'Seeing the Good ... in Everything'

You must have felt like that before? Unsure of how to respond to a particular situation ... due to being unsure of what the situation truly meant.

Not very long ago a companion of mine broke some news to me, some news that would affect her life in a way that I simply couldn't understand. Yet, through such a testing time Allah (Swt) gave her the courage to remind me; "and it may be that you hate a thing though it is good for you; and love a thing though it is bad for you, Allah Knows and you know not." [Surah Al-Baqarah(2):216]

Truly I marvel at certain situations; the fact that sisters such as she - my dear companions - truly are unaware of how they give me strength, through their own ability to harbour it. So, as my companion informed me of her situation she so bravely concluded with a quote which, she probably has no idea, has stood as one of my bedrocks. Through testing times I have found immense solace and contentment, like nothing felt before. Dear readers, do not belittle the effect of a few words, for it may be those words that save a soul from destruction and consequently, gain you the ultimate love and pleasure of Allah (Swt). So I relate to you, what my companion related to me:

"When I wake up, I do not care what happens to me; whether it is good for me or bad for me, for I neither know whether it is good or bad. [And I trust in the decree of my Lord (Swt)]". [Umar ibn al-Khattab (ru)]

When hearing such beautiful and polished words, how can one not feel at ease? With the worries and concerns of this dunya quickly deteriorating . . . With that timeless quote in mind, I shall share with you a treasured moment of mine:

I remember a day I felt completely un-phased with the life of this world, briskly walking through the heavy rain to my parked car, with my intuition beginning to kick in: something was about to happen. I got into my car and drove out from a side road, after double-checking the roads were clear in both directions. Suddenly, all I could hear was an incredibly loud "BEEEEEEEEEP! " The sound of a horn - an automatic warning that something was wrong. As I turned to my right I could see the car coming towards me at full speed and all I could think of was ... I was not going to make it. I closed my eyes and just waited, waited for the vehicle to crash into the right side of my car, and for my body to feel its complete impact. . .

When I opened my eyes, to my amazement, nothing had occurred. By the grace of Allah (swt) the man's car had stopped no more than about half a centimetre from mine. He appeared furious, as though he was just waiting to deal with me. As I sat shaking my head, the man became even more angered and so decided to get out of his car and walk towards me. He angrily inquired as to why I was shaking my head, to which I simply replied through teary eyes: "The strange thing is, I had a feeling something was going to happen today, but I'm just so thankful to God that nothing did." To my amazement the man looked at me with sympathetic eyes, all signs of his anger quickly vanishing and he responded, "God was on our side."

Dear readers, the thought that my Lord (swt) enabled that man, even if it be for just one moment, to remember Him (swt), is a treasured moment. One that I have chosen not to forget... alhamdulillah.