Faith in the struggle

Written by Faisal Nazir

Edited by Maah-Noor Ali

Have you ever just felt continuously empty? regardless of how happy you are and how beautiful, with the grace of Allah (God), your destiny becomes. Do you still feel this tinge of sadness? I have felt that for years and it took me years to understand it.

There is a verse in the Quran - Surah Duha, that says: ‘And He found you lost and guided you’, this verse alone changed my whole perspective. It was a reminder that this emptiness is a longing. A longing to do more than just pray four out of five prayers, a longing to do more than watch lectures on YouTube, to do more than just seem and sound religious, and instead, to follow it up with my actions. A reminder that everything I do from the minute I wake up to the second I sleep should be surrounded around Allah. My work ethic should reflect Islamic principles and morals, meaning I should always fill my duty and do my best. My family relations should be filled with modesty and respect, taking heed with the speech that falls from my tongue. my friends should benefit from me, not fall into sin because of me. My own heart should not fall into despair because of this one verse.

It is Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the one who gives life and takes life, the one who holds the entire universe, it is He who found me lost and guided me. That with the power of prayer I have direct connection to Him. That no one can interfere in my conversation or relation with Him. When you find something; you take care of it right? when you lose your keys, the next time you put them in a safer place. So, Allah found us lost, does that mean he won’t will take care of us? the fact that he guided us, does that mean he won’t look after us? wrong. Allah is always here for us, regardless of how many times we try to run away. That feeling of emptiness was this urge to do more good, to make more people smile, to give extra to charity. it was this longing to remain on that path of guidance.

If it is Allah, the most merciful who guides us, how could we ever wish to lose hope in him? May He keep us all firm, and always smiling.