We Believed in Goodness

-by zartasha

   On our way back from our errand in Eglington Downtown, we decided to pass through downtown and lakeshore heading towards Pickering.

  Passing the CN tower and skydom as we drove through the streets of downtown, we could see the work of every architectural phenomena. High buildings reaching the sky. Skyscape buildings. Every commercial product in the market. Every industrial and human achievement and the accumulation of an abundant amount of wealth.

   The people all striving towards a goal, almost running frantically towards a goal, but what goal? Ever since we are young we are taught this concept of success but as we drive through the streets of downtown, we realize that no one is in peace. Downtown, the place where everyone does exactly what they want to do without a care in the world. Everyone is competing and striving to beat the rest in this conceptual success. There is every form of self gratification available. Clothed in all the latest trends and yet pain, worry and arrogance marks all these faces. You see people on the streets and yet you see people on drugs, but people pass eachother without recognition. No one talks, there is no mercy, thankfulness or care for anyone. Everyone is different , everyone is unique and everyones does as they wish. Is this really what we want? Is this our measure of success?

  Crossing through these streets disrupts your own peace as though the world is cold although the day is warm,. Is this what we are working so hard to become?

    Exiting throughout the streets of downtowm, we enter don valley parkway.

    It contains a highway surrounded by a beautiful park. Lush trees grouped together reaching towards the heavens. Harmoniously breathing and their natural beauty is unmatched. The air is fresh, the winds are cool, the park is as though a meadow. The trees almost absorbing the pain, the worry, and returning peace and love into the air. This beauty is wild and yet  submitted to the diving law of its creator. There is goodness in it. There is a harmony to it that you can accept as goodness coming from a source of goodness. As you see the faces of the drivres around, their calm is reflected on their features. No loudness, no self gratification, no worry, just peace.

     We now turn to Eglington. There is a combination of civilization and nature. You can see pigeouns now. People are dressed more simply yet cleanly and comfortably. No one is rushing. There is some famlies, some friends, you can sense greater love here.

    Than we approach kingston and as we approach closer to pickering, the more you can see compassion rather than competition. People are now striving to want the best rather than to be the best. Humility and submission to the divine will are replacing the arrogance and self gratification behavior. As though we are taking the time to breathe, to plant the seeds to blossom into beautiful flowers. There is small homes with gardens rather than high sky scape buildings There is many birds. The people in the streets are with families. There is lesser diversity and greater unity because th e sense of community is growing. Wealth is not piled up and accumulated but people are living well. Love is surpassing the need for fame and self glory. People are considerate of their surroundings rather than oblivious.

    It is as though we are coming closer to heaven. But what do we really want? Why have we always been taught that money, fame and power are marks of success? That knowledge of technical advancements are the true marks of a great civilization? Why have we been kept so busy to fulfill the greater essence of life itself?

    The essence of life is created when our omnipotent self is awakened. A belief in a solid foundaiton behind everything. To believe that there is a creator and that creator has a will that marks every attribute of perfeciton, of goodness. And the absence of it as as thought the absence of a light leaving all else in darkness, Who taught us this is success? I've heard a quote that Everyone says love hurts, but that is not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing someone hurts. Envy hurts. Everyone gets these things confused with love. But in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all pain and makes someone feel wonderful again, love is the only thing that doesnt hurt. Just like sorrow is the absence of joy, just like chaos is the absence of patience, just like darkness is the absence of light, and just like evil is the absence of goodness, and ignorance the absence of knowledge. Nothing is beautiful without the perfect omnipotent will of the creator from whom originate all that is good. Goodness itself is a manifestation of the divine and the true essence of life. To believe that the beginning and the end belong to him. And to believe that what will happen will the His good perfect will. The angry faces just lackign that goodness within them deprived of the beauty that Allah created in the best of moulds. Reduced to the lowliest of lows, unmeasured greed and self gratification. Is this how we are measuring success?

    Everything just kept turning more and more beautiful because as we neared Pickering, that will manifested itself more. He is the Most Compassionate, He is the Most Just, He is the Most Wise and so is His perfect will. And so people let their compassion and want for the best supersede their competition and ruthless and want to be the best. The streets empty of homeless people. Like the final sermon of the prophet “my umaah, my umaah, m y umaah”.

The greed, gluttony and envy of the selfish desires replacing by an increase in humility and submission before the perfect diving will. The wealth shared, the community. The faces joyful and in peace instead of in hurry and greed and want.

We believed in goodness. Omnipotent goodness. But all this beauty only manifested itself when we took the first step even as it started wretched , but than the sincere heart and the sincere intention, and Allah swt made it beautiful.

May Allah swt preserve the goodness in our community.