As If You See Him
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At the heart of all this strangeness is one simple awareness. That Allah is with you, wherever you are.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, advised a man, be shy before Allah the way you would be shy before a righteous man of your people. And in another narration, he was asked, what does it mean to purify the soul? He said, to know that Allah is with you, wherever you may be.
And when Jibril (Gabriel) asked him about excellence, he said, to worship Allah as though you see Him. And if you do not see Him, He sees you.
Ibn Rajab closes with a poem. The poet al-Buhturi had written it for a person. So Ibn Rajab gently corrected its words, until it was about Allah alone.
It is as if a watcher from You guards my thoughts, and another guards my eyes and my tongue. My eyes have seen nothing since You that displeased You, without my saying, He saw that. No word has left my mouth for anyone but You, without my saying, He heard that. And when I lower my eyes from others, it is not that I have forgotten them. It is that I see You, in every direction.
Be a stranger here, if you must. Just never be a stranger to Him.
