There is a famous zen story of two monks walking back to their monastery one evening. On the journey home they came across a young woman with a broken leg trying to find a way to her village across the river. Since the monsoon season had just passed, what was once a soft stream had become a raging river. When the monks saw her crying, one of them ran towards her, put her on his shoulders and walked through the river to the other side of the land. He put her down, bowed in respect, and returned to his friend to continue their journey back to the monastery. After about walking for two hours, the other monk said, “You carrying that woman was not right. Monks should not touch woman.” The other monk peacefully replied, “I put that woman down two hours ago, why are you still carrying her?”
This story beautifully illustrates how when we judge others we are choosing to carry their mistakes in our minds. Through our judgement we further invest in actions that we ourselves did not make. The monk who carried the woman was showing his friend that when we judge others we only rob ourselves of peace. The Qur’an equates gossip of others as “eating the flesh of your brother” (49:12) implying that through judgement it is we who consume what is spiritually poisonous. Be careful what you choose to carry in your mind, the baggage you choose to burden yourself with, and of judging outward actions without considering inward intentions.
The monk who carried the woman acted out of necessity and in order to be in service of God’s creation. He did not carry the woman to fulfill his lust, to be seen as good, or with the desire to break God’s commandments. He carried the woman as a manifestation of kindness and care. Divine laws exist to protect us, to uphold a just society, for the protection and safety of all of creation. We should not allow rigidity to prevent us from actualizing the wisdom within God‘s guidance and laws. A worthwhile question to ask ourselves is the following:
“Would the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ leave this hurt, young woman stranded or would he help her in the most respectful way he could imagine?”
Maybe this question is triggering for some, maybe it’s like fresh air for others. Either way, it’s hard to deny that knowledge without wisdom often leads to destruction more than divine love. Martin Luther King Jr. profoundly reminded us the dangers of intelligence without wisdom when he said, “We have guided missiles and misguided men.” Whereas knowledge is the outward pursuit of knowing and is very masculine, wisdom is the inward unveiling of truth that is deeply feminine.
“Wisdom doesn’t just ask what is right, it asks what serves life, and what inspires harmony.”
— Fawzia Al-Rawi
Without a feminine integration of divine laws in the embrace of wisdom, the lived experience of faith can become myopic, rigid, and in direct opposition to the essential and loving heart of Islam. The monk who was guided to carry the woman across the river, did not judge the other for not being moved to be in service of creation. For the literalist who says this act was a sin, perhaps a sin done through love, in the name of God, for the sake of one in need is better than advice given in the name of pride for the sake of one’s own arrogant righteousness. I don’t know much about Allah but I do know this, “He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy” (12:64). I don’t know much about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ but I do know that he was sent as “a mercy to ALL worlds” (12:107). I don’t know much about myself, but I do know I cannot bear the thought that God would one day say I was too judgmental, too harsh, or too rigid, but if my fault was that I was too merciful, then at the very least I can seek refuge in Allah’s own Rahma from His wrath. May Allah guide us to remember who we are and Whose we are: Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahman!
“My mercy encompasses all things”
— Qur’an 7:156
Oh Allah, keep our eyes on the path You have paved for us, focusing on the alignment of our hearts to You alone. My Beloved Lord, inspire us toward mercy, kindness, and gentleness. Oh Allah, if we see faults in others may it be a reminder to be grateful for You having guided us. Oh Allah, if our hearts turn towards the people of the world with judgement, forgive us and swiftly return us to You in repentance. My Lord, make us mirrors of Your mercy for this hurting world, make us water for the fire of pain, and by Your grace make us live and die upon the path of loving kindness and gentleness. In Your beautiful and majestic names we pray, Ameen.
In prayers of light upon light,
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