Shared
Interests

Now we know that people come in all sorts of different kinds,

and that they are interested in all sorts of different things,

but with people its never all differences.

It's hard to tell how someone first gets interested in something,

what makes them suddenly want to know more about it,

where they get the idea.

But the variety of humans means that you can be certain

that there is someone else out there

who is interested in the same thing.

So friendships are made through shared interests,

friendships between people who otherwise are quite different,

and who would be unlikely to have made friends in any other way.

And so they gather together

to gaze at the wonder and beauty of the world

in whichever way they see it.

And study the things they love

and pass on what they enjoy.

The fun of sharing.

And there is so much to share in the study of the world,

as the Messenger said that the world is a mosque,

a sacred place,

and everything is there to be explored,

except what is forbidden.

This variety shows us the Signs of God in the world,

and the more we look, the more we can see.

And the more we see of the Signs of God,

the more we can share that with others.

And being interested enough to know a lot about something useful can be a very good thing,

as you will be the expert about that in your team,

while knowing that someone else will be the expert in the things that you don't know.

It's never good to get too proud of what you know.

Better to be humble,

knowing how little you know of what there is to know.

But in life, everybody counts.

People are all part of the human team,

and muslims are also part of the family of muslims,

the ummah,

who may have lots of differences, but are one before

the Words of the Qur'an, and their love and respect for the Messenger.

Study of these is at the heart of a shared interest across the ummah,

that goes around the muslim world with no concern for differences.