GOD’S CREATURES

Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

… Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? …And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well…

(quoted in Gospels of Matthew & Luke)

This beautiful prophetic advice reminds of the Qur’anic call to recognize our value as God’s creatures, and our incredible mission in life: to discover, adore and worship the Merciful Sustainer. May our Friday be blessed with awareness of our real purpose in life! May our interaction with the world, including food and clothing, be in God’s name. That is, let’s look at the creatures as mirrors and signs revealing the Creator’s greatness, inshallah! May we live up to the incredible honor of being a conscious guest of the Eternal One!