True Vision  

Seeking not only the ability to see with eyes…. 

Sr. Maryam Al-Haydari 

“Does a person who knows that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth like the blind! Only those who have brain heel” [13:19] When Reading this verse, it seems like there are two different things being compared; knowing the truth and vision or perhaps it might be thought that it is just a simile—that those who do not know the truth are blind. It is not a simile! Nor a comparison of two different thinks. Rather, it is for us to know that eyes are not the only mean of vision, eyes are only one.  

Truth is not something that we can always see with our eyes. We do not even need to argue about the actuality of what we can see with our eyes because, with the exception of color blind people, every one see things the same. So our eyes do not provide all of the vision that we need, they do not provide us with all what we need to know the truth. Could it be that you have a broader means of vision than the eyes that you have not discovered in yourself? Could our brains and hearts serve a function similar to that of the eyes, which is seeing? Could our brains and hearts be our eyes of seeing Allah? I, absolutely, do not mean that we can picture Allah in our brain, but seeing is one way of knowing and so through our brain and heart we know Allah. Imam Ali [a] was asked once: “Have you saw your Lord?” The Imam [a] said, “Would I worship what I do not see! Allah is not seen by the eyes, but with true faith.” The commander of faithful has also said:  “The eyes of those who did not see him (Allah) can not deny him nor can the heart of a person who proved him see him!” Even though eyes are great gift from Allah and they can be the way for us to believe in Allah, by seeing the greatness of his creation, but we need to discover an even greater mean of vision that Allah has gifted us. We need to shed light in our hearts and brain for them to see what our eyes can not see. 

 “Have they not traveled in the land so that they should have hearts with which to understand, or ears with which to hear? For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but the blind are the hearts which are in the breasts.” [22:46] Amazing how the heart,  the brain,  the eyes, and even ears are used interchangeably in the Quraan to tell us that they all serve for the same purpose which is knowing. More amazingly is the fact that if you study the brain you find that all of our sights and body functions are centered in the brain! But it should not be amazing the emphasize of our religion on the importance of the brain because the one who gifted human the brain knows what it can do.  

It is impossible to count the gifts that Allah has gifted us, “He it is Who sends down water from the cloud for you; it gives drink, and by it (grow) the trees upon which you pasture. He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect. And He has made subservient for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon, and the stars are made subservient by His commandment; most surely there are signs in this for a people who ponder. And he has created the earth of varied hues; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who are mindful……..And if you would count Allah’s favors, you will not be able to number them; most surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”  [16,10:18]  But yet we will hear the atheist, instead of thanking Allah, argue: “Why didn’t Allah teach us about science? If Allah has made all of this why didn’t Allah give us books that teach us nature’s laws and theories instead of having us study for years to discover things and improve our way of living? “And Allah had brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers, you did not know anything and he gave you hearing, sight, and heart that you may give thanks.” When life started on Earth, houses were not built for human nor clothes were sewed for him, but he was given all what he needs to build and manufacture every thing he needs for life. It might be for us to realize two things. One is that life is just a place for us to life in. In what kind of a house we live or what we wear is not important. What is important is how we live. Allah has not only provided us with the book that teaches us how but also with people who represents a living example of how we should live. Second it is for us to discover what our brain can do. It is for us to train our brain, because our brain is what will serve us, it is what will guide us to Allah, and to the truth behind the world we are living. 

 “Today is work but no reward and tomorrow (hereafter) is reward with no work” as Imam Ali [a] has said. Let’s train our brain to serve us, let us expand our vision beyond what we can see with our eyes, and let our brains and hearts see the truth of this life so that we not raised blind “And whoever turns away from My reminder, his shall surely be a straitened life, and We will raise him on the day of resurrection, blind. He shell say: My Lord! Why hast Thou raised me blind, and I was seeing one indeed? He (Allah) will say: Even so, Our sings had came to you but you neglected them, even thus shall you be forsaken this day.” [20,124:126]