Who do you really love?
Imagine a man trapped in a
rocket traveling the dark outer
space since birth. One day suddenly he reads the rocket’s controls
recording a
terrific ‘pull’ towards something green, which is a large forest
visible from
the orbit of the earth.
In the remaining few minutes
the astronaut tries to figure
out what is happening. Suddenly the controls have read a powerful force
gripping all within the ship and when the astronaut peaks out the
windows all
he sees is a green forest. Therefore the only viable conclusion: The
origin of
the force is the trees of the forest.
The rocket with much force
crashes upon the trees and the
astronaut in the remaining few seconds of his life is fully assured—to
the
point of certainty—that the source of this pull were indeed the trees
especially since he is dying amidst their branches! Obviously we know
that the
force came from something
invisible, the
gravitational pull of the
particles of the earth and not just the trees.
In much similar fashion, we
believe we love someone or some
object of affection. We truly convince ourselves that this
gravitational pull
of love is unique and only between this two. We experience something
magnificent and the more intense the experience the less obvious what
is the
source of this attraction and love?
Like our poor confused
astronaut, we experience few moments
of this terrific pull and we peak out to see what is the cause, we see
a woman
or a man or a child or money or country or some object of affection,
which we
adamantly insist upon it being the source of the love and attraction.
Do I truly love her? Is she
truly the source of this force
that is pulling me towards her? Answer is no! Just like the trees are
not the
source of the gravitational force pulling the ship towards the forest,
much the
same fashion the woman I love is not the source of the pull of love
that draws
me towards her.
She is a Hijab (veil) that
hides the true source of love
from my eyes. Had the source of love not being there, I would not have
any interest
in her (like most other women whom I am not interested in). But it is
because
of the pulling force of this source, from the beyond the veil (her),
that my
heart is moving towards her inescapably.
But if for a moment I could
forget about my Self and her
Self, concentrating on closing my eyes completely (not seeing her or
I), then
for a brief moment I see the Beloved concealed behind this veil (her).
Surprisingly I love the Beloved and no one else!? It has given us the
gift of
the veil i.e. the woman whom I happen to love and she creates the
EXPERIENCE
that allows me to feel the pull of love otherwise un-sensed.
Now that my eyes are closed
and my Self forsaken, I move
down the path of love powerlessly, I shall end the trip facing the
Sublime Face
of the Beloved.
Matters not she is with me,
she is dead and perished, but
through her veil the force emanates and I am pulled towards the Beloved
regardless of her biological existence. She was there all along,
conduit for
the force of love so I might EXPERIENCE the terrific attraction and
move
towards the Beloved. If I keep my eyes closed and forget my Self, I
will find
her everlasting with the Sultan of Love: The infinite end of the finite
journey.
And all this may be clear
from, Koran [3:14]:
“Fair in the eyes of men is the love of
things they covet:
Women and sons; Heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded
(for blood
and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are
the
possessions of this world's life; but in nearness to Allah is the best
of the
goals (To return to).”
© 2004-2002, Dara Shayda