One of the most beautiful aspects of our tradition is the constant reference to the outdoors. Repeatedly we are told to reflect upon the Sky, Sun, Moon, Stars, Mountains and Rivers, which are presented to us as signs. These signs contain manifest and subtle meanings that humble us through beauty, awe and sheer creative magnificence. However, if we never stop to reflect and seek opportunities to take in these signs, then we risk limiting the depths our spiritual growth. One of my greatest experiences in understanding this relationship occurred while sitting in a tree-stand early one morning. I was hunting whitetail deer in New England and as the sun began to rise I began to witness an array of colors both in the sky and on the trees. The brilliant colors of autumn that embellish the Northeast are breathtaking . However, this morning I was blessed to see beyond the leaves and trees into a deeper meaning.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a leaf falling, and as it floated down I followed it until it reached the floor of the forest. Immediately I was reminded of the verse in the Qur'an that reads: “And with Him are the keys of the unseen treasures--none knows them but He; and He knows what is in the land and the sea, and there falls not a leaf but He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything green nor dry but (it is all) in a clear book.” [Qur'an 6:59]
I thought of this leaf falling in the knowledge of God, and after it landed I began to look at all the leaves on the ground in relation to God's knowledge. I then extended this thought to the leaves in the surrounding area, and then to the state, and then the region, and then to the entire East coast. Then I extended this thought to the continents and then thought about this occurrence happening from the beginning of time to our present day and beyond. It was an amazing experience!
With this thought I looked at the trees and was reminded of the following verse: “And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.
[Qur'an 31:27] Similarly, what if all these trees were pens and all the trees creation from the beginning of time to the end were used to write the word's of God? And what if the Atlantic Ocean that I grew up surrounded by and the Pacific Ocean whose cliff's I had stood upon and the Indian Ocean which I had swam in while in South Africa and all the remaining oceans, with their vastness, were ink? Endless pens and unlimited ink, yet the words of the Creator Supreme would not be exhausted!
With this new understanding I was able to connect the outward and that which is apparent with subtle meanings from the Divine. My immediate feeling was gratitude. How many times had I walked through this area, how many times had i walked among the trees and how many leaves had fallen in my sight? How many times had I looked at the floor of the forest only to see composting debris, devoid of any meaning? This time it was as if a veil had been lifted and these meanings were as obvious as they were visible.
These moments of clarity are gifts and I long for more of them. However, one thing I know for sure is that these moments will never happen by sitting inside!
I once told a friend that I wanted to just run into the mountains near Dartmouth and never come back. I wanted to become a legend: "The Old White Muslim Man of the Mountain." Hikers would say that they caught a glimpse of me making wudu in a pure stream. Others would say that they heard the sound of me making the adhan as the trees rustled in the wind. But perhaps it was not I that they saw and heard, perhaps it was his brother: "The Old Cape Verdean Muslim Bowhunter of the Forest." :)
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