Friday, February 21, 2014

A Voice Amidst the Noise

It was dark, Her life. She liked it that way. She didn't choose it for Herself- no. She only accepted the hand she was dealt. The light was blinding now.
And in the darkness she heard sounds...voices. Low and heavy. Ominous and mind-numbing.
She prayed that they should stop, that She should find a few moments of peace within Herself. The sounds drove Her to paranoia. She would scream in silent agony and no one would listen.

One day She heard something odd. It wasn't the chilling voice of regret and lamination. It was a different timbre altogether, a low clear note that seemed to mask every other sound in Her head. It was a sound that demanded to be heard, a sound so sure of it's purpose that She could not overlook it.
So She heard.

"I swear, by the first ray of morning light..."

It made Her gasp. To think of the brilliant golden streak of sun shine piercing the ghastly blanket of darkness. Sitting in her room with all lights out, She gasped to think of the sheer power of one single ray of light to drive out a lifetime of living in the shadows. She gasped, wanting to hear more.

"And by the night when it covers with darkness..."

She knew the Voice was addressing to her, directly now. It was about Her life, and someone was swearing by it! She knew, deep within, what the Voice meant. And when the Voice swore upon the darkest portion of night, She couldn't wait to hear more.

"I have not abandoned you, neither have I detested you..."

It was just the thing She needed to hear: that She had not been forgotten, abandoned. But now She was thinking furiously. What WAS that Voice? How did it know exactly what to say? Could other people hear it too? With heightened anticipation, She craved to hear more.

"That which is in store for you in the Future, is better than your Present..."

New life was being poured into Her now. She was being purged of all Her self-loathing, of all the aching.
The Voice possessed the power of absolute surety. It was a Voice that could not shake, for every word it spoke was the Truth. The absolute Truth. The Voice showed Her promise of better times. Despite being Herself, She smiled

"I shall give you, and you will be satisfied..."

A floodgate of hope opened deep within Her. She was going to receive something, something that would elevate Her to the very summit of satisfaction, beyond which there was no scope for more. Was it something that She prayed for every single day? Was it something She could not even fathom? Was it something beyond Her meager imagination? The Voice seemed to affirm all Her questions.

Then something amazing happened. The Voice that was until now only speaking 'at' Her began speaking 'to' Her.

'Did I not find you lonely and give you refuge?"

Now she was perturbed. The Voice knew of Her loneliness? How much more did it know? And what did it mean by refuge? She knew now that this was serious business. Somebody had knowledge of every itsy-bitsy detail of Her life and also knew how exactly to tread upon precarious territory!

"I found you lost and guided you..."

Ye...yesss. She nodded.

"I found you in need and made you self-sufficient..."

She nodded harder. Visions clogged her mind. All Her achievements, all those awards and rewards, all those instances when people had looked at Her with eyes brimming with tears of pride. Yes...She had been needful, and She had found sustenance. With profound gratitude, She accepted that the Voice had given Her everything.

Once again, the Voice changed form. The low pitched Voice assumed a greater clarity and octave...the voice of someone giving out an order.

"So as for the orphan, do not suppress him..."

It all made sense now. The raging questions in Her mind were silenced. Once again, She only nodded.

"And as for the needy, do not repel him..."

Ofcourse! It made perfect sense! She was needy when the Voice sustained Her and imparted Her strength to walk ahead. Wasn't it only logical that She pass on the favour that was bestowed upon Her? She nodded.

"And as for My favours, report it."

The Voice died out with that final word. Report. As She snapped out of Her trance, the last piece in the jigsaw fell into perfect place with a click. A prayer song from Her school days came to Her mind. 'Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.'

It was her Lord talking to her all along.
Click.

Her Creator had spoken to her that day, through a Book she had read all her life but never in the right perspective. Her Creator had soothed her, like a mother pacifies her crying baby. Her Creator then highlighted His countless Blessings upon her. Then her Creator showed her the way out of the dark. Report my Favours. Acknowledge the Blessings and give thanks.

She learnt a valuable lesson that day. Her Lord was not displeased with her, despite her flaws. Her Lord was the Most Merciful. For this, she gave thanks. She knew she was grappling with hard times, but the promise of a better future gave her courage beyond measure. For this, she gave thanks.
She thought of the times she had been awarded with high worldly honours, she thought of the times her mother had praised her whole-heartedly. Smiling, she gave thanks.
She looked at her hands. People had told her she had pretty ones. People had told her those hands possessed great talent. For that, she gave thanks. There was SO MUCH to be thankful for!

Her mind was quietened now. Serenity enveloped her. The ominous noises made their quick getaway.
An alarm for the morning prayer went off, in sync with the call to prayer.

The first ray of light streaked across the pitch darkness of the sky. She rose to pray.





PS: This was my little interaction with Surah 93, Ad-Dhuha,  from the Quran.
The narrative of the 'Voice' is the meaning I have extracted from each verse of the Surah, and I regret any modifications/deviations from the original text and translation.