Yayin da muke koyon motsi da takawa a hankali ta cikin wuraren da muke ciki, da kuma kyautata fahimta da godiya ga sauran mutane, yana da muhimmanci mu kasance cikin lura da dokokin al'adu a mahallan da muke rayuwa a cikinsu. Kowane "wuri" yana bayyana abubuwa masu yawa na al'ada, fasaha, addini, abubuwan da mutane suka fuskanta, tarihi da bukukuwa. Ko da yake "wuri" na kowace ƙasa yana ƙunshe da matakai iri ɗaya na al'umma, "gyara wuri" (landscaping) a matsayin aiki na nuna yadda ɗan adam ke sauya ƙasa ta hanyar ikonsa, yana ƙirƙirar wurare na musamman inda ake kafa wurare. Ga kowane mutum, kowane lokaci na iya nufin wani abu daban dangane da wannan wuri. Sabbin wuraren ma'ana na iya bayyana a kowane lokaci, kuma ma'anar al'umma ma na iya canzawa dangane da wannan wuri.

As we learn to move and tread lightly through our spaces and foster a better understanding and appreciation of other people, it is important to remain mindful of cultural codes in the contexts we inhabit. Each “landscape” speaks volumes of tradition, art, religion, experiences, histories and celebrations. While ‘landscape’ of any land is made up of the same societal processes, ‘landscaping’ understood as a verb is about the way in which land is transformed by human agency, creating unique spaces upon which sites are located. For each individual, each moment can mean something different in relation to that space. New sites of meaning can emerge at any given time and social meaning too can become contorted in relation to that space.

Wata saitin ayoyi masu matuƙar ma'ana da ke ba mu damar yin tunani game da yadda ake tafiya cikin wurare da hankali a farke, da zuciya mai fahimta, imani, tausayi da godiya, an same su a cikin Suratun Naml (27), dangane da Annabi Sulaiman (amincin Allah ya tabbata a gare shi).

A very insightful set of verses that enable us to consider navigating through spaces with an alert mind, a heart of understanding, faith, empathy and gratitude is found in Surah al-Naml (27) pertaining to Prophet Sulaymān (upon him be peace):

27:17 - An tara wa Sulaiman rundunonin aljanu, da mutane, da tsuntsaye, aka jera su cikin tsararrun sahu a gabansa.

27:17 - Solomon’s hosts of jinn, men, and birds were marshalled in ordered ranks before him.

Aya ta farko da aka tattauna a cikinta tana bayyana tsarin fagen yaƙi.

The first of the discussed verses describes a battle scene arrangement.

Ayar da wannan aya ta tayar da hotunan iko, tsari, mulki da ƙarfi. Da farko, mun fahimci cewa Annabi Sulaiman shi ne wanda ya amfana da wannan ban mamaki na iko ba tare da ya yi komai ba. Musulmi yana faɗakarwa zuwa ga halittu na sarari da iyaka, zuwa ga shimfidar ƙasa da wurare. Abin da ke biyo baya shi ne shiga wani sabon wuri, wuri daban, amma duk da haka mai daraja.

The verse invokes images of might, order, kingdom and strength. To begin, we realise that Prophet Sulaymān is the passive beneficiary of such a marvellous spectacle of power. The Muslim is alerted to creations of space and boundaries, to landscapes and settings. What follows is an arrival into a new space, a different space, but nonetheless worthy:

27:18 - Lokacin da suka zo Kwarin Tururuwa, sai wata tururuwa ta ce: "Ya ku tururuwa! Ku shiga gidajenku, kada Sulaiman da rundunarsa su murkushe ku ba tare da sun sani ba." Annabi Sulaiman da rundunarsa ta mutane, aljanu da tsuntsaye sun isa wani kwari na tururuwa. Canjin daga wurin mulki na duniya, mai girman fadi, zuwa kwari, mai ƙasa a cikin shimfidar wuri, wanda tururuwa ke zaune a cikinsa, ƙanana sosai, ya dace sosai da juna. Muna tunani game da motsi ta sarari, daga abin sani zuwa baƙon wuri, daga sararin "nan" zuwa sararin "can". Ayar ta gaya mana cewa wata tururuwa ta gargadi sauran tururuwan cewa rundunar Annabi Sulaiman tana kusantowa.

27:18 - and when they came to the Valley of the Ants, one ant said, ‘Ants! Go into your homes, in case Solomon and his hosts unwittingly crush you.’ Prophet Sulaymān and his army of humans, jinn and birds reach a valley of ants. The transitioning from a site of temporal power, large in scope, into a valley, low in landscape and inhabited by ants, miniature in size, juxtaposes well. We reflect on movements through space, from familiarity to foreignness, from space of ‘here’ into spaces of ‘there’. We are told in the verse that an ant warned the other ants that Prophet Sulaymān’s army was approaching.

Dole su koma cikin "gidajensu" (masākin). Kalmar ta samo asali ne daga sakan, wanda daga gare shi ake samun maskan (gida) da sakīna (natsuwa). Hakan yana ƙarfafa cewa tsutsotsi ma, duk da matsayinsu na ƙasa, suna da gidaje, wuraren mallaka da tsaro. Suna da wurin natsuwa.

They must retreat into their ‘dwellings’ (masākin). The word derives from sakan, from which we get maskan (home) and sakīna (tranquility). It reinforced that the ants, too, in their lowly setting, also have homes, places of belonging and security. They have a place of tranquillity.

Su ma suna iya fahimtar ra'ayin wani su kuma ji cewa wata cuta na gab da same wasu. Tausayi wata siffa ce mai muhimmanci a cikin wannan kira. Ayar kuma tana da ban mamaki saboda abin da take bayyanawa game da ingancin kyakkyawan zato: wato tururuwar ta yarda cewa Annabi Sulaiman da rundunarsa ba za su lura da halakar da ake tsoro ba.

They too are also able to take perspective and feel an impending harm on others. The empathy bearing is a salient feature of the appeal. The verse is striking too for what it reveals of the quality of forming a good opinion in that the ant acknowledges that Prophet Sulaymān and his army would be undiscerning of the feared destruction.

Aya ta 19 aya ce mai kyau, kuma tana ɗauke da addu'a mai zurfin ma'ana, tana nuna tawali'u da godiya daga zuciya ga Annabi Sulaiman.

Verse 19 is a beautiful verse and contains a supplication profound in meaning and suggestive of a heartfelt sense of humility and gratitude in Prophet Sulaymān:

27:19 - Sulaiman ya yi murmushi mai girma saboda maganarta, ya ce, "Ya Ubangijina, ka jagorance ni in yi godiya ga ni'imomin da Ka yi wa ni da iyayena, kuma in aikata aikin alheri da Ka yarda da shi; ka shigar da ni, ta alherinka, cikin sahun bayinka salihai." Tun farko mun ji cewa ya "yi murmushi, yana dariya saboda maganarta". Wannan yana nuna halin kyautatawa na sarki-annabin. Yana samun farin ciki a ɗan lokacin haɗuwar "duniyoyi", yanayin ƙasa da halittu, sai Annabi Sulaiman ya yi addu'a. Farkon addu'arsa, "Ya Ubangijina, ka jagorance ni in yi godiya ga ni'imomin da Ka yi wa ni da iyayena", yana nuna bautar Allah, addu'ar da kowane Musulmi ya kamata ya koya. Lokacin da Musulmi yake wucewa ta wurare ko yana saduwa da wasu mutane, waɗanda suka fi ƙanƙanta, watakila masu rauni, marasa ƙarfi da talakawa, lokaci ne na tunani da ya kamata ya nuna matuƙar dogaransa ga Allah, godiya da kuma gaskiya. Saboda haka, yana da muhimmanci zuciyar Musulmi ta kasance koyaushe a cikin tunawa da Allah.

27:19 - Solomon smiled broadly at her words and said, ‘Lord, inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me and my parents, and to do good deeds that please You; admit me by Your grace into the ranks of Your righteous servants.’ At the outset we learn that he “smiled, laughing at her speech”. This reflects the good-willed nature of the king-prophet. Finding joy at the small moment of “intermeshing” between ‘worlds’, landscapes, creation, Prophet Sulaymān supplicates. The opening of his prayer, “Lord, inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me and my parents” is reflective of servitude, a prayer every Muslim should learn. A Muslim’s transitioning through landscapes or in the encountering of others - smaller, perhaps weaker, disenfranchised, poorer – is a reflective moment to express his utmost dependence on Allāh, gratitude and earnestness. It is thus essential that the Muslim’s heart remains ever present in the remembrance of Allāh.

Inclusion na Annabi Sulaiman na iyayensa a cikin addu'arsa yana ƙara wata sha'awa ga faɗin tawali'u da godiya. Lokutan "nan" da "can" yanzu sun sami wani "wurin" da ya fi su. Addu'a da hankalin Annabi Sulaiman sun wuce abin duniya, kuma yana samun ta'aziyya a cikin zance da Ubangijinsa. Musulmi, duk da abin da ya gani da kansa na nasara da iyawa, yana mayar da al'amuransa ga Allah. Ko da yake shi Annabi ne, Annabi Sulaiman ya ji buƙatar roƙon Allah shiryarwa don aikata abubuwan da suka fi faranta wa Allah rai, ba duk wani aiki da ya riga ya saba da shi ba. Haka kuma bai roƙi Allah ya shigar da shi Aljanna tare da annabawa kawai ba, sai dai tare da "bayinKa salihai". Bugu da ƙari, ya roƙi Allah ya shigar da shi a cikinta ba saboda ayyukansa ba, ko biyayyarsa, ko bautarsa, ko ibadarsa, ko ƙoƙarinsa, ko wani abu ba, sai dai kawai "da RahamarKa". Irin wannan sauyawa, wannan motsi ta sarari da tunani a kan kai dangane da Wani Mabanbanci, yana zama mai daidaitawa cikin kyau idan manufa da hankali suna kan Wanda yake wajen lokaci da sarari. Hakan kuma yana ba mu damar duba mutum a matsayin wanda iyaye suka tsara halayensa. A nan, mun lura cewa Annabi Sulaiman ɗan Annabi Dawud ne, kuma uba da ɗa duka an kwatanta su da "awwāb" (wanda ke mayar da al'amuransa ga Allah koyaushe) a cikin Alƙur'ani. Saboda himmar mahaifin, haka ma duwatsu da tsuntsaye suka haɗu da Dawud wajen ambaton Allah. Su ma saboda haka ana kwatanta su da awwāb. Halin lalacewa, wato mutuntaka da raba mutane da ɗan'adam, da kuma halin adalci, duk ana siffanta su da tasirin iyaye da na al'umma.

Prophet Sulaymān’s inclusion of his parents in his supplication adds further interest into the breadth of such humility and gratitude. The temporal spaces of ‘here’ and ‘there’ now find an ‘elsewhere’. Prophet Sulaymān’s prayer and focus transcends the earthly and he can find comfort in communing with His Lord. The Muslim, despite what he self-witnesses of success and ability returns his affairs to Allāh. Though he was a Prophet, Prophet Sulaymān felt the need to ask Allāh for guidance to perform those actions which were the most pleasing unto Allāh, not any action with which he might have already been familiar with. Nor did He ask Allāh to enter him into heaven with only other prophets, but instead with “Your righteous slaves”. Furthermore, he asked Allāh to enter him therein not because of his own doings, his obedience, servitude, worship, effort or anything else, but only by “Your Mercy”. Such a transitioning, a moving through space and reflection of self in relation to an Otherness becomes beautifully harmonised when the goal and focus is upon He who exists outside of time and space. It can also enable us to consider a personality as one shaped by parental influences. In this instance, we note that Prophet Sulaymān was the son of Prophet Dāwūd, and father and son are altogether described as awwāb (to always return one’s affairs unto Allāh) in the Qur’ān. On account of the father’s devotion so too did the mountains and birds join Dawūd in remembrance of Allāh. They too are thus described as awwāb . Tendencies of depravity – dehumanisation and othering – as well as tendencies of uprightness, are well informed by parental and social influences.

Mu na wanzuwa a matsayin halittu masu dangantaka a rayuwa, an daure mu da igiyoyin alaka iri-iri. Wani lokaci ana samar da munanan ra'ayoyi game da wasu tun daga shekarun girma na mutum, kuma wadannan ra'ayoyi na iya zama masu tushe sosai.

We exist as attached entities in life, attached by cords of relationships of all kinds. Negative stereotypes about others are sometimes formed from a person’s formative years, and these can become entrenched.