So I’m chillin’ at the canteen with my good ol’ buddy Mizi, during lunch break at the office, right?
And I go:
"Hey bro, tell me this... what’s the difference if we eat fried eggs here... and fried eggs in New Zealand? Like, imagine we bring the eggs from Malaysia, but fry ’em up in New Zealand, would they taste different?"
Mizi’s like:
"Yeah man... I think fried eggs in New Zealand taste better."
I’m like:
"Why?"
And he goes,
"‘Cause it feels like... rich people vibes, y'know? Not everyone gets to go to New Zealand... heh heh heh..."
Fair point.
So I hit him with another one:
"This shirt you’re wearin’... if you wear it here, and then you wear the same shirt in New Zealand, where do you think you look hotter?"
And he’s like:
"Bro, I look good anywhere... hahahaha!
But yeah, maybe in New Zealand I’d look even better.
Not many handsome dudes out there, you know what I’m sayin’?"
Okay okay, push pause.
Now check this, you ever drink one of those canned coffees, like from the store? You drink it here in Malaysia, it tastes a certain way. But then you take that same exact can, same flavor, same expiry date, everything and drink it somewhere else…. and it tastes different!
Like... what the heck is that about??
Same goes for music, man. You play Pearl Jam here, sounds cool.
But then you’re in New Zealand, put on the same track... BOOM, it hits different.
The vibes, the air, the whole feel… it just slaps harder!
Why does that happen, huh? What’s up with that?
You know why this kinda thing happens, man? It’s not just ‘cause of the eggs, the coffee, or the music itself. Nah, it’s about the vibe, the mood, the aura around you. Like, the place you’re in, your heart, your intentions, they all come together and make something special happen.
In the world of Sufism, that’s like spiritual turbo mode, alright, they say your heart’s got levels. Like in a video game. And different places got different “aura points.” When you’re chillin’ in a peaceful spot, away from all the crazy stuff… boom! Your heart opens up. You feel stuff way more. Even a plain ol’ cup of joe tastes like it’s brewed by angels or something.
That’s ‘cause of something called tajalli. It’s like, when the big guy upstairs, y’know, God, shines a little light right into your soul. And that light? It makes everything brighter. The music hits harder. The food tastes better. You feel... alive, man.
Even the Sufi folks say every place has its own soul, its own glow. So when you go somewhere new, you’re not just moving your butt, you're moving your soul, too. And if your heart's clean, open, really feeling it, then even the boring stuff gets a glow-up.
So yeah, sometimes scrambled eggs on a random porch taste better than five-star dining. It’s not the eggs, man. It’s you.
In Hadith Jibril, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described ihsan as:
“That you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, know that He sees you.”
Now here’s the link:
What you felt, where normal things suddenly felt extraordinary, is the fruit of a heart that’s present. That’s ihsan in action.
When you’re in a moment where your heart is still, your mind is quiet, and your soul is aware, even for a few seconds, the world around you begins to shimmer with that divine touch. That’s tajalli. That’s the unveiling of beauty, only seen by a heart that’s “seeing” with ihsan.
Ihsan isn’t about dramatic acts or spiritual flexing. It’s about deep awareness. Even eating eggs, hearing a melody, or feeling the wind can become acts of connectio if your inner state is tuned in.
So what happened to you wasn’t “just a moment.” It was your heart briefly stepping into the world of ihsan, maybe not in full vision, but close enough to taste it.
And like Sufis say:
When the heart is polished, it reflects light.
And when it reflects light, you feel warmth, taste sweetness, and hear beauty in places you never noticed before.
That’s ihsan. Quiet. Hidden. But powerful.
You know man, we spend so much time comparing blessings... like,
“Why does he get that and I don’t?” or
“Why is my life like this when his looks so chill?”
But dude… if I could actually see God, like really see Him, I swear I wouldn’t even dare compare His blessings. I’d be too overwhelmed, too humbled, just like
"Yo, You’re the Boss, I get it now."
But right now? Man… I can’t even say I feel like God’s watching me most of the time. Let alone see Him. Half the time I’m out here just forgetting to be grateful, acting like I earned everything myself. Like some clueless dude walking through a sunset and texting at the same time. Total buffoon.
And the thing is, it’s not your tongue that really tastes the blessing, not your eyes or ears.
It’s your heart, man. Your heart’s the one that feels it.
You ever eat something and your soul smiles? That ain’t the tastebuds doing that. That’s your heart going,
“Yooo… this is from Him.”
But when your heart’s asleep, even the best steak just tastes like cardboard.
So yeah, I’m sayin’ it, when we forget God’s watching, we stop seeing the blessings. But when your heart’s awake, oh man… even a cheap meal feels like a royal feast.
So, here I, Ibnu Ali Qaisy wrote a song called Eyes On Me.
"Eyes on Me" ain’t about me being some big shot or some guy with problems.
What I really mean is, these eyes, man… the eyes of Allah’s creations watching me. Like, the angels… they’re seeing everything I do.
But most of all, it’s about knowing that Allah is always watching me. Always.
Even when I forget, He never blinks.
