Liquid Beauty
Just like the photograph
preserving the affection, love and memory of someone or something dear,
beauty is the ever-lasting relic of an object’s existence. Though the
object of affection may become old and weary or totally vanished out of
existence, its beauty pours into other containers e.g. memory or a
photograph so it will last. Again the ‘original’ may be subject to ruin
and corruption, but the beauty is the preservation of the original’s
splendor and goodness.
‘That which is with you shall
vanish, and that which is with Allah is everlasting” [1] and beyond any doubt that which is with Allah is
most beautiful therefore beauty is eternal! A flower may blossom for a
day or even less than a day, but its beauty captured in a photograph
can last the eternity.
Perhaps the original (which
was with us) is of little value or perishable with no eternal
substance, but its beauty (which is with Allah) poised for eternal
existence.
Beauty is a gift from the
Creator, a gift bestowed upon the mankind to restore their greatness no
matter what the conditions and passage of time. Though people walk
towards their ruin and evil, their beauty, the fantastic preserve of
their essence shall last forever for eyes to behold, hearts to rejoice
and minds to recollect.
The beauty of all things is
liquid-like and pours perpetually into unnumbered types of containers
for preservation:
1. Memory,
photograph…
2. Arts,
writing, drawing…
3. DNA
4.
Technology
5. Prayers
6. Dreams
Galileo’s beauty as a
stargazer has been preserved via his technological invention of
telescope for all mankind for all times. When we look upon the
technology of the telescope we see a container that is preserving the
beauty of Galileo where he exchanged his mortal existence for the
eternal beauty of an astronomer.
Long after the original has
turned into dust, the container preserves and hosts the beauty that was
handed down as a gift. Long after a loved one has perished, you find
their beauty echo in your prayers and rejoiced around the fountains of
your irises.
Like the birds flying south
for winter, and they know not why and they do so with no deliberation
or planning, beauty pours into new containers just the same even though
we plan not.
Someone who betrayed you in
most unacceptable and painful circumstances comes to your dreams and
prayers and though you know that this person is not worthy, and in
spite of their unsavory doings, love grows in your heart. The torrents
of beauty pours into infinite containers, no deliberations of ours
affect the eddies and currents, serenely rapids non-stop, the ugliness
is drowned, our will of no consequence. Container after container brim
filled, universe after universe beautified and no one but Almighty
knows where this beauty flows to and if it ever ends or for what
purpose.
Anguish roasts the seeds of
your heart on flames of dolor and raises the plumes of your heartache
to heavens, and you ask, “Why do I still love this person?” You love
not that individual any longer; you are in love with the gift of beauty
that was bestowed upon both of you. And those fantastic pain riddled
sensations of beautification and iterative recollections are the edict
from the Creator and indeed the loved one is preserved for you away
from the toils of this world, in the sanctuary of the Creator.
Matters not what happened to
the original, the gift of the beauty of the love shall be encapsulated
into the countless containers around you, and shall be with you
forever. And if you can comprehend the words “Matters not” in the last
sentence, you shall be emancipated from all heartache and loss in this
world. Sadly for I, it “Matters”.
[1] Koran An-Nahl (The Bee) 16:96
© 2003-2002,
By Dariush Gholizadeh