Allah (SWT)’s knowledge is all-encompassing. This means that nothing escapes his knowledge. No activity in the skies, on earth, in the oceans, escapes the knowledge of Allah (SWT). He says, “I have the keys of all the unseen things. No one knows them but me. I know what is occurring on dry land and I know what is occurring in the oceans. Every leaf that falls from a tree, I know about, and every seed that is planted and disappears from view, I know its conditions. Every living and non-living thing is in my knowledge.” Nothing escapes his knowledge; no action of the human being escapes the knowledge of Allah (SWT). Every gaze that a person casts, Allah (SWT) knows; every gaze that has crossed limits and every incorrect glance is known by Allah (SWT). What the hearts are hiding, Allah (SWT) knows. Allah (SWT) knows the secrets that people have in their hearts, and he knows what is hidden beneath their secrets and what is about to become a secret. Allah (SWT) knows everything because a Muslim who is always connected to his lord and master is remains very diligent about what they are saying. In fact, this is what enables and empowers us to regulate ourselves when no one is watching.
For a Muslim it makes no difference whether any person is watching; they know Allah (SWT) is watching. Umar (RA), on one of his nightly patrols, passed by a house where the people used to milk their animals and sell the milk. The mother instructed the daughter to add some water in the milk. The young girl responded by saying, “Umar (RA) does not permit us doing this.” She said, “He does not know that we are doing this. He is not here right now to tell us what to do.” The young girl responded by saying, “Allah (SWT) is here right now. He is watching what we are doing.” In this way, Muslims regulate their own behavior. Muslims do not look around to see if there is supervision on them or if there is anyone watching them, because in all conditions, they know that Allah (SWT) is aware. Like this, you will find hundreds of stories from the sahaba, Qur’an, and hadith who regulated themselves just because Allah (SWT) was watching. In fact, one of the ways people used to test others was by saying, “Go and do this for me where no one can see you.” Right away, it would be noticed that no one would do something impermissible because they knew that Allah (SWT) was watching. This awareness of Allah is one of the most powerful things that a person can have in their heart and mind, but it has to be cultivated and protected. It comes with effort and leaves very quickly. The moment a person commits a sin, that awareness departs from them. In fact, that awareness had already departed, causing them to commit that sin. If this awareness of Allah (SWT) is brought in our hearts, it can prevent every wrong deed against every inappropriate act and against everything that is incorrect from a worldly and religious perspective. This is a part of our mission and objective; Allah (SWT) created us for his worship and servitude, and a part of this servitude is that we are constantly aware of him. This is not something extra, that if we achieve it then all is good, but rather, this is a part of our deen and one of the most important components of worshipping Allah (SWT). How will you be worshipping Allah (SWT) if you are not aware of him? When you lack this awareness, this is when our behavior goes out of control, and we say or do things that displease him. This is when we skip prayers when no one is noticing, or we miss out on doing good deeds because no person is noticing them . A person will continue to do bad deeds because no person can see them as they are doing it.
The root cause of all of this is the awareness of Allah (SWT) not being in their heart. The awareness of Allah (SWT) is a light and will enlighten your mind. If you carry it around with you, it will impact the people you associate with; the people that you eat with, the people that you walk with – they will all feel it. This is a very precious and delicate thing. Some people develop this awareness as they are studying, and others develop it after some time working on themselves and disciplining themselves. Some people develop it towards the end of their lives and others do not develop it at all. The most fortunate people are those who develop the awareness of Allah (SWT) while they are still studying. It saves them from every wrong and evil while they are studying, and it starts opening doors of khair for them. Allah (SWT) knows that there is a slave of his that fears him and loves him and does things because he knows that Allah (SWT) is listening, and that connection that person has with Allah (SWT) opens all of their doors. Through this, Allah (SWT) inspires them with thoughts and ideas that no one else can have. This is the jewel of this world. If a person can attain it, they are the most fortunate person in the world, but if a person does not have it, despite how many riches and treasures they may have in this world, they are deprived. May Allah (SWT) make us from the people who acquire the awareness of Allah (SWT) and let that awareness guide us away from the displeasures of Allah (SWT). May Allah give us tawfiq.
