Thoughts on the Pier

Yesterday I went to the beach, well the pier by the beach, to be precise. The beach isn't a very nice place for Muslims to go, lots of fitna. But if you go at the right time and to the right place, you hardly see any wrong things.

So it was after 'Asr salaah and nearing Maghrib that I stood on the pier, which stands over the open ocean. The waves were very dark, and although there was hardly any wind to cool those on the pier, the water was quite violent, and the tide was already high. From where I was standing, the water was only 3-4 meters below. If you reached a hand out, you could probably touch the foam that shot up into the air by the crashing waves.

I love watching the waves, they just have a way of reminding me of Allah and His Power. The roaring sound of the water and the force with which the waves were hitting each other reminded me of Nuh 'Alayhis Salaam and the flood, and so in my mind was

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ مَجْرَاهَا وَمُرْسَاهَا

In the name of Allah be its travel and anchorange

As I gazed down into the raging ocean, it really dawned how powerless we are. We never really 'conquered' the sea, we were allowed passage. When Allah gives the order, the waters allow smooth sailing, but when given different orders, the waters can become a person's watery grave. Similarly, we really have no power over anything unless Allah orders things to be subservient to us.

It came to my mind that so many people do such haraam things by the water, thinking it to be romantic. I mentioned my thoughts to my companion, who replied that such was the case with the whole world, the Earth we lived on. That thought struck me as well, and I remembered the following aayats of the Qur'aan.

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا

وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا
وَقَالَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا لَهَا
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا

ِ

When the earth shall quake most violently…
…when the earth will remove her loads…
…and man will ask, “What is the matter with her?”
On that day she will narrate her stories…
…because your Rabb will command her to do so.

Not just the beauty of Allah's creation, we should ponder on how the creation of Allah is abused to fulfil haraam... and then realize how Merciful Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala is, allowing us to live peacefully. May Allah Ta'aala allow us to realize how Great He truly is.