One of our Muslim sisters, an Arab American, told her inspiring experience of returning back to Lord Almighty, Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa). She, like other Muslimah, went for Hajj (Pilgrimage). Upon her return from Hajj, she made a decision to transform completely. She changed in innumerable aspects, but perhaps the most apparent of them is the way she had her attire. Her acquaintances asked her why she changed her dressing style and adopted to wear Abaayaas, the covering of body. The answer to this question required a long, deep and elaborative response, but her short, simple answer was: “Because I truly love Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa), more than anyone and anything this life and this world has to offer.” This is the way she found true love — love for Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) and His Deen (Religion).
She says: The past three years of my life were the most unstable and difficult years I’ve had. During this time I went on a mental and spiritual journey to regain a happiness I had lost. Every time I thought I had found it and that the light had finally shone on my life again, it wouldn’t last, as I would be plunged back into darkness soon afterwards. It happened over and over and over, with me losing a little more hope every time. I kept pinning my hopes on different things, but almost everyone and everything proved to bring me pain. The light at the end of the tunnel only appeared when I finally established a strong connection to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa).
The mistake I made is that I kept depending on certain things I shouldn’t have depended on for my happiness. Certain people. Certain places. Certain times. Certain activities. Certain goals. You see, all these things are transient and unguaranteed. All these things could be taken away at any moment. People could leave you, move away, or pass away. Imagine that someone you love dies. Does your happiness die with them? You could be forced to leave a certain place, or you could return to it to find that it has changed and will never be the same dear place you remember. Imagine that you have no option but to leave your hometown for a job opportunity. Does your happiness leave you with it? Imagine that the city of your dreams is obliterated by an earthquake. Is your happiness obliterated with it? Times are always evolving, and yesterday is never quite the same as today, just like tomorrow will never be quite the same as today. Imagine that tomorrow brings bad news, or that the good old days of a specific phase in your life are gone. Is your happiness gone with them? A particular activity could become something that you can no longer practice. Imagine that you are injured in an accident and can never play the sport that you’re passionate about again. Is your happiness over? One of your ambitions could become unattainable to you. Imagine that your dream was to become a professional motivational speaker but you develop vocal cord paralysis. Does your happiness end there? I came to the realization that everything in life— and life itself— is temporary. Nothing ever lasts. Everything has a beginning and an end.
Except Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa). Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) is the one and only permanent and eternal Being. When your source of happiness is something impermanent, then once it’s gone, so is your happiness. But when your source of happiness is Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa), it will persist forever. No matter what you lose, no matter who goes away, as long as you have Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa), you’re satisfied. I’m not saying that you can’t love certain individuals, pastimes and places, or that you can’t have goals and dreams, and that they can’t provide you with joy. Of course not. Spending time with your family and friends pleases you? That’s awesome. Playing basketball is something that brings you thrill? Great. You have a passion for medicine and your dream is to become a successful doctor? Good for you. All these things can bring a smile to your face, of course. However, you can’t rely on them as your ultimate source of ecstasy. While you may derive pleasure and delight from them, you must understand and accept that they can vanish in an instant, and if they do, that doesn’t mean that your sense of contentment has to vanish along with them. You could be miserable and devastated for a while, but at the end of the day you recognize that it is Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) who brings true elation and that just because these things are gone doesn’t mean that your life is over. Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) will bring other people and things into your life that will make you experience glee again. I can’t possibly count the number of times Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) has given me a miracle and the number of times He has saved me. There were times when I was in utter despair, and I could only cry and beg Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) for miracles — miracles that I didn’t even think were possible. And guess what? He granted me miracles. He answered my prayers. He gave me more than I could’ve ever asked for. Every single time. He gave me everything. He gave me life and love and bliss. Isn’t it enough that every milliliter of blood my heart pumps is at His command, every molecule of oxygen my lungs breathe is at His command, trillions of biochemical reactions in my body occur every second at His command, and every single cell in my body is alive at His command? I don’t think people really ponder this, but they should. Do you understand the magnitude of what Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) really does for us? A single malfunction could occur in your body at any second that could give you a disease or kill you. But you are kept healthy and alive by His will. Isn’t it enough that He has given me a comfortable life, good health, a loving family, more than enough food, shelter, safety, a good education, and access to healthcare? What more do I want?
Not to mention that Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) directs our lives and fates in ways that we could never even begin to imagine. Have you ever tried to connect the dots in your life and understand how things would’ve been drastically different if this certain event hadn’t happened or if you hadn’t gone through that particular experience? Every little thing that happens in your life happens for a reason. Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) made you run into this specific person because they would have a positive influence on you. He made you start that career because it would change your life. Even things that might seem random are not. He made you not feel hungry on that specific day because the food at the gathering you went to was spoiled. Even the things that are apparently bad for you at first turn out to be good later, whether you realize it or not. He made you go through this pain so that you could become stronger. He made you miss that flight because the plane would crash. He made you get rejected by this university because the other one would be better for you. He made you ill on that day because an unpleasant incident would’ve happened to you at school. Literally every little seemingly irrelevant occurrence in your life is meant to play a certain role and have a certain effect on you. Perhaps most people don’t notice these things because they’re not deeply reflective the way I am. But I see Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) in my life every day, in everything. Bear in mind that this is only a tiny fraction of what He provides us with; these are only the things that we know of. 99.9999999999% of the blessings that Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) bestows upon us are things that we’re not even aware of. Knowing this, how could I not be grateful? How could I not love Him? How could I possibly disobey Him, or at the very least not feel extreme guilt and shame when I do? Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) gives us so much and only asks very little of us. What He asks of us is nothing compared to what He gives us. We owe Him everything, yet we can’t even obey His simple commands. And it’s not like what He asks of us benefits Him in any way; in the end it’s for our own good, whether we understand why or not. I made a vow to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) that I would change, and I have. I’m never breaking that vow. Life is the ultimate test and I’m not going to fail it. I’m never going back now. (Continued)