“O my Sustainer! Open up my heart to your Light.” (Qur’an 20:25)
“Open the window of your heart; the Moon will kiss you through the window.” (Rumi)
Just like a flawless emerald would not require a beautiful setting to dictate its worth, the value of your spirit is intrinsic because it belongs to God. You are not defined by the opinions of men, by mirrors or by compliments. Although your sins can veil your heart from fully witnessing God, nothing you do can change how God sees you. Your sins and scars can never remove God’s presence from your heart, because regardless of who you are or who you have been, God’s mercy will always encompass you. Your value is not defined by worldly labels, because although God created this world for you, He says, “I created you for Myself” (20:41).
Our work on Earth is not to become something different, but to awaken from the illusion that we are separate from what we seek. We already carry faith within us; our spirits are and always will be in communion with God. The human soul was not created to become perfect, but to be aware of its completion and its connection with a higher power. “Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master
It is not only through our striving that we spiritually progress, but when we surrender everything that prevents us from seeing that beneath the dust of forgetfulness, we already are what we seek to become. We already are loved by God. “You wander from room to room, hunting for the diamond necklace, that is already around your neck.” ~Rumi
It is not a surprise then that in Arabic the word for human being is insan, which means “forgetfulness,” and unsiyah, which means “intimacy, to love, to be loved, and to become close to.” At the very root of being human we can see that we were not created to find God, but rather to remember and return to the intimate relationship we already have with Him. Our journey is not just to God, it is from God, with God, and into the love of God.
This blog is an excerpt from A. Helwa’s recently published best-selling book, “Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam.” Her book is available on Amazon.com
#1 Best Seller
About A. Helwa
A. Helwa believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine. She is a writer who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her passionate, poetic, and love-based approach to spirituality. Her popular blog @quranquotesdaily, was established while obtaining her Masters in Divinity, as a means of helping others overcome personal and spiritual struggles on their journey of experiencing divine love.
With over 15 years of experience writing and speaking on Islam and spiritual development, A. Helwa draws from her personal experiences and traditional sources to help her readers access ‘Divine love in everyday life.’