A True Slave

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

"The closest a slave to the Lord is when he is prostrating." (Sahih Muslim)

Closeness to Allah is not a physical closeness. When someone is close to Allah it doesn't mean there is a shorter distance between you and Allah than before. Closeness to Allah is a spiritual closeness. Closeness to the Lord means you know Him. When you are close to somebody you know him better than somebody who is far away. The one who is close to Allah is somebody who is realized in his slavehood.

The ultimate expression of your slavehood is the position of prostration. In other words, the more you are aware of your own slavehood, the more you are aware of who Allah Most High really is. When you know that you are a slave you will know Allah is The Lord. The knowledge of Allah Most High is a tremendous awareness that He is the Lord and we are the slaves.

What do true slaves do? They serve the Master.

A king had a slave who he liked very much. And people asked him why? He was neither more handsome nor valuable in the marketplace. The king rode through the desert and when he passed by a mountain, he moved his head. That slave lowered his head and ran off with his horse before the king even looked at him. No one in the group knew what was going on. Just a short time later, he returned and had some snow with him. How did he know the king wanted snow? Because the king looked at the mountain. When kings look at something they always look at it for a reason. The king answered the people. "I draw him near to me and I prefer him to you because you guys are busy with yourself and he is busy in observing my states. What I am looking for."

This is the meaning of muraqaba, the observance of Allah. Allah is looking at you. Be conscious that He is looking at you. Be to Him as He wants you to be.

May Allah bring us closer to Him. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam