolute form. To see it clearly, one must look past layers of affection, tribal loyalty, self-deception, fear, and the loud performances of virtue that so easily can blur our sight. So, it’s not the eyes that fail us, but the lens of ego, comfort, and unquestioned allegiance.
Even the loyalty of Abu Talib - noble, unwavering - could not substitute for that one essential leap of the soul: to surrender to the ultimate truth when it arrived. What is needed perhaps is a reflective heart, suspension of pride, the courage to unlearn, the humility to admit that even those closest to us may not hold the light we’re called to follow and more. It reminds me of a famous dua that says "O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it. And show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it."
Thank you for reading. Yes, sometimes people are not who they say they are. It's even more devastating when they are "people of deen." Sometimes even the best of us get tricked with smoke and mirrors.
This was a great write-up. It got me thinking how truth, though absolute, rarely arrives in absolute form. To see it clearly, one must look past layers of affection, tribal loyalty, self-deception, fear, and the loud performances of virtue that so easily can blur our sight. So, it’s not the eyes that fail us, but the lens of ego, comfort, and unquestioned allegiance.
Even the loyalty of Abu Talib - noble, unwavering - could not substitute for that one essential leap of the soul: to surrender to the ultimate truth when it arrived. What is needed perhaps is a reflective heart, suspension of pride, the courage to unlearn, the humility to admit that even those closest to us may not hold the light we’re called to follow and more. It reminds me of a famous dua that says "O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it. And show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it."
Thank you for reading. Yes, sometimes people are not who they say they are. It's even more devastating when they are "people of deen." Sometimes even the best of us get tricked with smoke and mirrors.