Whisper

It is sweet, once and again, a whisper! It may be pure joy. A whisper that caresses our ears, confiding in them, and transports us to the realm of latent emotions within the world of love, harmony, and the security of time and place, drawing a smile upon lips that long for delight and the call of happiness. A whisper that reminds us of the past with its beautiful details, which had faded from our daily lives, and when recalled, becomes a new solace we wish to live through in every moment, evoking those who were with us in our lives now, and those who departed without regret. Sometimes joy envelops this whisper, and at other times, sorrow wraps around it, adorning it. Its joy accompanies us through the night in its stillness, without separation, gladdening our nights until morning. When dawn breaks and we awaken to hear the moaning of sorrow, we realize that what we experienced was not real, but rather fantasies and delusions; then sorrow assassinates us, and we implore it to leave us. A gentle whisper that frees the heart from its pains, transports it to the world of joy, instills in it the spirit of optimism, distances it from the gloom of pessimism, and tells it that life has a renewing spirit, mirroring hope, the beauty of effort, and the awakening of conscience. In the heart of each of us lies what brings joy and solace, and the adept is one who reaches it, adheres to it meticulously and preferentially, and willingly employs it to bring joy and scatter happiness throughout his world, hoping that this may be within easy reach and grasp. Yet humans may overlook it, rarely turning their attention to it. If only we were twins with joy! But the battles and preoccupations of life may distract us from sensing joy. Perhaps a gentle whisper from a beloved, a friend, or a relative will remind us that life has another side that inspires delight and happiness, and that we must recognize it before turning to the other side. This is life: it contains whispers, which may be between us and ourselves, or we may wait—how difficult it is to wait—for someone to offer them to us as advice, perhaps even reproof, or even rebuke. Dr. Saud Muhammad Al-Asfour