Do Not Give Up

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

I understand that some of us are having a challenging time this Ramadhan, particularly in this time of pandemic and loneliness.  It may be difficult to pray, and to fast, and sometimes, to even hold on.  But do so. 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ (١٥٣) 

O you who believe!  Seek Help with patient perseverance and prayer: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. (Surah al-Baqarah:153) 

Faith is meant to be tested, and the world is a crucible.  And just at that moment you feel like breaking, endure, and take one breath, one step more.  It is often enough, because of this Promise: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا‌ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡہَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡ‌ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرً۬ا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ‌ۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآ‌ۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَٮٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٨٦) 

On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.  It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns.  (Pray): “Our Lord!  Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord!  Lay not on us a burden like that which You did Lay on those before us; Our Lord!  Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.  Blot Out our sins and Grant us Forgiveness.  Have Mercy on us.  You are our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith.” (Surah al-Baqarah:286) 

This is why it is important to persevere, to endure, to patiently bear what is Given, for it is a Hidden Blessing.  It is part of husn azh-zhan, good thoughts, of Allah (s.w.t.), to believe that a Good God cannot give us something bad.  However, there are ways to make this journey easier, for we are guardians of each other in humanity. 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding”.  Swimming because we are swimming in the oceans of dunya, and if a person does not know how to keep his head above the swells, he will be drowned in it.  Archery because it is important to have focus, and to move forward, it is part of tawakkul, trust in Allah (s.w.t.), to pull back and let go.  And horse riding because we must ride the beast of the nafs, desires, or it will ride us. 

We are people of a great caravan, stretching from Adam (a.s.), to the last of the ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w.) to come.  We are travelling in a great desert, looking for ways to the watering holes, shari’ah.  The best guides know the hidden paths to quench our thirst, thariqa’.  The ones who have quenched their thirst, thirst for more, ma’rifat.  And there are those who have arrived, and drowned themselves in the Oceans of haqiqah, Divine Unity. 

Along the way, some will be lost, but they will be found.  Some will be left behind, but they will be guided.  Some will be hobbled, but they will be carried until they heal.  We are all in this together.  We are here to look out for each other. 

There will be creatures waiting at the edge of the camp fires, great beasts that howl and growl.  Ignore them.  There will be dogs barking, that is their nature.  It would be strange for us to leave the caravan to bark back at the dogs.  Through sand and dust, and wind and thirst, and hurt and pain , and sorrow and loss; we press us.  We have seen the signs in the stars that there is a great ocean somewhere beyond.  We have been Granted fragments of messages telling us of the wonders within.  Now is not the time to give up on ourselves, and give up on each other.  Home is a day’s journey away.