7Abdullah and the Secret of Awareness

Abdullah was a young man living in a small village surrounded by green mountains. Despite the beauty around him, he was always distracted, unaware of his surroundings. Walking the village lanes, his thoughts would wander and he would lose his way; even talking with friends, he would suddenly lose focus.

His grandfather, Hajj Mahmoud, noticed his distraction and invited him to sit beside him under an old olive tree. He spoke to him about the value of the present moment: “My son, what has passed has passed and cannot be changed, but it is a chance to learn. And don’t worry about the future; it is in God’s hands and has not yet come.”

“What am I doing now, and why am I here?”

Then he advised him to set aside time each day for reflection and contemplation, to read the Qur’an thoughtfully, and to let the thoughts that came to him pass without resisting them or clinging to them.

Whenever he found himself drifting, he should return to the moment and ask himself: “What am I doing now, and why am I here?” And he encouraged him to keep going, to seek God’s help, and never to give up or despair.

Abdullah began applying his grandfather’s advice, and in time noticed a great improvement in his focus and awareness. He began to enjoy his moments, and felt peace and calm.

When asked the secret of this change, he said, “I learned from my grandfather to be present in every moment, to deal with my thoughts without being carried away by them, to accept the past as a chance to learn, to leave the future in God’s hands, and to thank Him for my present.”