--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the distant past, Muslim doctors…" description: "\"“In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people to look up at the sky. Forget the tight earth. Imagine that the sky, all of it, belonged to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg" --- # In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people… ![“In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people to look up at the sky. Forget the tight earth. Imagine that the sky, all of it, belonged to them alone. Crescent, low moon, more stars than the eyes looking up at them. But the sky was free, without any price, no one I knew spoke of it, no…” quote by Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg) > ““In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people to look up at the sky. Forget the tight earth. Imagine that the sky, all of it, belonged to them alone. Crescent, low moon, more stars than the eyes looking up at them. But the sky was free, without any price, no one I knew spoke of it, no one competed for it. Instead, one by one those who could afford it began to sleep indoors in cool air-conditioned rooms, away from the mosquitoes and the flies...”” [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage contrasts ancient freedom of the sky with modern confinement in climate‑controlled interiors, suggesting that comfort can limit imagination and connection to the vast world. **In simple terms:** Modern comforts can cage the imagination. Key Takeaway Seek openness beyond comfort zones. Themes freedom imagination modernity nature confinement Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - urban living - workplace design - mental health retreats - travel experiences Key Concepts existentialism psychology environmentalism Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment shape your sense of possibility? - What would you gain by stepping outside your comfort zone? A Different Perspective Comfort may reduce exposure to natural inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Surely keep an eye on the sky but do not forget that your feet are on the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/surely-keep-an-eye-on-the-sky-but-do-not-forget-that-your-feet-are-on/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [We're a nation of sheep. If you go out and look up at the sky, people around you will start looking up at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/we-re-a-nation-of-sheep-if-you-go-out-and-look-up-at-the-sky-people/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [When I miss you...I look up into the sky and know at some point...you'll be looking up at the same sky...while God watches over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jas-rob/when-i-miss-you-i-look-up-into-the-sky-and-know-at-some-point-you-ll/) Jas&rob > [The sky is a free asset in design, and nothing unnecessary should be planted that takes away the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-lambert-mellon/the-sky-is-a-free-asset-in-design-and-nothing-unnecessary-should-be/) [Rachel Lambert Mellon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-lambert-mellon/) > [Today I sat before the cliff Until the mist and rainbows disappeared I followed the emerald stream Explored a thousand tiers of green cliffs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanshan/today-i-sat-before-the-cliff-until-the-mist-and-rainbows-disappeared/) [Hanshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanshan/) > [“Then with alcoholic talkativeness You've just told me some high spots in your memories. Want to hear mine? They're all connected with the sea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/then-with-alcoholic-talkativeness-you-ve-just-told-me-some-high-spots/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“I was set free! I dissolved in the sea, became white sails and flying spray, became beauty and rhythm, became moonlight and the ship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/i-was-set-free-i-dissolved-in-the-sea-became-white-sails-and-flying/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [In the early days it was fun to fly. You could soar over rooftops and trees, or drop down to meet a passing train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-stinson/in-the-early-days-it-was-fun-to-fly-you-could-soar-over-rooftops-and/) [Katherine Stinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-stinson/) > [Never love a wild thing...If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/never-love-a-wild-thing-if-you-let-yourself-love-a-wild-thing-you-ll/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [While I was looking at sky and staring at moon,suddenly your face appeared.I think I am in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibeka/while-i-was-looking-at-sky-and-staring-at-moon-suddenly-your-face/) [Bibeka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibeka/) > [I'd rather spend my time looking at the sky than listening to Whitney Houston.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-d-rather-spend-my-time-looking-at-the-sky-than-listening-to-whitney/) [Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/) > [May you always see a blue sky overhead, my young friend; and then, even when the time comes, as it has come for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/may-you-always-see-a-blue-sky-overhead-my-young-friend-and-then-even/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [At some point, you gotta stop looking up at the sky, or one of these days you'll look back down and see that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/at-some-point-you-gotta-stop-looking-up-at-the-sky-or-one-of-these/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Even when we're apart, we'll be looking at the same sky!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-when-we-re-apart-we-ll-be-looking-at-the-same-sky/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember spending evenings looking at the sky with my dad, who was interested. He was a civil engineer and was interested in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-faber/i-remember-spending-evenings-looking-at-the-sky-with-my-dad-who-was/) [Sandra Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-faber/) ## More by Leila Aboulela > [“He said that everything in this world, small or large, was created for a reason. Even the smallest mosquito that bites people and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/he-said-that-everything-in-this-world-small-or-large-was-created-for/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“I am touched by her life, how it moves forward, pulses and springs. There is no fragmentation, nothing stunted or wedged. I circle back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/i-am-touched-by-her-life-how-it-moves-forward-pulses-and-springs/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“So much darkness made her uneasy. There was definitely a weight pushing down on the world. Misfortune was always hovering close around people’s shoulders.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/so-much-darkness-made-her-uneasy-there-was-definitely-a-weight/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [All through life there were distinctions - toilets for men, toilets for women; clothes for men, clothes for women - then, at the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/all-through-life-there-were-distinctions-toilets-for-men-toilets-for/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“But for Soraya, words on a page were seductive, free, inviting everyone, without distinction. She could not help it when she found words written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/but-for-soraya-words-on-a-page-were-seductive-free-inviting-everyone/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“I like talking to you,' he said, slowly. 'Why?' That was the way to hear nice things. Ask why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/i-like-talking-to-you-he-said-slowly-why-that-was-the-way-to-hear/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [I've come down in the world. I've slid to a place where the ceiling is low and there isn't much room for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/i-ve-come-down-in-the-world-i-ve-slid-to-a-place-where-the-ceiling-is/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [Allah tests our patience and our fortitude. He tests out strength of faith. be patient and there will endless rewards for you, insha'Allah" -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/allah-tests-our-patience-and-our-fortitude-he-tests-out-strength-of/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“He disliked English, not because they had invaded his country, but because of the effort required to understand their different languages and customs. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/he-disliked-english-not-because-they-had-invaded-his-country-but/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“Can I aske forgiveness for someone else, someone whose already dead? Yes, you can. Of course you can. And you can give charity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/can-i-aske-forgiveness-for-someone-else-someone-whose-already-dead/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“This was where she belonged with Nur, right here, here in his songs. Here within the lyrics they were intimate, caught in the rythm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/this-was-where-she-belonged-with-nur-right-here-here-in-his-songs/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [The sweetest things in life were not necessarily what one strove for and grabbed. Instead, many many times the All-Merciful, the All-Generous would give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/the-sweetest-things-in-life-were-not-necessarily-what-one-strove-for/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“I'm not middle-class; I do not have a degree. I am upper-class without money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/i-m-not-middle-class-i-do-not-have-a-degree-i-am-upper-class-without/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“The blow, inevitable in itself, comes straight from the source without any intermediaries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/the-blow-inevitable-in-itself-comes-straight-from-the-source-without/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [I must settle for freedom in this modern time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/i-must-settle-for-freedom-in-this-modern-time/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) [Explore all 28 Leila Aboulela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) ## More Eyes looking quotes > [“There was lightning behind Mr. Sayre's eyes, and it was looking for a place to strike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-r-mccammon/there-was-lightning-behind-mr-sayre-s-eyes-and-it-was-looking-for-a/) [Robert R. McCammon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-r-mccammon/) > [“For the first time in my whole damn life I can look into a girls eyes and find her looking right back at me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/for-the-first-time-in-my-whole-damn-life-i-can-look-into-a-girls-eyes/) [Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/) > [“The weather had freshened almost to coldness, for the wind was coming more easterly, from the chilly currents between Tristan and the Cape; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/the-weather-had-freshened-almost-to-coldness-for-the-wind-was-coming/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [Integrity is not what you APPEAR to be when all eyes are on you. It is who you ARE when no one is looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stormie-omartian/integrity-is-not-what-you-appear-to-be-when-all-eyes-are-on-you-it-is/) [Stormie Omartian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stormie-omartian/) > [“She had begun to bake to have her eyes looking at a bowl, a flour bin, an oven, a fire, a face, anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mckillip/she-had-begun-to-bake-to-have-her-eyes-looking-at-a-bowl-a-flour-bin/) Patricia McKillip > [3 2 = one heart praying 4 you. 1 + 1= two eyes looking for you. 3+2= five senses missing you. 4+3= seven days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/3-2-one-heart-praying-4-you-1-1-two-eyes-looking-for-you-3-2-five/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [Your voice is hypnotic the way it speaks to my soul, your eyes looking deep within me unlocking doors I thought were forever closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-voice-is-hypnotic-the-way-it-speaks-to-my-soul-your-eyes-looking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I talk to a man, I can always tell what he's thinking by where he is looking. If he is looking at my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/when-i-talk-to-a-man-i-can-always-tell-what-he-s-thinking-by-where-he/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [We keep our eyes looking ahead instead of looking back because the past has lead us to many bad decisions but we hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wheaton/we-keep-our-eyes-looking-ahead-instead-of-looking-back-because-the/) [Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wheaton/) > [“What is the use of beauty in woman? Provided a woman is physically well made and capable of bearing children, she will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/what-is-the-use-of-beauty-in-woman-provided-a-woman-is-physically/) [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [When I first meet you we were suppose to be friends Who would of thought that I would love you in the end? We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaszii/when-i-first-meet-you-we-were-suppose-to-be-friends-who-would-of/) Yaszii > [“For one brief, never-ending second, an entirely different path expanded behind the lids of my tear-wet eyes. As if I were looking through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/for-one-brief-never-ending-second-an-entirely-different-path-expanded/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“And Cormia will be okay, I mean, she's not kicked out of here, correct?" "She shall be welcomed back herein. She is a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/and-cormia-will-be-okay-i-mean-she-s-not-kicked-out-of-here-correct/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“What kind of party?” “The good kind.” “Yeah, right.” Greta knows that for me there are no good parties. I’m okay with one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/what-kind-of-party-the-good-kind-yeah-right-greta-knows-that-for-me/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [“Greta knows that for me there are no good parties. I’m okay with one or two people, but more than that and I turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/greta-knows-that-for-me-there-are-no-good-parties-i-m-okay-with-one/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) Browse all 91 Eyes looking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people to look up at the sky. Forget the tight earth. Imagine that the sky, all of it, belonged to them alone. Crescent, low moon, more stars than the eyes looking up at them. But the sky was free, without any price, no one I knew spoke of it, no one competed for it. Instead, one by one those who could afford it began to sleep indoors in cool air-conditioned rooms, away from the mosquitoes and the flies...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leila Aboulela" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advised-nervous-people-to-look-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eyes looking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advised-nervous-people-to-look-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6c/leila-aboulela-21855_eyes-looking_in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advis_2037992.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people to look up at the sky. Forget the tight earth…” — Leila Aboulela", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leila Aboulela", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the distant past, Muslim doctors...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advised-nervous-people-to-look-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/in-the-distant-past-muslim-doctors-advised-nervous-people-to-look-up/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```