Three Ways of Seeing
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La ilaha illa Allah, says Ibn Ata’illah, moves between two poles. A no, and a yes. The no denies every imperfection, every partner, every limit. The yes affirms every perfection, every majesty, every beauty.
And from these words, different hearts see in different ways. He describes three.
One looks at Allah as eternal, and at everything else as something that began. That person says, I have never seen anything without seeing Allah before it. Because before every thing, He was there.
Another looks at Allah as everlasting, and at everything else as passing away. That person says, I have never seen anything without seeing Allah after it. Because after every thing, He remains.
And another looks at Allah’s knowledge and power surrounding all things, and at the creation’s weakness and need. That person says, I have never seen anything without seeing Allah with it. Because nothing moves without His knowing and His will.
Then he quotes a poet’s words of longing. I glimpse Him in every thing I see. I call on Him in secret, and He answers. He has filled my heart, my hearing, my sight, and every part of me. So where could He be absent?
This, he says, is what it means to bear witness. Not only to say there is no god but Allah, but to begin to see the world in its light.
