The beauty of this world oft transcends the human mind, in our fickleness and lack of appreciation. We gaze at sunrises, uttering words of grace and praise to the Almighty, before moving on with our daily motions – our ‘functional’ selves. We allow ourselves to be moved by brilliance and beauty, documenting breathtaking sights and experiences as leisure – or at best, celebrating ourselves for our appreciation and love for nature and His creation. We ponder on verses in His Holy Book, verses on nature and His Might. Verses which capture the essence of beauty in His creation. We think. Yet, our mind limits itself to what we see and what we’re used to, what we read and how life is ‘supposed to go’. We deem things we’re not used to as ‘unnatural’ and take heed from anyone who offers unconventional alternatives. We refuse to accept the possibility of two contrasting elements working together beautifully, not realising the miracle of God’s creation we wax lyrical is itself the most unconventional extreme; and yet in it, we only see beauty. Doesn’t He merge shades of orange and pink, blue, white and purple altogether to paint us the most mesmerizing sunrise? Doesn’t He illustrate every single shade of colour in His sky, every single day, for us to witness and ponder? Doesn’t He join warmth and breeze, rain and sun? Every day He exhibits the most radical contrasts for us to witness, and learn. He teaches us the essence of life, and to appreciate it for what it is – a constant stream of events and change; contrasts and beautiful results – some not so beautiful. But after dark there’s light, and after rain there’s shine, and when sun and rain come together creating a magnificent exhibition of brilliant colours in the sky, that’s His illustration of: إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً – Verily with hardship there is ease. He teaches us, that life isn’t meant to be stable. He teaches us, that life’s imperfections is what beauty is about. He teaches us the fluidity of this life, and that even in the most perfect structures, there will be unexpected storm, thunder, and rain. He teaches us that life isn’t about planning, but about spontaneity and faith; that life doesn’t have a structure it abides by, it’s organic. He teaches us all this, for us to truly understand the meaning of tawakkul and faith, yet we limit it to our limited experiences. Our lack of appreciation and understanding of His words are exposed when we limit his Creation to ‘signs that He exists’ or signs of His Might and beauty in creation – without stopping and thinking a little deeper – perhaps pondering on the unspoken lesson God unveils to us through His nature, for us to appreciate and understand. Indeed, life would be so much more fulfilling if we saw the world with all the colours Allah swt created, as opposed to just the colours we’ve indoctrinated ourselves to see.