Aydanur Atalay Faith February 2024

The Lost Puzzle Piece

I don’t know why this sense of being lost exists. Perhaps it’s the search for reunion, the quest for our home, the place where we belong. Like a lost puzzle piece. To be completed, to create the picture… The desire to return to that place that has not yet been found and the energy it radiates enveloping everything.

By the way, where was the place where this soul, which entered the human body and was ignored and forgotten, belonged? Everything belongs somewhere, trees belong to the earth, fish belong to the sea. Where did the soul belong? Maybe everything we thought belonged somewhere else, and we had forgotten it.

Like a puzzle… A single puzzle piece that has been separated from a picture made up of a thousand pieces. Longing to find the place where it belongs. While it is filled with these feelings, its only fault is not being appreciated by humans. As a result of not being valued and not receiving the necessary attention, it gets lost. When we see a puzzle with one missing piece, the first thing that comes to mind is that the image is incomplete.

But what about the missing piece? This missing piece might represent a tree, a flower, or even a human, created as the noblest of beings. However, its existence alone does not add beauty or meaning to it. Therefore, it needs to find its rightful place, to embark on that quest.

A lost soul is also in search of its rightful place. When it forgets its purpose and ideals, it becomes like a living being just breathing in and out. There is always something missing in it, as it has not been able to complete the picture properly. There is an inexplicable feeling within it, something that disturbs it but remains incomprehensible. Meaninglessness, thoughts that silently gnaw at it…

The root cause of being lost lies in human forgetfulness. However, “Be aware that it is in the remembrance of, and whole-hearted devotion to, God that hearts find rest and contentment.” (Ar-Ra’d, 13/28) and “Surely we belong to God (as His creatures and servants), and surely to Him we are bound to return.” (Al-Baqara, 2/156). If we take these verses as our guide, there will be no more feeling of being lost, loneliness, or issues of belonging. So, from now on, it is our responsibility to continue this journey with this awareness.