Nafsiya Reflections: Chin Up

Your heart is screaming, holding yourself together, controlling your tone, holding back your tears, clutching your fists, as to not reflect your pain. Your world is crumbling, breaking from the inside. The pain rips through your body as you try to control it all in a split moment. The pain of hardship.

It is that first moment. The moment we hear the news. The moment we see it. It is at that moment that we feel that our whole world has come crashing down. A burning fire, setting flames to our future. It is at that moment we take a breath.
Ya Allah!

We call out to HIM. Our Mercy, our Strength, our Hope. HE (swt) can ONLY see us through this. Only HE (swt) can relieve this anguish. We are surprised, in shock by the sudden moment, taken aback. We grab onto the rope of Allah (swt) as we feel we are drowning. Suddenly, we are calm... suddenly we can breathe again. Suddenly... it doesn’t seem as bad when we look at the source of the calamity, we know that it is from The ONE that loves us the most. The ONE who gives us everything we need, when we are clueless as to what we are missing. HE (swt) gives us our cure, gives us our gift. A bitter pill that cures our insides, purifies our hearts, frees our souls.

This hardship no matter how hard it has hit us, it can never knock us down, by the will of Allah (swt). When we have HIM, The Sole Purpose of our existence, The Creator of everything that has been... we leave it in HIS hands. We trust HIS judgment, even when it seems we can not live another moment harboring this new reality. We don’t trust what our eyes perceive; rather in this calamity we feel Allah (swt), we see Allah (swt)... and we gather our strength from HIM. HE (swt) is with us. HE (swt) hears and sees, and is closer to us than our own veins. HE (swt) knows it hurts, and HE (swt) knows we can do it.

Whenever we go through hardship, a test, whenever something is bothering us, causing us anxiety, we must first identify it. Clearly identify the cause of the anxiety. Then we must surrender it. We call out to Allah (swt), “Oh Allah... this problem, this hardship I am facing is causing me pain. Oh Allah, I am weak. I surrender this to You. I leave it in Your hands.” The heart and soul we surrender it to HIM (swt), The Disposer of affairs. Do we really believe HE (swt) would give us anything but what is best for us?!

When we do surrender, accept HIS decree and trust in HIM... we must remove all expectations and all comparisons, trusting in HIS plan. A plan tailored for us, sincerely. There is nothing we can possibly do to change this reality, when we clear away expectations of what life should be, we then take down a barrier between us and Allah (swt), between us and gaining Allah (swt) Rida, pleasure and true contentment. It would be difficult to see our blessings, or to truly accept our decree when we are comparing our lives to others.

Sa'd said that when the Prophet was asked which people suffered the greatest affliction he replied,

«الْأَنْبِيَاء ثمَّ الْمثل فَالْأَمْثَلُ يُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ صلبا فِي دينه اشْتَدَّ بَلَاؤُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ رِقَّةٌ هُوِّنَ عَلَيْهِ فَمَا زَالَ كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى يَمْشِيَ على الأَرْض مَال ذَنْبٌ»

“The prophets, then those who come next to them, then those who come next to them. A man is afflicted in keeping with his religion; if he is firm in his religion his trial is severe, but if there is weakness in his religion it is made light for him, and it continues like that till he walks on the earth having no sin.”

Our own judgment, our lives may seem terrible, but in the eyes of Allah (swt), we can’t see what we truly have. Or what kind of life awaits us. We must have that outlook on life, we must be brave in climbing the mountain of hardships we will face in this Dunya. We must challenge ourselves, build strength and resilience. And when we finally get to the very top of that mountain, we will know it was all worth it. Even though as we are climbing that mountain we may feel breathless, but that final breath at the tip of the mountain, will make us forget all the struggle we endured on our way up. Grateful to Allah (swt) for every rock we stumbled over on our way up and every boulder that felt impossible to overcome. One dip in Jannah and we will forget it all.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«يُؤْتَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِأَنْعَمِ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ فَيُقَالُ اغْمِسُوهُ فِي النَّارِ غَمْسَةً ‏.‏ فَيُغْمَسُ فِيهَا ثُمَّ يُقَالُ لَهُ أَىْ فُلاَنُ هَلْ أَصَابَكَ نَعِيمٌ قَطُّ فَيَقُولُ لاَ مَا أَصَابَنِي نَعِيمٌ قَطُّ ‏.‏ وَيُؤْتَى بِأَشَدِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ضُرًّا وَبَلاَءً ‏.‏ فَيُقَالُ اغْمِسُوهُ غَمْسَةً فِي الْجَنَّةِ ‏.‏ فَيُغْمَسُ فِيهَا غَمْسَةً فَيُقَالُ لَهُ أَىْ فُلاَنُ هَلْ أَصَابَكَ ضُرٌّ قَطُّ أَوْ بَلاَءٌ فَيَقُولُ مَا أَصَابَنِي قَطُّ ضُرٌّ وَلاَ بَلاَءٌ»

“On the Day of Resurrection the disbeliever who lived the most luxurious will be brought, and it will be said: ‘Dip him once in Hell.’ So he will be dipped in it, then it will be said to him: ‘O so- and-so, have you ever enjoyed any pleasure?’ He will say: ‘No, I have never enjoyed any pleasure.’ Then the believer who suffered the most hardship and trouble will be brought and it will be said: ‘Dip him once in Paradise.’ So he will be dipped in it and it will be said to him: ‘O so-and-so, have you ever suffered any hardship or trouble?’ He will say: ‘I have never suffered any hardship or trouble.’”

So leave it in the hands of Allah (swt)... trust HIM... surrender to HIM. Do all you can, climb, climb and keep climbing... persevere. Chin up... Jannah is on the other side. Allah (swt) is on the other side.

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