THE UNANSWERED DUAA - PERHAPS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE

 

The problem with us - or me- is that I take rejection too harshly. If I want something and I don't get it, I just can't take my mind off it and there are numerous times when I have worried over like this only to see some time in the future that what I wanted was actually not right for me.

The thing is as humans, we are shallow-minded and short-sighted. If we want something, we believe we should have it even if it's not the right thing because we assume it's what we want at that moment. But then again, if we want something then logic doesn't make sense there. We want it. We get it. Simple.

But if we were left to choose for ourselves, our lives would turn out to be a complicated mess, right? Imagine we want something and we actually end up getting it but through that, a thousand unforeseen problems crop up and we'll probably be like, "Why on earth did I even wish for that?"

We don't know what the future hold but Allah does and you know what? To know that Allah has already planned my future for me is such a relief. I know I'm in safe hands and I won't have it any other way.

When Allah doesn't answer your Duaas, then take comfort in the fact that what you wanted wasn't suitable for you. He was actually saving you by not answering your Duaa so trust Allah because He knows what's best for you. Because an unanswered Duaa isn't a rejection; it's a redirection to something much better. Something that's a million times better than what we wanted. And why is that? Because Allah has chosen it for us. Just trust Him.

 

STRUGGLING WITH PROBLEMS? LEAVE IT TO ALLAH

Sometimes, nothing in the world seems bigger than our problems and it seems as though it can really never be fixed. Ever thought this way? I'd be lying if I say I didn't. These thoughts however come when we forget that Allah is above all our problems. To Him belongs the east and the west, the heavens and the earth and what's even beyond that. So for Him to bring us out of any problem... it's beyond easy for Him.

Think about it. Look around you. Look at yourself. Look at the person sitting next to you in the bus. Look at your teacher. Look at your Mum. Your sister. Your friend. The trees. The mountains. The bee. The tiny ant. The sand. The ocean. The sky. The leaf that just fell to the ground. Look at the world around you. And open your eyes.

 

Who created the air around you and allowed yourself to take in some 8 liters of air every minute? Who is allowing your heart to pump some 90 mls of blood out of the heart in every single heartbeat? Who is allowing some 200 muscles to function just when walking? Who is giving your brain the ability to interpret every image you see in just 13 miliseconds? Who is behind the 20 million billion bits of information that move around your brain every second? Who created enough DNA in each person that can stretch from the sun to Pluto and back — 17 times? And that's just in our body.

Look beyond that.

Who is allowing the earth to rotate at an unimaginable speed of 460 meters per second? Who brings about the birth of four babies in just one second? Who created 50,000,000,000 galaxies in our universe? Who created 20 million tons of gold in the ocean? 

 

Still doubt the power of Allah? If He can do all these and much more, if He can manage everything in my body and in your's, then really, do you think your problem is too big for Allah to handle?

 

Know who Allah is. Know His power and ability. So when you ask Duaa from Allah the next time, don't allow any doubt to creep in. Know the power of the One you are asking from. And if you've asked Him and your Duaa hasn't been granted, understand that if the Controller of the heavens and earth knows it's best for that Duaa to be answered in a different way, then trust that as well. After all, what more security do we need after knowing that our matters are in total control with Allah. He has our whole life planned out. 

"To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills (and plans)." Quran 42:49

اللَّهُمَّ رَحْمَتَكَ أَرْجُو فَلا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْن، ٍ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ لا إِلَهََ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ.

 ‘O Allah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You.’
 

"I'M GOING TO HAVE 50 BROTHERS IN JANNAH!"

The other day, my sisters are I (4 in total Alhamdulillah) were talking about how awesome it would be to have a brother. People actually call us a 'ladies hostel' because that's how many ladies we have at home lol so we were moaning about not having a brother. And then my sister was like, "I'm going to have 50 brothers in Jannah!" :)

And you know what? It's true. This Dunya, we don't get everything we want here and life isn't perfect. But, so what? If we live by the Quran and Sunnah, in obedience to Allah, then we can have everything we want in Jannah, In sha Allah, where the blessings are such that no eye has ever seen or no mind has ever perceived.

So it's ok if you didn't get that dress you couldn't afford- you can have something far more amazing in Jannah. It's alright if your skin isn't that perfect here- it'll be flawless in Jannah. It's ok if your life is not perfect here- it'll be complete in Jannah. And it's ok if I don't have a brother here. I can have not 50 but even 500 if I want in Jannah (probably too much to handle I guess?)

Oh and by the way, I recently created an Instagram account. I was playing around with my sisters' accounts and finally decided that I was going to have one of the own so here I am. Please give me a follow. My username is niqabi_nuances. Link here: www.instagram.com/niqabi_nuances

POST RAMADHAN- I FEEL SO LOST!

So, it's just over a month since Ramadhan has departed and yet, it feels like an age ago. To be honest, this has probably been my worst post-Ramadhan ever. I have never missed the month so much! :( 

 

During Ramadhan, SubhanAllah, I was so happy. I think my soul was happy, which naturally made me happy. I read this post online that goes somewhere around the lines of "Do you know why you are so happy in Ramadhan? It's because your soul is doing exactly what it's meant to be doing, that is worshiping Allah". That is so definitely true and I'm sure most of you'll can relate to this as well. Not for a single moment in Ramadhan did I feel bored, depressed or any negativity for that matter. There was just one focus and that was worshiping Allah. No wonder I was so happy.

 

And then, Ramadhan ended and there came all the negative thoughts that washed over me like this huge tidal wave. We have given Shaytan so much of power over us that we allow him to dictate our thoughts and moods without trying to fight back ourselves and this naturally leads to a pit fall. 

 

I'm not saying depression or sadness or worry is a bad thing. It's natural but we should not allow it to dictate our lives. Why is that we had so much of hope and life in our Duaas during Ramadhan but now, we feel like Allah is not even listening to us. If you do feel that way, and I'm saying this to myself first, it's because we have gone far away from Allah. Allah is the same merciful Lord as He was in Ramadhan but are we the same obedient slaves to Him as we were in Ramadhan? Allah is still there with us, He still descends to the lowest heavens every single day during Tahajjud so that we may ask Him whatever we want and that He gives it to us. And what are we doing during this time? Sleeping. If we feel so low and depressed, then it's our own fault.

 

Sometimes the only way you can get out of all this is by just talking to yourself. Constantly remember and remind yourself that Allah is always there with you, ready to answer your Duaas but are you ready to talk to Him? Remind yourself that Shaytan wins us over by making us depressed where we start questioning what Allah has decreed for us and when you feel this way, remind yourself that accepting fate is part of faith. Good and bad both come from Allah so ask Him to enlighten and inspire you. Ask Him for strength to overcome Shaytan and your own nafs. 

 

If you miss Ramadhan and you want to feel that spirituality you felt during that month, then do some things that you did during Ramadhan. Recite the Quran, at least 2 pages per day. If we could recite 2 entire chapters a day during Ramadhan, then 2 pages isn't a huge deal, is it? It might take anywhere around about 10 minutes, at the most. Also, study the Tafseer of the Quran. There are plenty of free resources online where you can listen to the Tafseer of the Quran so dedicate an hour a day for this as well, In sha Allah. (You can listen to it on Youtube where Ustaad Noman Ali Khan is teaching the Tafseer of Surah Baqarah. It's amazing, SubhanAllah so listen to it). Pray your Sunnahs and give charity. In sha Allah, your soul will be content and you mind will feel refreshed.

 

We need to re-connect with Allah. And that shouldn't be something we do only during Ramadhan. Push yourself to worshiping Allah with humility and submissiveness and see for yourself if your soul doesn't rejoice at that.

 

May Allah make every day of our lives an opportunity and a means to come closer to Him.