The utmost private secret is something kept to oneself. This could be a sin or even something with no harm that you choose is only for yourself. However, no matter what that “secret” is, it is not something that can be kept from the very One who created the mind, body, and soul keeping that secret: Al-Alim (The All Knowing) SWT.
In ayah 7 of Surat Taha, it is said that “He knows the secret and what is [even] more hidden.” (Quran 20:7). Now, what is more hidden than a secret you keep ONLY to yourself? The answer is simple; there are things about yourself that nobody, not even you, can uncover. Certain aspects deep within your subconscious and soul, there are things you do not have access to. For example, everyone has things that happen within their lives, that they truly do not remember, but that still affect them to this day. Some people are sarcastic, and an event in their lives may have triggered that. Other people are afraid of something or start a bad habit, not recalling that someone/something possibly had a play in that. Allah SWT, on the other hand, has access to all of that. Adding onto that, Allah SWT warns us that if we forget Him, He SWT will make us forget ourselves: “Be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves.” (Quran 59:19). If He SWT has that ability, we should not be fooled into thinking that the opposite is not also true. Nothing is revealed to us without His permission, and so if we remember Him SWT, inshAllah we will begin a beautiful path of self-awareness. Through connecting to our Creator SWT, we have the opportunity of connecting with ourselves. Once we begin to know ourselves, we also have gathered the power of combatting bad behaviors, characteristics, and even emotions that we did not even realize stemmed from deep within us.
It is extremely important to note that remembering Allah SWT does come from spiritual acts or worship like praying, fasting, and reading the Quran, but these are not the only forms of remembrance. Remembering Allah SWT can come from almost every single everyday task that can be done. Take advantage of that, get to know your Master SWT, and in turn, get to know yourself. Allah SWT promises He can open up doors for us that we did not even know were there. May Allah SWT allow us to connect with him on the deepest of levels and better us because of it. Ameen.
By Aydah Nofal