Oblivious of God

People have a great deal to say about other human beings but are at a loss for words when it comes to God. As a result, they remain blissfully unaware of the Creator.

If you talk to someone about his son, he will have innumerable things to say about him. However, when you speak to the same person about God, he will remain unmoved, as if he had nothing to say about the Almighty. As if he knows nothing of God.

Just remind someone of a revered ancestor, and you will find him talking with great zest as if this cherished memory had stimulated his innermost feelings. However, on the other hand, mention God to the same person, and you will find him apathetic, bereft of all feeling, as if he knew nothing of what to say about God.

Talk to someone about his leader (akabir), and you will at once be given the benefit of all kinds of emotional outpourings. He will not stop until you interrupt to change the topic. However, on the other hand, mention God to the same person, and you will find him impassive, not in the least excited, as if he lacked the vocabulary to speak about God.

Mention the name of a community’s hero to a member of that community, and he is immediately found to have at his disposal the choicest of expressions to describe the hero. However, mention God to the same person, and you will see that he remains unaffected. This is because God’s name creates no stirrings within his soul, such as should come gushing out spontaneously.

How sad it is to think that people have a great deal to say about other human beings but are at a loss for words when it comes to the subject of God. They are a veritable storehouse of encyclopedic knowledge about men but seem empty and uninformed where God is concerned. Could the springs of faith have dried up within their hearts?

Have people not experienced the greatness of God, which they can relate to other people? Have people not witnessed any miracles of God? Are they aware only of the creatures while remaining blissfully unaware of the Creator?