Thank you all for following along on this 30 Khawaatir journey through the blessed days of Ramadan! It’s been a truly fulfilling experience. If you found any of it of benefit, please don’t forget us in your Dua ❤️ And, without further ado, here is the final installment.... But God Will See Today, I want to share a story about the great painter, Michelangelo. Michelangelo knew how to paint, but his favorite form of art was sculpting. One day, Pope Julius II asked him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He reluctantly agreed to take on this project even though it took him away from what he really wanted to do, which was sculpt. For four grueling years, Michelangelo laid on his back painting the Sistine Chapel. He gave it his absolute all. The Sistine Chapel has over 400 figures intricately painted on it. The artist worked so hard on this commission that he paid a very heavy price. Even though he was only 37 years old, he had nearly lost his eyesight, and his friends didn’t recognize the old man he had become. When he was asked why he was painting a dark corner of the ceiling that no one would ever see, Michelangelo responded by saying, 'God will see.' (paraphrased from The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, p. 17-18 by John C. Maxwell) When Angel Jibreel (peace be upon him) comes to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and his companions to teach us our religion, he asks the Prophet, 'What is ihsaan?' The Prophet ﷺ responds by saying, 'That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him then truly He sees you,' (Bukhari and Muslim). Ihsan is a beautiful concept and something we should all strive for. If we know Allah ﷻ is constantly watching us, how would our behavior change? Allah ﷻ loves when we do things with ihsan. That means, not just doing the bare minimum requirement, but putting in your maximum effort to produce something beautiful. If you wanted to impress your teacher, would you answer your homework using one word fragments, or would you write out your answers in complete sentences? When you are working on an art project that you're enjoying, would you focus on getting the details right, or would you completely ignore them? When you’re baking something for your family, would you skip over steps, or try your best to follow the directions to produce the most scrumptious dessert? When we begin viewing our lives through the lens of ihsan, then we will start seeing beauty all around us. Even things that seem ugly to us are seen as opportunities for beauty. When we strive for ihsan, Allah ﷻ promises to reward us with ihsan. In Surat ar-Rahman Allah ﷻ asks: 'Is the reward for excellence [anything] but excellence?' (Surat Ar-Rahman, aya 60). Whenever you show gentleness and mercy, whenever you take the right path, even though it is harder, rest assured that Allah ﷻ will reward you in the most beautiful way. The more you strive for ihsan in everything you do, the more beauty you will see in your life. So, when you clean your room, do it with ihsan. When you make wudu, be conscious of where the water falls. When you pray in front of your Creator, try your best to concentrate and show thankfulness to Allah ﷻ. May Allah ﷻ reward your effort with endless beauty. Eid Mubarak ❤️❤️❤️