The Table Spread of the Cosmos

The Quran says that God is the light of the skies and the earth. This means that the world is entirely an expression of divine attributes. A sensitive heart will see reflections of God in everything that exists here. The entire cosmos is a table spread of divine sustenance.

If faith in God gives someone the sensitivity that true faith in God engenders, he will see God’s light everywhere in the universe. When the breeze touches him, He will feel that he is experiencing the touch of God in the softness of the breeze. In the flow of a stream he will see the mercy of God expressing itself. When he hears the chirruping of birds, his heart will witness a soul-stirring tune played on a divine musical instrument. When he smells a fragrant flower, it would be like bathing in divine fragrance.

For a true believer, the entire universe is a table spread of divine sustenance. Every single thing in this world has been made in such a way that on seeing it, a person can draw a lesson. Those who truly love God can experience these divine states.

The Flame-of-the-Forest is a tree that bears amazingly beautiful flowers. When autumn comes and its leaves fall, the tree appears like a dry stick. But then a silent revolution happens. It sprouts brilliantly-hued flowers! What was a dry stick is now laden with stunning flowers. It seems as if God has specially sent His beautiful umbrella for something that was thought to be a useless stick.

This happens so that some servant of God may see it and exclaim, “Lord! I, too, am a Flame-of the-Forest tree. If you want, you can cause beautiful flowers to bloom on me! I am a dried stick. If you want, you can make me green! I am leading a meaningless existence. If you want, You can fill my life with meaningfulness! I am standing on the edge of Hell. If you want, you can admit me into Heaven!”