It is reported on the authority of `Ubadah Ibn As-Samit (ra) that he said to his son: "Oh, son! You will never taste true faith until you know that whatever afflicts you would not have missed you, and whatever has missed you would never have come to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah say: "The first thing Allah created was the pen; He commanded it to write. It said: "My Rabb! What shall I write?" He said: "Write down what has been ordained for all things until the establishment of the Hour."
For us Muslims, a part of our belief is accepting Allah swt’s decree. Qadr. Now what does that mean? It means to recognize the situation we have been put into and everything that is a part of it and to say, Ya Allah you have granted this for me, although I may not understand it just yet, but Ya Allah you know what is best for me, so I accept it. And what does that mean? It means we must be careful as to not complain or be prideful. In a culture where we are always being compared to as well as ourselves comparing another’s social status, career, things we have or don’t have, our intellectual capacity, and even biryani styles (jk you’re right hyderabadi biryani is incomparable); we find ourselves looking for things we are missing and that usually leads us to complain. We start thinking if I was him, my life would be so much better because he’s got that red Maserati cruising through town. But what we may not know is that it was a present from his father for finally being able to overcome his 20 years of alcoholic addiction. Or we may think she wouldn't understand my struggle because she’s got everything. But what we may not know is that she is dealing with the pain of losing her mom. Or how about that one genius child in the class who doesn't even need to study to pass the biochem exam, but who is also dirt poor and can only afford to eat one meal a day.
All of us in this world are going to be tested and are being tested. This life is a test. However just like there is a different exam for each class section, there is a different exam for each person. How can we expect to pass the exam if we have already given up by saying I would've done better if I was someone else. We don’t know that. Only Allah knows and it is through His wisdom that he has placed you in such a situation. On the Day of Judgement, Allah swt is not going to ask about the things he gave you. He is going to ask about what you did with the things he gave. He will ask you about how you approached and went about with the situation he put you in; whether it was growing up with a silver spoon in your mouth, raised up as an average Joe, or brought up on the streets with only the sky as your roof. Something to remember is that He never burdens a person with a task he/she cannot handle. That means Allah swt believes in you. He believes that you can do it, you can accomplish it, you can succeed. Subhan’Allah. If Allah swt believes in us that is enough for us to keep going without complain. I know it’s really hard not to complain, but we can start off small. Maybe for example if you start thinking, “she’s lucky because she has a better orgo teacher than me”, think “Allah swt knows best”. Or even better make a dua to Allah swt to help you through your circumstance.
It’s easy for us humans to think the grass is greener on the other side, but we must recognize that it’s not. Everyone is struggling because we are all being tested. Maybe not the same kind of struggle as yourself, but according to their own level of struggle. Once we have recognized this, we can also learn to appreciate one another and grow in building our relationship with one another. We can learn to care for one another and love for the sake of Allah swt. We can learn to empathize and support one another. We can learn to build sisterhood and brotherhood. Eventually learning to be a unified Ummah. Insha’Allah Ameen.
For us Muslims, a part of our belief is accepting Allah swt’s decree. Qadr. Now what does that mean? It means to recognize the situation we have been put into and everything that is a part of it and to say, Ya Allah you have granted this for me, although I may not understand it just yet, but Ya Allah you know what is best for me, so I accept it. And what does that mean? It means we must be careful as to not complain or be prideful. In a culture where we are always being compared to as well as ourselves comparing another’s social status, career, things we have or don’t have, our intellectual capacity, and even biryani styles (jk you’re right hyderabadi biryani is incomparable); we find ourselves looking for things we are missing and that usually leads us to complain. We start thinking if I was him, my life would be so much better because he’s got that red Maserati cruising through town. But what we may not know is that it was a present from his father for finally being able to overcome his 20 years of alcoholic addiction. Or we may think she wouldn't understand my struggle because she’s got everything. But what we may not know is that she is dealing with the pain of losing her mom. Or how about that one genius child in the class who doesn't even need to study to pass the biochem exam, but who is also dirt poor and can only afford to eat one meal a day.
All of us in this world are going to be tested and are being tested. This life is a test. However just like there is a different exam for each class section, there is a different exam for each person. How can we expect to pass the exam if we have already given up by saying I would've done better if I was someone else. We don’t know that. Only Allah knows and it is through His wisdom that he has placed you in such a situation. On the Day of Judgement, Allah swt is not going to ask about the things he gave you. He is going to ask about what you did with the things he gave. He will ask you about how you approached and went about with the situation he put you in; whether it was growing up with a silver spoon in your mouth, raised up as an average Joe, or brought up on the streets with only the sky as your roof. Something to remember is that He never burdens a person with a task he/she cannot handle. That means Allah swt believes in you. He believes that you can do it, you can accomplish it, you can succeed. Subhan’Allah. If Allah swt believes in us that is enough for us to keep going without complain. I know it’s really hard not to complain, but we can start off small. Maybe for example if you start thinking, “she’s lucky because she has a better orgo teacher than me”, think “Allah swt knows best”. Or even better make a dua to Allah swt to help you through your circumstance.
It’s easy for us humans to think the grass is greener on the other side, but we must recognize that it’s not. Everyone is struggling because we are all being tested. Maybe not the same kind of struggle as yourself, but according to their own level of struggle. Once we have recognized this, we can also learn to appreciate one another and grow in building our relationship with one another. We can learn to care for one another and love for the sake of Allah swt. We can learn to empathize and support one another. We can learn to build sisterhood and brotherhood. Eventually learning to be a unified Ummah. Insha’Allah Ameen.