The Rememberer
The sun crept higher in the sky, warming the narrow, cobbled pathways of the city. Already the suq was a hub of activity;its streets carpeted with items from many far flung lands - sweetmeats coated in shifting colours and jewels glittering from the shadows, as though the stars themselves had fell twinkling to the earth. Voices rang out, tearing through the buzzing chatter, tempting people to buy while eyes flashed from beneath veils, never lingering, shyly and swiftly averting.
Wisps of smoke curled into the air, the sign of myriad cooking fires roasting fresh meat. The burnt tang of sizzling lamb made mouths water and the heady perfume mixed with the stench of rotted fruit, forgotten vegetables, expensive incense and deep decay to form an unholy odour. Water trickled down from the rooftops, tiny droplets that glistened in the sunlight, before drumming down onto the ground below.
Bubbles of humanity darted to and fro, egos wrapped in their own concerns, the frantic anxieties of the heedless.
In one small, unnoticed corner lay a house, broken and empty, save for one man, sitting in a featureless, unremarkable room. Sunlight flitted in through the windows, catching particles of dust as they swam lazily through the air.
He didn't notice this. Nor did he really notice the cold, hard, yet smooth beads that rolled under his fingers. In fact, the Rememberer didn't notice anything from the outside world as his measured, rhythmic breathing pushed out the same words over and over: Laa ilaaha illAllaaaah....Laa ilaaha illAllaaaah
All in all, a very mundane scene...
...except that in the unseen world things were stirring.
The void in the Rememberer's heart dissipated, a sweetness blossoming, then bubbling within. Laa ilaaha illAllaaah....Laa ilaaha illAllaaaaah... With each word, the waves of bliss frothed and trembled, desperate for release. Like the collapse of dam, it suddenly burst out, a column of pure noor that vibrated through his soul, then poured out, a lighthouse in amongst the gloomy dark.
The pillar of light shot upwards, past the hustle and the bustle of the city, past the birds and the clouds, piercing through the thin membrane of the universe, entering into an altogether different realm, then sweeping past the Bait al Ma'mur where seventy thousand angels slowly circled, their wings also dripping with noor.
Some of them paused, watching the column solidify, knowing what was to come next. They smiled.
Finally, the pillar of light came to rest where time and space no longer existed. The angels huddled and listened, waiting with baited breath for this now long-familiar conversation. The pillar shook.
"Stop shaking."
"No."
"Why?"
The angels tensed, knowing that this was more for their benefit than anything else as the Questioner knew very well the answer without ever having to ask it.
"I won't stop shaking until the one who said these words is forgiven!"
A pause. Would things be different this time? Would there be one terrible moment where history would not repeat?
"Stop shaking...and bear witness that I have forgiven the reciter out of My Generosity and Mercy!"
Satisfied, the pillar of light shattered into a million crystal shards and the angels soared, praising the Rabb...
....whilst back in the dunya, the Rememberer let out a deep breath, his morning dhikr done. His cheeks flushed red and his eyes sparkled as his ruh felt strangely light and his heart glowed with joy.
He had a feeling that today was going to be a very good day, insha'Allah.
(partly based on a hadith that tells us that the recitation of 'la ilaaha illallah' makes a pillar of light tremble in the presence of the Arsh until Allah forgives the reciter. It must also be remembered that Allah is independent of time and space and thus is not located in a direction i.e 'above')
