Noble Lessons

My hope and trust is in Allah alone. As He allows my skin to naturally heal itself with clotting blood, He also allows my heart to heal a seamless healing. It’s no matter that there will always be a scar there. The scar teaches me to never forget how He has healed me. As He brings the night and day into being, as He causes the sun and moon to continuously exchange places every day, He will also cause my life to run its course exactly as it was meant. I will never lose anything I was meant to hold. I will never hold anything I was meant to lose. As He causes the earth to die, to be starved, to be deprived of meaningful life, and then brings it back to lushness and beauty simply by saying “Be”—so, too, will He cause my body to die and disintegrate in the soil, then raise me up and cause me never to die again. In Gardens of Bliss, by His Mercy. When I place my hope exclusively in people, chances are they will betray that hope. But when I place my hope in Allah, I know that He will never betray His Promise. He will return to me what I have lost, or better. He will heal the heart that has been struck open by the people. And so I say: I am satisfied with Allah as my Lord, Islam as my faith, and Muhammad (saw) as my prophet. Only when this verbal statement of satisfaction truly enters my heart, will I be able to heal. It is only absolute hope and trust in Allah, The Eternal Refuge, that causes the pain to ease.

There come desperate times in life when one loses all the hope and there remains no purpose or no meaning to associate with life. At such situations of devastation people might think that His Lord has abandoned Him and left them to face such difficulties and problems alone. This is the time when a Muslim requires inspiration the most. When facing such situations a Muslim must remember the following verse of Quran for inspiration and motivation. Allah says: “Your Lord has not taken leave of you, (O Muhammad), nor has He detested (you).” (93:3) No matter how bad the situation is, a Muslim must always remember that Allah is the Lord and the Lord always wishes the best for its subjects. Thus, a Muslim must remain patient in hard situations and the help of Allah will definitely come to the rescue of a Muslim.

Every person’s main worry is Rizq (Sustenance) This overwhelming worry can lead to tension and high stress levels. When we take our gaze off of Allah, we start to feel like the burden of our sustenance is completely on our shoulders. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "If you place your trust completely in Allah, as it ought to be, then surely you will be provided sustenance in the manner that birds are provided sustenance. They leave in the morning with their belly empty and return in the evening with their belly full." (Tirmidhi 2344) We need to take a lesson from the birds and learn to trust in Allah. We should make reasonable efforts to provide for ourselves, but we should always remember that our ultimate provision comes from Allah. This will bring much relief and peace to our lives. I place my complete reliance and trust in Ar-Razzaq, the All-Provider. It is not my diplomas, degrees, or my signatures on contracts or business deals that guarantee my provision. It is only through His loving mercy that He provides for me, His sinful servant, even without asking.

Ya Allah, forgive my sins and shortcomings and grant me the strength to repent and seek Your forgiveness. Give me patience during times of difficulty and help me to remain steadfast in my faith. Grant me the strength to overcome my fears and challenges and help me to trust in Your plan for me. Ameen.

There will come a day when the road you’re walking will abruptly split into two. Each one will call out to you in no uncertain terms, saying, “Walk towards me.” One road is built out of fear. One out of hope. No GPS in existence is going to tell you which road to take. The road called Fear will grab at you. It will play and replay every possible thing that will go wrong if you don’t listen. It will write you letters and sonnets about the hurts that lie in the path of the other road. It will remind you of every past heartbreak. “I’m the safer path,” it will scream. “Don’t be naïve. Hope will only lead to disappointment.” You will almost believe it. But before you take that first step into Fear, you will glance over at the road called Hope. It is quieter. It does not terrify or taunt. It does not need to write you a letter explaining why it’s the better choice. It does not need essays and dissertations and Ted Talks. “It’s okay to try again,” it will whisper. “Your Lord’s Light dispels all darkness, no matter how great.” And your heart will be pulled, soothed, opened. Yes, there will most certainly come a day when you are asked to choose a new path. And at the precipice of this choice, I pray you will hear that whisper and remember: Hope in Allah is never a mistake. Take the first step. Lean in. - Assma Hussein

Ya Allah, on this blessed Jummah, I hope for Your mercy. Do not leave me to myself even for a blink of an eye. Correct all of my affairs for me. There is none worthy of worship except You. Ameen.

Every single day within each one of our lives there are small moments and incidents where Allah is reminding us that we’re not the ones in control. We think we have our lives figured out, but maybe that’s not the best plan for us. Every trial is custom made for each of us to come closer to Him. He’s always presenting opportunities to go back to Him. We just have to be mindful and wise enough to acknowledge them as opportunities rather than shortcomings.