This Ramadan, MuslimMatters reached out to our regular (and not-so-regular) crew of writers asking them to share their reflections on various ayahs/surahs of the Quran, ideally with a focus on a specific juz – those that may have impacted them in some specific way or have influenced how they approach both life and deen. While some contributors are well-versed in at least part of the Quranic Sciences, not all necessarily are, but reflect on their choices as a way of illustrating that our Holy Book is approachable from various human perspectives.

Introducing, A Ramadan Quran Journal: A MuslimMatters Series

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The Bird

by Wael Abdelgawad

Albatross

Flying over the ocean off the coast of the great central land – what the humans called Africa, though the bird did not know this – the albatross heard the sound of a boy reciting the Quran. The sound arrived on the wind like a righteous stowaway, faint but discernible. The wind was like that. It could carry the sound of a bird’s cry across a vast distance, or could snatch away and conceal even the most terrible noises.

Wind was something the albatross understood better than any living creature. 

The great bird was a glider, with a wingspan of four meters. He knew air currents as he knew his own heartbeat. He could travel 100 kilometers without flapping his wings, using techniques such as dynamic soaring, in which he expertly flew into an air current to gain elevation, turned, and dropped in elevation to survey for fish. If he saw a school of fish he would dive straight into the wild sea and snatch one up. In fact, his name, albatross, came from the Arabic al-ġaṭṭās, ‘the diver’, though the bird did not know this.

Special tendons in the albatross’s shoulders held his wings extended without effort. He could travel a thousand kilometers in a day – nearly the distance between Madinah and Amman, both of which he had visited. His habitat was the entire southern hemisphere of the world, and he had crossed it multiple times.

Mercy to the Worlds

The albatross knew the Quran as well, as did all living things, for did Allah not say that the Prophet Muhammad – and therefore the Quran that he brought – was a mercy to all the worlds? And was not Allah the Lord of all the worlds? And did this not include the animal world? Oh, the albatross did not understand the linguistic meaning of the Arabic words, but the Quranic essence flowed into his heart as easily as the wind flowed over the sea.

He glided in toward shore, drawn by the recitation, coming in fast and low toward the emerald hills of Cape Town, South Africa.

The boy who recited the Quran was small and brown-skinned, wearing loose white clothing and a white cap with gold embroidery. He sat cross-legged and barefoot on the bow of a sailing boat that was tethered to the dock, and held the mushaf in his lap, reciting Surat An-Nur out loud.

The albatross extended his talons and landed smoothly on the top mast of the boat. Folding his great wings into his sides, he settled himself to listen.

Perhaps having caught a glimpse of motion through his peripheral vision, the boy looked up, startled, and gaped.

The albatross knew he was an unusual sight. There were not many of his kind left, the majority of his race having been destroyed by human poachers, poisoned by pollution, killed by cats or rats as chicks, starved by human overfishing of the seas, or caught in fishing nets and hooks. He was a grizzled old survivor, over forty years old, though the bird himself could not count. He only knew that he had survived his brood, his pair-bonded mate, and probably most of his own chicks.

The boy called out words that the albatross did not understand, but – having had much experience with humans – guessed was probably something like, “Baba, there is a big bird!”

A voice from the ship’s hold replied gruffly, maybe saying, “So what? Birds are everywhere. Continue your recitation.”

Allah is the Light

Reluctantly, the boy tore his eyes from the great albatross and chanted:

35. Allāh is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allāh guides to His light whom He wills. And Allāh presents examples for the people, and Allāh is Knowing of all things.

The bird exhaled softly through his nostrils, thinking, subhanAllah! What glory, what beauty! He knew well that Allah was the light of the heavens and earth, for was it not Allah who guided him on his journeys? Wasn’t it Allah who brought him through lightning and storm, across vast distances of open ocean, and across great landmasses, even as the humans polluted the world with noise and artificial light? Wasn’t it Allah who controlled the sun, moon and stars, by which the albatross navigated?

The bird understood that the lamp in the niche was the heart of the believer, which is filled with the light of Allah , and is naturally inclined to Allah . As for the light upon light, it might be the light of the Quran, and the light of faith. And Allah knew best.

36. In houses which Allāh has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings…
37. [are] men who neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allāh and performance of prayer and giving of zakāh. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about –
38. That Allāh may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And Allāh gives provision to whom He wills without account [i.e., limit].

The albatross was an observer of human beings by necessity, for in their hands lay the survival of all earthly life. And they were making a cruel mess of it. But yes, he had seen men and women who worshiped Allah , dedicated themselves to righteousness, and harmed no living thing. Such people were uncommon strangers in this world. May Allah have mercy on them and reward them.

Mirages and Dark Nights

The boy recited:

39. But those who disbelieved – their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allāh before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allāh is swift in account.

The albatross was once blown far off course by a storm, and found himself over deep desert. He flew for days, riding the eddies, using a technique known as slope gliding to stay in the air. He became desperately thirsty, and on the fourth day saw a shimmering lake of blue amid the vast expanse of sand. Landing in the “lake,” he found only dry dust. In frustration and desperation, he took a bill full of sand, only to choke on it. If such were the deeds of the disbelievers, then he thanked and praised Allah that he was not one of them.

40. Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds – darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allāh has not granted light – for him there is no light.

Ths ayah made the bird’s breath catch, for it took him back to another experience of his in which he’d been shot and nearly killed. He’d been far out over the deep ocean on a windy, pitch black night, in which there was no moon, and heavy clouds blocked the stars. Albatrosses could float upon the ocean when tired, but on this night it was not possible, for the sea was in turmoil, with massive waves rising up and crashing down. It could be difficult to navigate on such nights, and the inky darkness weighed on one’s spirit. An albatross’s life was lonely, but nights like that reminded him of all he had lost. If such was the soul of the disbeliever, it was a frightful way to live.

On that particular night, he spotted one of the immense, brightly lit container ships plying the sea, rocking with the waves, but large enough to stay afloat. It was a welcome sight, and he landed atop the pilot house to rest. As he sat, wings folded, head tucked into his feathers, he heard an odd sound. Lifting his head, he saw an unlit boat approaching rapidly. Knowing this was not normal, he took flight, as the conflicts of men were not his affair.

Circling above, he watched as human death sticks chattered and flamed, men yelled and screamed, and the container ship caught fire. A loud explosion made his heart race, and the container ship began to list. Men were washed overboard. A stray bullet – a hot stone in his understanding – clipped his wing and he cawed in pain. Cursing himself for his curiosity he sped away, his wing dripping blood. The last thing he saw was the container ship sinking into the frigid, uncaring sea.

Birds Exalt Allah

The boy’s recitation brought him back:

41. Do you not see that Allāh is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allāh is Knowing of what they do.
42. And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and to Allāh is the destination.

This verse made joy geyser in the albatross’s heart, for it spoke of him! It was true, he did indeed exalt and praise Allah , Master of the sky and sea and stars, Creator of all, and the sole Provider. Excited to hear himself mentioned, the albatross spread his wings wide.

The boy stopped his recitation and looked worriedly at the bird. Seeing this, the albatross tucked his wings again and settled down.

Hesitantly, the boy continued:

43. Do you not see that Allāh drives clouds? Then He brings them together; then He makes them into a mass, and you see the rain emerge from within it. And He sends down from the sky, mountains [of clouds] within which is hail, and He strikes with it whom He wills and averts it from whom He wills. The flash of its lightning almost takes away the eyesight.
44. Allāh alternates the night and the day. Indeed in that is a lesson for those who have vision.

The albatross was excited. Clouds, rain, hail, and lightning, were part of his daily experience. They were his reality, for good or bad.

The humans were free creatures, but they did not know they were free. In giving them free agency, Allah had elevated them, making their ‘ibadah precious. And in giving them khilafah over the earth, Allah had enabled them to create a world of gardens and peace. Yet they chained themselves to meaningless possessions and killed each other out of greed. They lived in the muck, scrabbling and bleeding, forgetting how Allah had honored them.

Not a Creature of Will

The albatross, on the other hand, was absolutely free, in the physical sense. He had seen the way fishermen and beachgoers gazed at him in longing, faces upturned, wishing they could fly as he did. Yet he was old and weary of contending with storms, waves, and hunger. He yearned for a safe place he could call home.

He was not a creature of will, however, and could not change his nature.

With these turbulent thoughts and emotions running through his mind, the albatross opened his mouth and uttered the characteristic – and very loud – call of his kind: “UWAY, UWAY, taak tak tak tak tak tak tak tak tak tak tak!”

It was too much for the boy. He closed the Quran and ran into the boathouse, calling out for his parents.

Ah well. The albatross preened his feathers for a moment, then stretched out his wings, flapped a few times, and found an air current. Banking into it, he climbed quickly and steered toward the rough waters off the coast of Cape Agulhas. The yellowtail and snoek were shoaling at this time of year, and he would have a fish in his belly soon enough, inshaAllah.

THE END

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Reader comments and constructive criticism are important to me, so please comment!

See the Story Index for Wael Abdelgawad’s fiction stories on this website.

Wael Abdelgawad’s novels – including Pieces of a Dream, The Repeaters and Zaid Karim Private Investigator – are available in ebook and print form on his author page at Amazon.com.

Related:

– A Ramadan Quran Journal: A MuslimMatters Series – [Juz 17] Trust Fund And A Yellow Lamborghini

– The Covenant