I was sitting in his small hut, in the middle of the forest.

It was a very cold winter night.

It was snowing…

Snow, snow, snow, everywhere.

I was sitting beside the window, and I couldn’t see except what the moon’s light has shown up from that dark forest.

I was thinking…

I have problems that are affecting my life. And, no at all, they are not external problems, they are problems coming from myself, yes, from myself.

I have faced a lot of external problems, and solved them. But… but, what about those problems coming from inside? I’m going to go crazy, I want to solve them, I want to get rid of them. Enough!.

From where should I begin? What should I do?

Well…

I think I must understand myself.

Understand myself ?!

I think I must know the purpose of my life. I must know my job on this earth.

There must be a goal for me being here. Yes, I didn’t come here for nothing. There must be something.

That’s it… I must set up goals for my life.

I must do something, I must build, I must achieve.

That’s why obstacles are surrounding me from here and there.

My goals!!!!!

Where are my goals?!

Got it…

I believe that I have a message here, in this world. There must be a message, I swear there is.

Yes, I believe it is a large message. A message full of goals, a message that will bring happiness to me. The happiness that everyone is searching for.

I kept thinking and thinking and thinking of that message.

For hours and hours and hours…

Until…

The sun raised up.

Snow started to melt.

At that moment, he took a very deep breath and said:

There must be a message.

A message that will light my path as the sunshine removed the darkness.

A message that will show me the truth, as the flowers have appeared from under that melted snow.

There must be a message.

– Abder-Rahman Ali

Interfaith Scholar 2008-2009

Published in the Winter 2008 Issue of the Interfaith Review