Assalamu Alaikum my dear 

Have you ever been to a planetarium? 

A few years ago, I took my kids to an incredibly high-tech planetarium, and I have to say—it felt like stepping into another world.

As we sat there, surrounded by the vastness of the cosmos, watching planets swirl and galaxies stretch endlessly, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe. The sheer scale of Allah subuhanawut’ala’s creation was overwhelming, humbling, and, in a way, unsettling. It made me think about how small we really are in the grand scheme of things.

I’ve been to planetariums before, but that day felt different. It wasn’t just about seeing the stars; it was about feeling them, experiencing their magnitude in a way that made me pause and reflect. It made me think deeply about our place in this vast universe and how, in the grand scale of creation, we are so incredibly small.

After the show, I pulled my eldest daughter to my side and asked, “What did you learn from what we just saw?”

She looked up at me and said, “Oh, I realized how small the Earth is.”

I smiled and told her about the hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ):

"If this world were worth the wing of a mosquito in the sight of Allah, He would not have given a disbeliever a single sip of water from it." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2320)

I shared with her my reflection on this hadith—that the very reason Allah has given so much to those who disbelieve should make us understand how incredibly worthless this world is in Allah's sight. Yet, despite knowing this, we often fight over this world and everything in it, forgetting how temporary and insignificant it truly is.

Sometimes, certain hadiths don’t truly sink in until we experience something that brings them to life. That planetarium visit did just that for me. Looking at the sheer scale of the universe, realizing how tiny our world is in comparison, suddenly humbled me in a way I hadn't felt before.

And then it hit me like a wave of clarity. All these things we stress over—the endless worries, the problems that consume our thoughts, the challenges that seem insurmountable—when you see them from this perspective, they suddenly feel so small, almost laughable. It’s as if the universe itself whispers to us, reminding us to take a step back, breathe, and realize that our troubles aren’t as colossal as they seem.

You see, the real issue with most problems isn't the problem itself—it's how we look at it. Sometimes, we give our challenges so much power that they feel larger than life. But what if we changed our perspective?

Just last week, I was having dinner with one of my daughters when an opportunity arose for a little life lesson. She was worried about something that, to me, felt minor, but to her, it was a mountain.

I glanced around and saw a water bottle and a toothpick on the table. I placed them next to each other and said, “Imagine, for a moment, that you are the toothpick, and this water bottle represents your problem. How does it feel?”

She looked at me, then at the objects, and said, “It feels overwhelming. It’s too big.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Now, what if we switch things around? Imagine you are the water bottle, and the problem is the toothpick. How does it feel now?”

She stared at them for a moment, then smiled. “It feels easier. I think I can handle it.”

I told her, “You see, a problem is only as big as we make it out to be. If you let it loom over you, it’ll feel impossible. But if you shift your perspective, you’ll realize it’s something you can manage.”

And isn’t that true for all of us?

Most of the time, we magnify our struggles, making them appear far bigger than they actually are. But if we pause, step back, and look at them through the lens of the vastness of Allah subuhanawut’ala’s creation, we’ll see them for what they really are—small, fleeting tests that are part of our journey in this world.

It’s a lesson I remind myself of often, and I hope it resonates with you too.

May Allah subuhanawut’ala grant us the wisdom to see our challenges with perspective, the strength to overcome them, and the humility to realize that everything—our worries, our hopes, our lives—are in His capable hands.

With love and gratitude,
Rushdhi

 -----

This post is part of my new weekly email series, “Heart to Heart.” If you enjoyed reading this and would like to receive these reflections directly in your inbox, you can subscribe below!