.:Bullet Proof Read:.

Spectacular scenery from Saif-ul-Malook lake found in this flickr photo collection.

Subhan Allah. Such splendour makes you think eh. I chose a similar photo - lush mountains beyond a scenic meadow - as the print background for the following quote. You might have a mountain of an issue to overcome but with the right intention, proper preparation, focused effort, and most importantly, sincere supplications, you’d find Allah’s Help there with you on your uphill task…

“The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes and fears, and failure comes to them in like manner.”
Ibn al-Qayyim

If apologies could speak
Would they kneel before you
And cry you a creek
Of sorrow through and through

If apologies could sing
What sonnet would they choose
One of pardon seeking
Or croon confessions of abuse

If apologies could roam
How far would they go
Deep within a heart’s tomb
Or just beneath, shallow

If apologies could run
Would they chase history
To change what’s been done
Or rather escape reality

If apologies could soar
Where would they fly
Far distant places of lore
Or resign with a fated sigh

If apologies could emerge
Victorious from despair
Would good feelings surge
Render the past beyond compare

If apologies could
Then surely I should
For my love, I am sorry
And all of apology is me.

© Me. 

Away! ye know that tears are vain,
That death nor heeds nor hears distress:
Will this unteach us to complain?
Or make one mourner weep the less?
And thou -who tell’st me to forget,
Thy looks are wan, thine eyes are wet.

Lord George Gordon Byron

Cut off from the source of hope, could beauty linger on?

Pending a difficult situation over which I had no control whatsoever, I was advised to make the dhikr of “la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah”

لا حَوْلَ وَ لا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللّهِ

before making du’a for the most favourable outcome. It’s a powerful reminder of Who is truly Able and All-Powerful, and this sinks within you with repetition, giving you certainty when seeking His help. Try it when you’re faced with a case whereby you do not (ostensibly) have the power to influence or change the end result.

If you’ve read the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People you’d have learnt about the relevant circles of concern and control/influence. For the uninitiated:

There are many concerns in our lives, but we do not always have control over them. One can draw a circle that represents areas of concern, and a smaller circle within the first that represents areas of control. Proactive people focus their efforts on the things over which they have influence, and in the process often expand their area of influence. Reactive people often focus their efforts on areas of concern over which they have no control. Their complaining and negative energy tend to shrink their circle of influence.

In our area of concern, we may have direct control, indirect control, or no control at all. We have direct control over problems caused by our own behavior. We can solve these problems by changing our habits. We have indirect control over problems related to other people’s behavior. We can solve these problems by using various methods of human influence, such as empathy, confrontation, example, and persuasion. Many people have only a few basic methods such as fight or flight. For problems over which we have no control, first we must recognize that we have no control, and then gracefully accept that fact and make the best of the situation.

This resonates well with any right-minded individual striving for the best in everything. The added bonus for the believer then, is that while he acknowledges that he has no control over a certain area, he still has to make efforts wherever he can, even if that effort be simply a strong appeal to His Lord, whom he recognises to be The Possessor of Power. A believer has genuine hope in this regard.

All this brings about a deep sense of realisation of the complete surrender to Allah. It instills the balanced purpose of will and submission in life.

As an end-note, it’s interesting how the phrase la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah is often translated as “There is no might or power except with Allah”. While “might” and “power” are the closest meanings for “quwwah”, “hawl” more correctly signifies change or transformation. Just this seemingly-small-but-really-important difference changed my perspective whenever I now make the dhikr.

Another one of those lost in translation scenarios that make you realise the disadvantage of not possessing the most beautiful tongue of them all, the language of the Noble Qur’an, Arabic.