| All journeys carry their meanings to our life |
What is the point of commanding to walk among its slopes if it is only for sake of walking? There must be something meaningful to the walk (read: travel). In other verses the purpose of travel were clearly stated "Travel through the land; then observe how was the end of the deniers." [QS 6: 11].
But this article isn't about elaborating that verse for it was obvious and many people have made their observation and drawn their conclusion though doesn't mean that they act accordingly. This article is about something else. Traveling not for the sake of traveling but a matter of whether we are sitting at home or traveling to some place on this earth, we are set up to make journey on this planet earth at this very moment. And this journey had been started the moment we were born, and it will end the day we have to leave this world to make another kind in another world.
Establishing core values
| How far have we reached in this journey of life? |
Well. That was my experience when out of innocence and wished to thrive, I applied for an exchange student program when I was in high school. After going through several tests, I finally got it. I started my first travel to Australia and stayed there for almost a year. And it meant I had to live with a family and environment that was different from my own family and hometown. And because we had different religion and came from different country, there were certainly some different ideas and values that I had to face, think over and resolve to be able to live in peace with them and enjoyed the experience of having new different family and friends.
During that time, my host parents were the closest persons to me and were considered to be my guardian. I saw them as the expression of Allah's protection and mercy to me in that country. So I took practical way by accepting them while inside I held on to religion practice that I'd been taught before instead of taking an extreme and fanatical approach based on human's idea and interpretation.
You may wonder what kind of questions that could raise from such experience? Some basic and standard question like if God is very fair in His judgment and punishment who the dwellers of paradise will be, where the good non muslim would go. I mean you can't help to question that when you have a very good relationship with a non muslim family that you felt it in your spiritual core. That's how I felt about my host family. For my encounter with them had put me in a state of questioning the religious values.
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| Every companies have their core values to achieve their best performance - what is our core values to achieve the same in this life? |
Have I found my core values about those people who have different religion from mine? I certainly have. And what is the established core values that I gained from the experience? It was the manifestation of Allah's verse "And We did not send you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy for all creation" [QS 21:107]. And as the Prophet (s) said, "The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who have mercy on others. Show mercy to those on earth, and the One above the heaven will show mercy to you". And indeed through my host parents, Allah has showed His Mercy to me by leading me to the path of knowing my Self Nature. This then helped me to understand the essence of Holy Scriptures. So it's true that God had blessed my overseas travel with something precious inside. Alhamdulillah.
Service Delivery
Most people would love to be the king or queen, where they will be served with the best of anything, namely from the best clothes, the best food, the best shelter, the best service. In having the best of anything, they can and sometimes insist by being 'intolerance' to other human being. And to have that, they do anything to transport the service instantly. And if they don't get what they want, they would be angry, irritated, send tantrum or whatever because they have money to buy people.
But then can you imagine another setting. When people go to places to deliver their services not for the sake of money but for the sake of humanity? They may not be a king or queen for they may not have the same treatment like them. But they definitely are the kings or queen in their own realm of life in relation to their Creator.
| Any service delivery is assumed to be delivered by angels - Can't we as human being deliver it without being assumed as angels ? |
So when they go to places, they are actually delivering the Dharma (good virtues) not about money, approval or acceptance of other people. And that's what I try to practice when I have to travel to places to fulfill my responsibility in any work I'm involved.
Seeing is Believing
In making judgment there is an islamic rule given as related to the saying of Prophet Muhammad SAW. As mentioned in hadith Prophet Muhammad SAW said "I am commanded to judge based on physical evidence". And in another hadith He SAW said "Truly I am not commanded to probe into the hearts of men". That is to judge based on the outer evidence not the inner evidence though the heart may see what the eyes can't and The Prophet SAW was certainly given the ability to see what was hidden.
This leads to the saying 'seeing is believing'. And for some people, they make their journey to verify the rumors or the words of others. Because they don't want to take the information for granted without making certain the data or information is as given. And for the same reason, I had made my trips.
| Hear it, See it, Touch it, Smell it, Feel it - and you will truly Believe it |
So to make a fair judgment, I have to validate the inner and outer sights before making decision. So far, God had helped and guided me in this situation. It doesn't mean that I always make a right decision. Sometimes I did make a wrong decision, but then God helped me to amend it. Like the one when I thought I would marry someone. He said good things about himself and flattered me. And I took his words on face values in following the teaching of Tao Te Ching "he trusts those who is trustworthy and he trusts those who isn't trustworthy... he is good to those who are good and he is good to those who aren't good" to teach myself to be trustworthy and good person.
And it was for the same reason that I made my trip to see him for I had promised him that I would meet him and to validate my perspective of him. So when the result wasn't as his previous words, I stood my ground to be a trustworthy. Here was when the blessing of Allah had saved me. He was made to leave me. Did I feel betrayed? No I didn't. Did I regret it? No I didn't. How I would regret it when from the beginning I knew I had always been looked after and under His Guidance. Besides that, I can't say a person is completely bad thus incompatible for me. I always try to see the good in others in order to get along with them. That's why I often find myself difficult to decide the feeling of liking, love or compassion to the opposite gender in datings. This is where seeing is believing helps me to make decision.
What about the man that I have never met but had shake my inner world? Well, this is a unique case. Apart from the reason that he's a married man and lives so far away - which give me better reason to not see him, my-not-seeing-him-in-person isn't about not-believing. In fact my-not-seeing-him-in-person is a case of proving my sincerity. From the beginning I had told him that I loved him because of Allah. It means that with the love I feel I wish him happiness with whomever he will find his happiness. So when he decided that he didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore even though it was made out of misunderstanding, I have to respect his decision. By not trying to force whatever the inner vision I previously had for the sake of personal wish in verifying 'seeing is believing' I prove my sincerity. Here again I have to stand my ground to be a trustworthy person. He may think differently but it's alright. It isn't about what he thought of me. It is about knowing what I feel about myself and accepting the whole package of this living being as the gift from Allah, The Creator.
Collecting diamonds
| Through cutting and polishing its brilliance becomes reality |
It is alright that we all like jewelry especially women. They're look good when it is matched up with a proper clothes and situation. Otherwise it looked ridiculous. There is a wise and famous word which carried a deeper meaning. It said something like 'Do not wear a diamond necklace to a pig for it will throw it in the mud'.
So gem stone is indeed precious and valuable because its ability to make the person who wear it look more beautiful. But what it got to do with my traveling? Well, when I said about diamonds, I don't talk about the tangible diamonds as people perceive. I am talking about the gem stone that wise man had talked about. For that diamond is the diamond that is much more precious and intangible but have similar effect to human being, that is to make the person who possess and wear it look more beautiful than any other human being. That diamond is knowledge, wisdom, good virtues and characters in human being.
| This body is a treasure chest for us, what have we collected to fill it? |
My self knowledge teacher used to say that the preciousness of Self Knowledge is such that no thief can steal it, no fire can burn it, no earthquake can shake it. And my spiritual teacher used to say that the preciousness of good virtues and characters is such that if those who possess them are taunted, they won't be dispirited; if they're berated, they won't be resentful; if they're oppressed, they will rise up; if they're kicked out, they won't tumble down; if they're praised, they won't be arrogant. Such is the quality of intangible diamond in a person. And as I go to places to pursue knowledge, inside I know I'm collecting gem stone to make me look more beautiful in the sight of Allah. This certainly make this life that He has given me everyday become worth living.
Pilgrimage
| To the Holy Land I take my step for Pilgrimage |
I tried to put my self in their shoes and I came up with the conclusion that to them especially the Chinese and Japanese tourists, the trip would be like a pilgrimage. Because I am a muslim, my being there would be like a tourist. But then something inside didn't want to be called tourist. Something inside want to find (some) lesson to learn from the trip.
Wiki defines that "a pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith, although sometimes it can be a metaphorical journey in to someone's own beliefs. Many religions attach spiritual importance to particular places: the place of birth or death of founders or saints, or to the place of their "calling" or spiritual awakening, or of their connection (visual or verbal) with the divine, or to locations where miracles were performed or witnessed, or locations where a deity is said to live or be "housed," or any site that is seen to have special spiritual powers. Such sites may be commemorated with shrines or temples that devotees are encouraged to visit for their own spiritual benefit: to be healed or have questions answered or to achieve some other spiritual benefit."
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| Many have come and many have gone - but how many have fulfilled its purpose and been accepted? |
Another story related to Imam Ja'far Ash Shiddiq RA that during Hajj, he was presence in the Field of Arafah. At that time, to diminish the pride of his disciple, he showed the inner states of those who were also presence there. That most of their faces were in the forms of livestocks instead of the face of human being. And in another story related to Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak RA that a man who gave away his saving for Hajj to his poor neighbor out of sincerity was rewarded as the one who had fulfilled his Hajj and his intention was accepted by Allah because of his compassion to the poor. Detail story you can read it in this link http://mhamdanbr.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/stories-related-to-pilgrimage-in-tadhkiratul-awliya/
All this certainly had me to look deeper into the meaning of pilgrimage. And I figure out that the sincerity of the heart and our presence in His Court are what made one acts are considered equal or even better. I then learn to practice sincerity and to present myself to His Court, so that any time I am in motion, it can be a pilgrimage for me. And by the time I make the actual pilgrimage (Hajj), the experience can be tenfolds meaningful to my spiritual growth. Insha Allah.
