God - The dots connector

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. It's a beautiful Sunday. Even if it didn't seem to be beautiful to you today, someday when you look back, it's all going to look beautiful. Those who are mature would see and recognize a bad day as a good day as it should be. 

A friend whom I respect, a young lady doctor, text-ed me earlier this week quoting Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi: "Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala provides. He doesn't deprive. He provides and He withholds. His withholding, in reality, is providing you with something else, you just have to be patient and see what it is. In many ways, His withholding is a greater provision for you."

Earlier this morning I watched a video of Steve Jobs giving an inspiring and touching commencement address at Stanford Uni in 2005. Just six years before his passing. In case you didn't know who he was, he's the man who could turn a fruit into some great inedible technology products. You know they say you are a leader if your actions could inspire people to dream more, learn more, do more and become more.

Steve Jobs related three stories of his life: 'Connecting the Dots', 'Loss and Love' and 'Death'. He talked about how he had dropped out of college; how branching out to do things that others would not have done like learning calligraphy turned out to be beneficial for him and his future business; how being fired by the company he founded made him start even greater corporations; how for 33 years of his life he would look into the mirror every morning and asked 'if today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today';  how a life-threatening illness made him realize and conclude that "death is the single best invention of life" because it's a life-changing agent which could help us make big choices in life. Yes, he said that even though many of you out there might regard his products as one of the best inventions in life. Ironic but I have always appreciated the spiritual side of this remarkable man.

So events in our lives are like dots which may not seem logical today, something which might be a laughingstock to others, something that could be deemed less desirable by the majority including you yourself, but in truth, there is wisdom in each and every event. Steve Jobs said "we have to have faith that the dots will connect down the road. We cannot connect the dots looking forward, we can only connect them looking backward." When we have the trust and belief that the dots will eventually connect and connect well, we'll have the confidence to follow our hearts. 

Indeed, Allah is our creator and the creator of our actions (Qur'an: As Saffat 96). He is the Mastermind. He creates the dots and He is the dots connector. Only when we have full trust in Him can we be calm and be guided by what's inspired in the hearts. Otherwise, we would be restless, unsure how to act, inclined to lament and despair at His "withholding".  

Best wishes to all. Let's embrace this polka dot life.

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Reference: http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html
Pic credit: www.raid71.com
Credit: Vala Afshar. His tweet made me watch the video.