.:Bullet Proof Read:.

Lost? Turn to Allah…

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً
So verily, with the hardship, there is relief,إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً
Verily, with the hardship, there is relief.
(Surah ash-Sharh: 5-6)

We know it too well. When someone hits a rough spot, we’re there to remind them, “إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً The relief will come, brother… Have patience.” Indeed, the reminder benefits but why does it become so difficult for us to remember these words ourselves when in need? Why do we fail to realise that Allah will indeed come to our aid if we call upon Him?

What’s missing? Al-yaqin fi ad-Du’a. The certainty that there is only One who can answer your du’a. Before you enter a pitch dark room, you know where the switch is, right there on the wall by the door… Do you then walk around that dark room anyway searching aimlessly for the switch? The certainty that when you make du’a… that Allah will answer it. And Allah has made this Promise to us…

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!”
(Surah Ghafir: 60)

The certainty is blocked by others - humans, Allah’s creations - and our own sins. The heart is absent when making the du’a because of these reasons. Eventually, the soul gives up on and loses faith in calling upon Allah…

Therefore we have to train ourselves to have a greater, the greatest dependency on Allah. How? Through taqwa. Leave the sins, leave the bad, avoid even the greyish matters when possible. Many a times we hear fellow Muslims tell amazing stories of how Allah blesses them with so much good when they decide to leave a sin for His sake. Subhan Allah, when these testimonies come from average folks like ourselves, how can we doubt, how can we despair under the pretext that we’re not good enough, we’re too far steeped in sin? Fear Allah, obey Him and abstain from that which He forbids… This is key to attaining that closeness to Allah, to the realisation that only He can fulfill your du’a. This is as Allah says:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجاً
وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْراً
And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.
(Surah at-Talaq: 2-3)

This is what I’ve learnt with regards to seeing how things work out when we make efforts, when we strive in establishing and strengthening our taqwa in hope that Allah will create that path out for us.

When we have our will for it, Allah will make a way…

1. When the will is to do good, Allah will help us with
a. apparent ease - facilitating the path for us
b. making it a trial for us - to test our faith and patience

2. When the will is to do good but it’s so hard and often times one falls into bad anyway, Allah helps too by…
a. making it hard for them to commit the sin (for eg. he wants to have a drink but the stores are closed, he’s a buck short, etc.)
b. making it easy the path to stop the sin as well as to repent. And in this way (when he repents), Allah loves him more than the one who doesn’t sin at all.

3. When the will is to do bad…
a. one feels constricted. He will be faced with problem after problem, living a difficult life.
b. on the apparent, his path to do bad is easy, his life might be OK. This is when Allah “forgets” that person and leaves him to his own destruction… respite granted. The ulama have said to be wary if your life seems to sail smooth without any trials.
c. Allah has mercy upon the person and guides the person. And we have seen the worst become the best in Islam.

These are general categorisations. But it makes it so much easier for me to see that Allah is always there in His slave’s life… despite him being the worst amongst mankind. He is always there. Always there making these paths, these avenues for the slave. And how unfortunate it is, if the slave is a believer, who knows, who believes that He exists, that He is the Lord, the only God… but fails to turn to Him.