A DIFFICULT CHAPTER.

 

Assalamualaikum everybody, it feels so long since I had last posted. Forgive me for writing blogs with the weirdest schedules one could ever have.

It was probably a month ago that I took my AstraZeneca vaccine. Although a lot of people had warned me about the side effects, I thought that I could handle it since it was just things that seemed minuscule to me. The night after my vaccine shot, I was convinced that I would not be sick because I felt like myself, normal and cheerful. However, a lot of side effects were observed the day after – one of it being high fever, which was honestly unbearable.

It is not the only time I have ever felt so powerless, not the only time I felt as if could not do anything because I was in so much agony. I cannot help but think about this concept of pain and how a lot of people could just bear with it. If you were to ask me who I think about when it comes to pain, I believe the greatest person to think about is this one person who has gone through terrible hardships and sufferings, who has lost loved ones, who has been ostracised and scorned by society at large, Rasulullah SAW.  He was the beloved of the Beloved, the leader of all Prophets, and the greatest among his people, yet his life was not without hardships.

Sometimes I keep on wondering why Allah would put him through so much but then it finally hit me. It was because Rasulullah SAW was dearest to Him that he was tested so much. It reminds me of this beautiful hadith, "When Allah (SWT) desires good for someone, He tries him with hardships.” (Bukhari)

Eventhough I have came across this hadith, it did not stop me from thinking about why God puts people that He loves through so much? The more I think about it the more I understand why, everytime I get sick, or hit a slump, it never stopped me from calling out to Him. Allah tests those of whom He loves because He wants to fortify our Imaan, He wants to train us, to care for us, to teach us and increase our wisdom, to remove the rust from all of our hearts, to bring us closer to Him, to serve as a reminder of our purpose, to advance in rank and to bestow the highest level of Jannah onto us.

If you want a simple answer as to why Allah tests us with so much. It is because He wants to save us.

The reality is that we cannot escape from feeling all the pain in this Dunya. Especially now, amidst this pandemic where we are left with a lot of pain. Be it an emotional heartache, a physical affliction, or even in the form of material and financial loss, we are bound to feel pain. However, I would like to remind you that whatever the cause may be, it is what we do with these emotions that matters. A strong quote that has been going around is that pain changes people; for better or for worse. However, as believers, it is crucial that we allow this suffering to wash over us, to purify us, rather than drowning and destroying us.

Some of the things that have helped me in the past are:

1.     Taking long sujoods; and express every single pain that I feel to my Lord;

2.     Calling out to Him for His help;

3.     Reading the Quran; gives me tranquillity;

4.     Repeating Duas of the Prophets;

5.     Taking a break and focusing on my gratitudes.

Personal hardships and challenges in life are undoubtedly inevitable, even in children. A parent's first instinct would generally be to prevent any challenges children would face or the consequences after. At iLuvQuran, we would enable children to have the necessary tools to face these hardships head own with religion in mind. We believe that Islam can teach us and bring us through the toughest of times in life and give us the hope and optimism necessary to swim through the deepest of waters. So, it is our duty to empower children with the ability to perceive Islam in a positive way to support them throughout their life during their ups and downs.

If you have any inquiries about the school or to register, feel free to contact us at +60-189870020 or find us on our social medias @iluvquran.

I would like to end this blog post with a hadith in mind, where Rasulullah SAW said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” So, the next time you go through a hardship, know that good tidings to the people who are patient.

May all of us be given the courage to accept, the strength to heal, the humility to submit, and the benefit of being able to return closer to Him through the grief He has bestowed upon us.