Hardwired Humanity

The yearning to call out to God is as innately and essentially part of the human being as wanting food when in hunger or desiring water when in thirst.  The best example that I’ve ever heard of in regards to this instinctive calling out to God was a story about a man named Cat Stevens. Many of you may know him.  He was a famous rock star in the 70’s (or maybe 60’s…I’m not that old) who went out swimming one day off the coast of Malibu.  At the time he was not someone who had a professed faith, but he was someone who was always soul searching.

So on this average beautiful morning in Malibu, Cat took his usual swim in the ocean.  But on this day he went too far and found himself struggling to stay afloat.  His struggle quickly turned into panic and despair.  Running out of energy and still far from the shoreline he clung to every breath as his mouth was now barely above water.

It was precisely at this moment, without thinking that his inherent connection to God came to fruition.  In what he felt were his last few moments alive, he called out to God and asked God to save him.  And he made a promise to God that if he was saved, then he would live the rest of his life in his service.  This call was instinctive…it was natural…he was already programmed and hardwired to do as such.

As Cat tells the story…this was the last thing that he remembered, and the next thing he recalled was lying on the shore, alive and well.  Subhanallah (All Glory is due to God)!  And he has spent the last 30 years in his service as a Muslim.

Whether we choose to deny or accept our inherent connection with God, is for us to decide.  But the fact remains…we were hard wired to worship the One True God, Master and Lord of the Universe.  And it is through this worship that we will know and understand ourselves and our place in this world.

I ask Allah (God) to guide all of us to be worshippers of Him alone.  Ameen.