In Surah Al Haj, Allah azza wa jall reminds us:
فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍ مُّعَطَّلَةٍ وَقَصْرٍ مَّشِيدٍ
And how many a city did We destroy while it was committing wrong – so it is [now] fallen into ruin – and [how many] an abandoned well and [how many] a lofty palace.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ
So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.
May Allah open hearts as we travel through the land, seeking fortunes, educating ourselves, or simply enjoying some hard-won vacation time with significant others, Ya Muqallibal qulub, thabbit qalbi ‘ala dinik, Ameen.
God willing, my darling, adorable wife and I are on the middle leg of our Texas Triangle* trip, celebrating our 4th anniversary, and InshaAllah we’re spending the time remembering Him and giving thanks to Him and worshiping Him in the best possible manner. There will be many signs of Him and His blessings, mercy and power as we visit several of the landscapes and environments this great state has to offer.
*Yes, it’s really more of a diamond, or trapezoid, but “Texas Triangle” has some nice alliteration that I don’t get from “diamond” or “trapezoid”.
