Reflection 47 – On The Need To Be Acknowledged!

I LOVE attention! And YOU love attention! We ALL love attention!
Haven’t you seen how hard small kids try to grab their parents’ attention? Or how actors love to be always in the spotlight; and how easily they get depressed as they get older, and their fame slowly fades away? Or nowadays how influencers brag about their popularity and number of followers? Regardless of your age, sex, profession, we all seem to seek attention and acknowledgement. We struggle a lot if we are left unnoticed and people don‘t recognize our efforts. Unappreciation just kills us! In fact, it‘s one of the leading causes in friction in marriages as mentioned by Daniel Kahnemann in his book Thinking Fast and Slow. It really requires a great shift in our mindsets to accept otherwise. How can we do what we need to do REGARDLESS of what other people think or say? How can we remain unnoticed but still be consistent in our jobs? Well, this is much easier said than done! But, let me give it a shot!
I believe that the CORE issue has to do with our intentions. The more we are able to make them purely to Allah, the easier it is to let go of our love for attention. That‘s why I believe that the Islamic teachings stress on the notion of pure intentions. We can very easily get discouraged quickly if we feel we are not appreciated by others. That‘s why, I believe, we really need a paradigm shift in trying to visualize the UNSEEN before our eyes as we engage in different activities. First, we have to be aware of Allah’s presence and knowledge with regards to our acts. This in it of itself should be a primary motivation for us. As we indulge in our (good) deeds, we should feel happy that Allah ( inshaAllah) is satisfied with what we are doing as he witnesses everything. Second, we should realize the presence of angels and their help to us in unseen ways be them on earth or sky. All of this is pretty difficult to comprehend as human beings normally are much more attached to what they can see with their own eyes. No wonder the UNSEEN in general is a top priority topic throughout the Quran! It takes a pretty leap of faith to REALLY believe and internalize all of this. Didn‘t I tell it‘s much easier said than done .
I will leave you with one final statement I read in one of Ibn Al-Qayyim books couple of years ago that never left my mind (until now at least ):
و كم من أناس مجهولين في الأرض معروفون عند أهل السماء
And how many people are unknown by those on earth, who are known for those in the sky!
PS: This reflection was inspired by a recent khutbah by my beloved Nouman Ali Khan!