Sometimes, you may see a lost child in Masjid al-Haram who has been separated from their mother during the rush of Tawaf or while on the move. However, they are well taken care of by the authorities. Dedicated areas are set up to comfort them. In the absence of the mother, the child may be given toys and might stop crying for a while. They may try giving chocolate, a balloon, or say sweet words, but after a while, the child will cry again. You may offer everything, but none of these worldly items will truly satisfy the child. But when the mother comes, the child’s cries and worries disappear. The child stops crying. The heart of the child was longing for something that nothing in this world could replace. The absence of the mother was the actual problem. The child is ready to sacrifice anything for one thing—for its mother. Even if the child has everything, without the mother, it feels like it has nothing. But even if it has nothing, as long as the mother is close, it feels as though it has everything. A child holding the hand of its mother is content even without anything from this world, not even their own clothes.
In a similar way, we are all the same—human beings, the sons of Adam. Look at our problems. The actual problem of mankind is not the absence of necessities in life. Our cries for one toy after another will continue until our hearts find Allah. The Prophets of Allah (peace be upon them) understood the true problem of humanity, and their efforts were focused on one thing: connecting mankind with their Creator, their true Master. They worked toward one solution that resolved every problem. If we try to solve all of humanity’s issues without addressing this core problem, the problems will persist.
Our problem is the absence of Rabb in our hearts. This is the root of all our cries and complaints. Our hearts long for what they truly desire. If someone has everything but does not have Allah in their life, it is as though they have nothing. On the other hand, someone who has nothing but has Allah is as though they have everything. Somewhere in the circulation of this worldly life and its clamour, we have lost the company of the Rabb within us. Those who found that connection that once we all had at infancy, a soul with pure heart, gained everything in this world and the next.
