"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages."Michael was placed on the stage at a very early age. We can say that he was on the stage as a performer before he was conscious of his own identity or awareness. Thereby we may say that he saw the world as one big stage and people were his audience. At times his brothers served as supporting casts but for the most part he was solo.
If everyone is viewing you as an actor on stage, then the question becomes, "who am I?" "What is my true self?" I believe that Michael's life is a sign for us. When in search for his own true identity he came in contact with the innocent self, the nafs wahidah.
This is the identity of self before we take on a male, man, female, woman, black, white, tall, short, American, Chinese, etc. identity. For we all are equally created from the nafs wahidah.
Not only does Michael recognize that he is a player but those he came in contact with for the most part were players also, perhaps, not as good a player as Michael. For, it was Michael who began to alter his own costume and makeup, thereby being transformed from one character to another. But when Michael didn't want to be on stage and wanted to be Michael he turned to the innocent self and it appears as though he wanted to identify with others like him. Consequently, he only found this same true innocence in children and animals, the nativity scene.
Often time's people could not tell the real Michael from the character on stage. It was only a few times he would reveal himself in the public's eye and even then this original self was rejected sending him back to the stage.
Well, now that Michael has received his curtain call, though he has received a standing ovation for such life performance, there is no encore. In his world of play and amusement he receives the award for best actor, best costume and makeup, and artist.
For, what is this world but chattels of deception?
For the Muslim we too are players. And we all are auditioning for the character of Muhammed The Prophet. It is that character to be most emulated and it is that character that will take us to the seventh stage.
Thank you for reading this note.
Salim MuMin
