Desiring Attention (11/03/2019)

Every human being desires attention. While the majority of the world is concerned with seeking the attention of human beings, often to the point of obsession, the believer is concerned with obtaining the attention of Allah ﷻ. The attention of people inherently carries two possible harms: (1) it may carry with it the evil eye that the Qur’an and the Prophet ﷺ have warned us about; (2) it comes with judgment and criticism that is damaging to the human psyche. The attention of Allah ﷻ, however, is inherently beneficial, and carries with it a resulting goodness, both in this life and in the hereafter. Today, many of us have chosen to make our lives public, in hopes that the attention of others will fulfill us in some way. Instead, we see around us the damaging effects of the attention of public life. We should seek to fill the void of desiring attention only through the special attention of Allah ﷻ.