Where the Living Truly Are

DAILYREFLECTION

There was once a soldier wandering the desert near Kufa, searching for the city center. Dust clung to his clothes, the sun pressed hard on his shoulders, and his patience began to fade. In the distance he saw a man sitting quietly beneath a lone tree, calm and still, as if the heat itself had no claim over him.

The soldier approached and asked, “Are you a slave?”

The man looked down and said softly, “Yes.”

“Then tell me,” the soldier continued, “where are the city dwellings? Where is everyone?”

“Follow me,” the man replied.

Step by step, the soldier followed until they came to a graveyard. Rows of silent stones stretched across the sand.

“I asked for the city,” the soldier snapped.

The man pointed to the graves. “This,” he said, “is where the living dwell.”

The soldier thought he was being mocked. He struck the man on the head and dragged him toward the real city.

When they arrived, people rushed out in shock. “What have you done?” they cried. “That man is Ibrahim ibn Adham—the leading scholar of this city, a living saint!”

The soldier froze, his hand trembling.

They turned to Ibrahim and asked, “Why didn’t you tell him who you were?”

Ibrahim smiled faintly. “He asked if I was a slave,” he said. “He never asked to whom.”

Those who knew him were not surprised. Ibrahim ibn Adham lived in such awareness of Allah that at times it was as if his heart walked in a different realm entirely. 

Mindful, surrendered, seeing the world through another light.

“What did you say when he struck you?” they asked.

“I prayed that Allah grant him Paradise,” he said, “for I knew I would be rewarded because of him, and I did not want him to be punished because of me.”

Silence fell.

“But why,” they finally asked, “did you take him to the graveyard when he asked for the city?”

Ibrahim looked toward the horizon where the graves shimmered in the afternoon sun.

“I’ve noticed,” he said, “that when people move into towns, they come and go. But when they move there,” he pointed gently toward the graves, “they settle, and I’ve never seen anyone leave that dwelling.”

And then, almost to himself, he whispered, “That is where the living truly are.”

Tomorrow, We’ll step closer to that hidden reality, the unseen life that begins the moment ours ends.

REFLECT ON THIS:

What would change in our priorities if we lived today as souls, not just bodies alive in remembrance, not asleep in heedlessness?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}

WATERMELONWATCH

• Israel says ceasefire and aid access will resume after airstrikes killed around 26 people in Gaza, including civilians. Aid agencies say even the promise of deliveries offers new hope for families who’ve faced months of blockade and hunger.

• US envoys arrived in Israel to shore up the fragile truce between Hamas and Gaza Strip. Their presence helps signal that diplomatic avenues remain open, offering a pause where rebuilding and relief might finally take root.

• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that since the ceasefire began, water delivery points rose from 1,200 to 1,440, and roughly 949,000 meals were prepared across Gaza. These incremental improvements reflect the strength of local relief partners holding the line under extreme conditions.

• The truce is under strain — both sides accuse each other of violations, and the border crossing at Rafah remains closed. Still, civilians in Gaza are cautiously returning to their neighborhoods and clearing rubble, showing remarkable resilience in the face of devastation.

• A senior Hamas official said the group cannot commit to full disarmament and intends to retain control over Gaza’s internal security. This stance complicates post-war governance and reconstruction. Yet across the Strip, community-run kitchens, underground clinics, and local volunteer networks continue to serve thousands daily, a testament to Gaza’s unbroken will to care and rebuild.

QURANCORNER

Each day, you’ll be introduced to one of the 300 most common Qur’anic words. The Qur’an has about 77,430 words in total, all built on just 2,000 root words. By learning these frequently recurring ones, you’ll recognize 70–80% of the Qur’an’s vocabulary and begin connecting more deeply as you read.

Ghayr (غَيْر) - Not / Other Than

Ghayr draws a line; it separates truth from falsehood, light from shadow, the path of grace from the path of loss. When we say ghayr al-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim, we’re not just asking for guidance, we’re asking not to be like those who knew and turned away. Ghayr teaches us that sometimes, knowing what we don’t want is part of finding what’s right.