Out of Sight, Out of Mind

I've agreed to do some holiday work again at my local CPS (Crown Prosecution Service.) I worked there last summer too, and let's just say some of the cases I saw have probably left me scarred for life. The only way I could deal with what I had to see was by observing those lawyers and caseworkers that strived to bring justice to society. They showed me that regardless of all the crap that's going on in the world, there are still people who are trying to do some good. It's pretty much because of those lawyers and caseworkers that I've agreed to go back... Oh, and the money ;-)

One thing is for sure: During my time at the CPS once again I will feel a huge amount of gratitude for how good I have it. Ironically, sometimes it takes the bad things in life to remind us how fortunate we are when experiencing the "good times." I've noticed that those who believe in God tend to remember Him more so when enduring any form of suffering, as opposed to remembering him during the happier times, when maybe our more materialistic desires are being met. It's easy, or even convenient to forget God when feeling fulfilled materialistically... well, for some of us anyway.

As soon as the more materialistic aspects of life are met, what then of our spiritual needs? What then of our relationship with The Creator? To forget our spiritual needs and to constantly feed our more emotional or physical desires is now the prevalent approach of many of the believers, whether Muslim, Christian or Jew. Some of us would rather watch television than pray, or socialise with humans rather than converse in prayer with our Creator etc. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that we should only concentrate on our relationship with God and neglect all other aspects of life. On the contrary, I believe it's important to maintain a harmonious relationship with both God and His creation.

In regards to Muslims, we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to converse with The Creator five times a day when abiding by the five daily prayers. Our everyday vocabulary flourishes with the remembrance of God. We say "Alhamdulillah," "Praise be to God;" "Insha'Allah" "If God wills;" "Masha'Allah," "As God wills;" "Jazakallahu Khairan" "May God give you the best reward" and so forth throughout the day. All of these terms are used both during the good and bad times... Ideally anyway.

When it comes to feeding my material needs above my spiritual I too am guilty. My soul starves when I begin to forget about God, and I have no right to deny it of its nourishment. No one who believes in God has that right. To be more precise, faith and knowledge are not a burden- They're a gift. They're a gift that should be embraced during both the good and bad times.

So once again I will return to the CPS this Summer: I will try to enhance my knowledge further, Insha'Allah (God willing;) be thankful for what I have and to remember the One for whom all my actions should be devoted: God.