Water and froth or origin and image are expressions that all aim to sensitize man to the truth of life.

The life of each one of us is an asset — an asset that reflects the truth of our existence and its purpose — and an image, like the reflection of light, a fantasy that we should ignore and not let distract us from the ultimate goal of our life.

Sometimes we must stay away from the arena of conflicts that surround us from all sides: political and intellectual differences, non-stop fighting between opinions, intellectual, sectarian, and partisan fanaticism. All these conflicts make us, whether we like it or not, caught in a whirlwind of ideas and beliefs that disturb our inner stillness, forcing us to live above the surface of the current, suffering from the ripples of the torrent and the turbulence of its waves.

Every human being today, in our vast world, suffers, as the world has turned into a big house — a house with adjacent rooms without walls or curtains — seeing and hearing everything that goes on between peoples as soon as it happens.

Man is not satisfied with his own misfortunes, issues, and disputes; no, he is not satisfied with that. Instead, he sees, hears, and interacts with all the issues of the world. How wide the world is, and how many issues there are! How does man endure all this?

Here, God saves us with His greatest blessing — the Book of Allah. We read in Surah (Al-Ra'd) what reveals our cover and makes us know the origin and stay away from the froth. Our Lord, Almighty Allah, says:

Chapter 13, The Thunder (Ar-Ra’d), Verse 17:

(He sends down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure: But the torrent bears away to foam that mounts up to the surface. Even so, from that (ore) which they heat in the fire, to make ornaments or utensils therewith, there is a scum likewise. Thus doth Allah (by parables) show forth truth and vanity. For the scum disappears like forth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth. Thus doth Allah set forth parables.)

These are signs for our path, so that we do not confuse water and foam, or origin and image. The standard is clear and unambiguous: the benefit of people. The useful water and the precious ornament are what benefit mankind and are worthy of our attention. What harms people — from strife, disagreements, and conflicts — is nothing more than froth, like the waves of the night, with no benefit behind it, impurities upon which many people's lives are wasted as they busy themselves with them.

The solution is before us:

We must dress our minds with the filter of Surah Al-Ra’d. We must care only for the original and ignore the image. We must strive to reach the water without being distracted by the reflections of the mirage and the useless scum.

Today, in our contemporary world and with the revolution of communications and social media, many people are busy arguing and quarreling, fueling the fire of angry feelings, wrestling and fighting — and the days and years pass while they are busy with strife and chasing rumors and lies.

Then, when the short life is over and the end is near, they discover that they wasted their lives chasing a mirage, busying themselves with the foam on the surface of the water, distracted from seeing the clear water and the goodness in their life’s journey.

They have not left a footprint in their lives, nor achieved a goal to make others happy, and perhaps they have not even laid a brick in the wall of their homelands. These people have not benefited from the meanings of Surah Al-Ra'd.

It is a great loss if we do not distinguish between truth and illusion, between water and froth.

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