While surfing through the Internet, I came across this amazing webpage about a guy who went traveling around the world in 634 days and capturing the essence of life of the places he visited along the way. Looking at all the beautiful pictures snapped and reading some of his commentaries suddenly made me feel like quitting my studies and traveling around instead. What fascinated me the most was that he daringly went off the beaten track. From Karakoram Highway to the mountainous parts of Nepal to surprisingly beautiful city of Isfahan Iran, you name it.
I love traveling. I'm used to it since I was a kid. Seeing great places gives me some sort of satisfaction. Sometimes, I can get a bit overwhelmed when I see the pictures of mega-structures like the ones of ancient Rome and Egypt (or other ancient civilizations), so much so I wish to meet the people living at that time. Just looking at the legacy they had left behind easily tells us that they were once among the greatest and strongest nations ever existed on earth. If I were one of them, I would have been proud.
But accidentally listening to Muhammad Alshareef's "Perished Nations" lecture hits me hard. The stories of nations that came before (Aad, Thamud, Lut, Firaun) have been repeated so many times in Holy Quran so much so Prophet Muhammad SAW's hairs had turned white. These so-called great people of the past need no glorification over their architectural prowess nor their mightiness. These were the people who were arrogant and turned their back to Allah. Indeed, their stories need our attention.
As for Aad, they were the first people who introduced idolatry back into the society after the people of Nuh AS. Unlike any other, Allah had made Aad a powerful and skillful society. They resided in enormous city of Iram, a city with lofty towers. As lofty as their towers, so was their arrogance. When their brother Hud AS conveyed the message of truth, they mocked him.
And that was the story of Aad whom Allah finally destroyed in raging wind as the punishment from Him. The general rule of thumb is great civilization won't last long and it will decline once it reaches perfection like in the case of Al-Andalus. Even worse, however, some were just perished like the people of Aad who transgressed.
So often, we go travel for the sake of enjoyment and waste so much money and energy on it. And at times, we get exhausted and frustrated. These things always happen to me so many times. No one to blame but me. Let this story be a keen reminder to me every time I go travel for things out there are not only for the eyes to see but also for the heart to ponder.
0 footprints