Tales From Agrabah

• 8. The Mirror of Erised

• E i g h t •

The Mirror of Erised

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If you stood in front of the Mirror of Erised, what would you see?

Some of us would say "Jannah" - at least how we perceive it to be, some would say "family", and some others would say "success". For those of you who are unfamiliar with this mirror, it's designed to show us what we desire the most. I'm not sure if it's that moment when you look, or a yearning you've had for ages that you'd see, but either way it reflects your heart. And the best part? No one else can see what you can.

Suppose you really did see what you wanted, and you saw the happiness that comes with it, maybe you even wished for other things in the process and saw them too... Wouldn't you ask yourself what is the point? Why am I looking at all these out-of-reach things merely to lose them again when I look away? This isn't what I need.

A few months ago, I would've said I'd want to look into that mirror. But now I'm too scared to know what I want, because the moment I see it, I know how hard it would be to convince myself that this might not be what you need. I'm too scared to see it because more often than not, reality doesn't correlate with our wants. How fortunate we are that we don't always know things we need, right? What a beautiful way to nurture dreams.

It doesn't mean you must be hasty in concluding your hopes, du'as, dreams and wishes. It truly doesn't, because we can't look back yet, and our life is ahead, beyond what we know. How much longer would you allow your wants to cloud your judgement though? It's because of that we ask for what is best in our du'as. We are weak, we were created weak, the things that happen to us... it's beyond us to comprehend them.

I mean, how many times have you thought this sounds too crude to be mixed with that? Countless times for me, I've thought of a person and correlated it to a situation that seemed too personal to disclose. But one of Allah's miracles is bridging the gaps between people to face situations together. Because nothing is ever perfect (the suboptimal definition we humans go by, at least), we can't accept people and things in our lives without understanding that. Even if there's miles between your wants and needs, He could merge the two at His will.

After years have gone by, when you decide to look at the meanderous route your life taken, you'll see how it was only ever what you needed that happened. And so, if you look in the mirror, wouldn't you long to see yourself just as you are now? No matter what, what is happening now is what is most compatible with who you are, because that's how Allah takes care of us. And SubhanAllah, there's no need to worry when you know that.