Autumn

by Roz

I like to think. I really love to draw myself in, let my imagination burst into life, and think. It evokes a beautiful feeling. This is a reflection I put into words to help myself. I’m sharing it in the hope that you may find within it some benefit.

I love autumn. The last show of the spring and summer splendour before the winter months. I love how the once green leaves culminate in a brilliance of colour and then slowly fall down, laying beautiful carpet to the earth. That’s a depiction of our life right there, in nature, right in front of our eyes.

But I don’t want autumn to be just that; a passive observation of the brilliance and eventual fall of life. No, I want it to be more than that. Autumn evokes a beautiful feeling. A feeling of freshness. A sense of liveliness. The leaves know that they are going to fall yet they put on a brilliant, spectacular performance. They don’t just wither away and die. They fall with splendour.

The types of trees that lose their leaves are found in places where the coming winter is cold and challenging. They lose their leaves to protect themselves; a preparation for the arduous journey ahead. Leaves are important, as we all know, but come winter they will be a cause of death. The dry winter winds will draw the moisturising life out from these trees through the leaves if they don’t lose these leaves; even though it is a source of great beauty and necessity. You may wonder how they photosynthesise without their leaves and this is where planning and preparation saves the tree. It makes and stores sufficient food to keep it going when times become testing.

If you haven’t prepared for the winter months then there is still time. Scrape out the dark spots in the mind or these will cloud the lenses with which you view the world and cause you to miss the beauty of the winter. Seek forgiveness before the imminent fall and return to your Lord before it’s too late. Like the trees shed their past in these autumn months make this a time for you to shed your sins. Stand before your Lord and pray and increase in the recitation of His Book. Fast at this time when the days are short and yet the potential for reward is not decreased. Stand and bow and prostate and beseech at the time when everyone is in a state of slumber. Make excellent your character and how you deal with people. Smile sincerely and help people. Excel at what you do for the sake of Allah subahanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) and constantly remind yourself of the reward that is waiting for you.

And know that in the changing of the seasons, the brilliance in colour, the falling of the leaves are all signs for you to reflect, remember and come closer to your Lord.

That’s how we should approach these autumn days and nights; a return to Allah (swt). We know we will fall but before we fall we will shine with a brilliance that amazes the eye and then we will fall with a brilliance that will leave an everlasting impression on the minds and we will be raised up in a state green and anew.