Trust in Allah
Chapter 11
Examine your relationship with Allah.
The virtue of relying on Allah is mentioned and highly praised in many Quranic verses and what is mentioned frequently in the Quran is of profound significance and takes high priority.
Musa was homeless, jobless, and alone in a strange town, he helped two women chivalrously without expecting any favours in return. He then withdrew under a tree to sincerely call to His Lord for help.“… ‘My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!’” (28:24)
At such a sincere display of pure trust, his Lord responded to his prayer. Allah gave him a long-lasting job, a considerate employer, accommodation, a chaste wife, and compassionate in-laws — all within the same day.
Allah’s answer is better than your expectation
In the case for Yunus, he was just asking for forgiveness when he said ‘There is no god but You, Glory to You; verily I was one of the wrongdoers.’ (21:87)
Allah forgave him, Allah saved him, Allah elevated him and Allah returned him to his people who caused him to flea in the first place and now accepted him as a Prophet. Yunus came out better than he expected after his supplication.
Your dream right now may seem distant and very far or the problem you have might be so prevalent and present that you lose hope. But know that Allah is Al-Qadeer — Able to do all things. Losing hope is almost denying Him this attribute.
Tawakol is the worship of the heart. It has a profound effect on our behaviour. We become fearless of all things besides Allah. We trace everything back to its original cause.
The Muslims are Given Strength and The Means to all Ends Once They Demonstrate Their Complete Reliance on Allah
The Prophet ﷺ promised the believers conquest of Damascus, Yemen and Persia — the most powerful of ancient empires that had been around for centuries before — at a time when the Muslims were suffering from hunger and fighting for survival at the battle of the trench. “[Remember] when they came at you from above you and from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats and you assumed about God [various] assumptions. There, the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking.” (33:10–11)
The hypocrites declared it a blatant lie as it was completely inconceivable in their minds. They stirred doubts in others because of their own disbelief “And [remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease said, ‘God and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion.’” (33:10–12)
The believers did not question the integrity of what the Prophet ﷺ had said and proved themselves “And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.” And it increased them only in faith and acceptance.” (33:22)
Many analysts among them may have looked at all the variables, assessed the situation and concluded that there is no way out. The believers defied their so called logic and placed their trust in Allah. When they saw the storms of danger gathering, they remembered Allah’s promise.
But this promise wasn’t that once they believed, they’d instantly take over the whole world without any effort and the Angels would come down to place crowns on their heads. Rather, the promise was that they’d pass through severe trials, endure extreme hardship & fitnah, and sacrifice a lot, after which Allah would bless them with His grace and give them that promised success in this world & the next.
“And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command when they were patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs.” (32:24)
They’re certainty in the ayat of Allah led to empowerment as they demonstrated their Eman and therefore qualified in the eyes of Allah for victory — Thus Allah provided his help for them from avenues they never expected.
Look to The Source
When people submit to Allah, the world submits to them
The Muslims were given victory and went on to conquer Persia a few short years later. Within a couple of decades, the vision of the Messenger ﷺ was fulfilled and all the places mentioned had come under the rule of Islām.
Allah fulfilled what He had promised them, caused them to prevail, made their word supreme, and extinguished the flames of war lit by those who disbelieved.
The whole battle was a test of their endurance, patience and faith in Allah to see if they actually believed in His promise, or gave up and resorted to evil.
This was in contrast to companions of Musa. The ancient Israelites, despite having two of the greatest Prophets amongst their ranks, were prohibited from entering the sacred city until the corrupt generation, through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness had died out, and a new generation emerged.
They demanded Mūsā عليه السلام and His Lord to conquer Jerusalem without any faith, striving or sacrifice on their part:
They said, “O Moses, indeed we will not enter it, ever, as long as they are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here.” (5:26)
But our current lack of actions and effort suggest we want it to come for free too.
Allah’s help to the Muslims against their enemies who wage war on them is something real and true. Allah, may He be exalted, has promised that to the believers, and has told them that it is near, and that He only delays it for certain significant reasons.
“Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When (will come) the Help of Allah?’ Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!” (2:214)
The help of Allah that is near is not for everyone who claims to believe or claims to be a Muslim; rather it is only for those who truly believe in their hearts and carry out their duties as enjoined by Islam. If they seek help from Allah based on the fact that He has promised it to them, then their likeness is that of a hired worker who refuses to do the work for which he was hired, then demands his wages. The one who is like that is not rational at all.
Think of a time where you lost hope and resorted to doing the wrong thing. Had you only persisted a little while longer you would have been provided for from places where you did not expect.
To Allah belongs all things in the heavens and the Earth, so set things straight between you and Allah and He will suffice you.
Doubt is Corrosive
and is in itself a sufficient manifestation of ignorance.
Someone faced with doubt rarely brings their best self to the table. Doubt undermines confidence, it casts aspersions and it assumes the worst. “Their hearts are full of doubt, and their doubts cause them to waver.” (9:45)
Shaytan also stirs doubt in us — that is the best he can do. And that is precisely what we must fight. Simply knowing we have to think well of Allah, or have trust, won’t truly help us when we need it if we are not sure. Being sure (having yaqeen) means having certainty in the Power of Allah, in His Mercy and in His promise.
Life is but a brief window of time testing your yaqin, as Allah only “created death and life to show which of you acts best…” (67:2)
Seeking Allah’s Help
No matter how much strength you exhibit in bearing a trial — the strength of body or will — and no matter what you accomplish or avoid, the universe is stronger, and your strength and accomplishments compared to it are only a spec.
✦ The strength of your body could never match the strength of the mountains.
✦ The strength of your will and determination will be overcome by your mortality.
✦ What you accomplish can dwindle away.
Don’t take this the wrong way.
✦ Sabr matters, but it is not the goal. The great stoics were very patient.
✦ Survival matters, but it is not the goal. Death is a fact.
✦ Accomplishment matters, but it is not the goal.
What truly matters then is that in all of our troubles, and even in their absence, how is our “isti’anah”? How much, and in what manner do we call upon Allah?
When we understand this, we realize it is not shameful to feel small, weak and defeated before our problems. Nooh (عليه السلام) said:
أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ
“Indeed, I am overpowered, so help.” [54: 10]
Thus the purpose of trials is not to test how strong you are, but how strongly you seek the help of Allah.
Strengthening Your Trust
Strengthening your trust in Allah doesn’t happen by chance. It’s a journey of immense spiritual growth. It’s a journey that cracks open your heart, arises your innermost vulnerabilities and when the wounds are still sore, that is when your heart fully connects and surrenders to Allah. — Hafsa.
“And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him…” (65:2–3)
So when someone puts his trust in Allah in the correct manner, He rewards him by sufficing him and taking charge of his affairs and does not relegate it to anyone else. The believers find complete peace of mind in His promise of sufficiency, and thus their worry and anxiety are dispelled; hardship is turned to ease and sadness into joy “…and whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him” (65:4)
Allah is the one who calms their hearts from panicking such that they are tranquil and trusting.
Allah is Al-Wakeel
This means that it is He who controls His worshipers’ affairs and takes care of them. Whenever the idea of relying on Allah is mentioned in the Qur’an, Allah reminds us of His power. He has given Himself this Name and made it known to us, so that we know this is an essential attribute of His. Even if things do not go according to plan, we know that Allah will give us something that is better.
The believers should not behave like a squad of chickens clucking in fear
Allah Almighty said: “Those to whom hypocrites said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But it (merely) increased them in faith, and they said, “Sufficient for us is Allah, and (He is) the best Disposer of affairs (HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakeel).” (3:173)
After the Sahaba affirmed the power and care of Allah in this dua, Allah said “So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.” (3:174)
Similarly before them, Ibn Abbas said: “When Prophet Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, he said: ‘HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakeel — Allah (alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the best Disposer of affairs. (Al-Bukhari) — and we all know what happened next.
Therefore, we have to always remind ourselves of this blessed name al-Wakeel; Allah will aid you. Many people accept it in theory but deny it in Practice. One ought to know with certainty that the creation is subject to His control. Nothing happens in His Dominion except that which He wills. So call on Allah like the Prophet ﷺ did, recognising this attribute, and know that He will manifest this Name in your life.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed By The Vastness of The Sea
Look at the one who can split it in half. — Yasmin Mogahed
The pharaoh’s grip of Egypt had become so tight that he’d eventually find the audacity to proclaim Godhood, and amazingly, none found the courage to challenge him. There were only a few people who had accepted Islām with Prophet Mūsā out of fear of the establishment’s ruthlessness.
Allāh said: “Nobody believed in Mūsā except for a few youth because of fear of the Pharaoh and his establishment that they would persecute them…”
Confronting the pharaoh meant that enormous challenges will be awaiting, but Mūsā strove to nurture within them the certainty that no hand can be above Allāh’s, and that His planning will always reign supreme.
When Prophet Musa (as) stood in front of the Red Sea, a tyrant and his army approached from behind. Some of those in Musa’s midst began to divide. Looking ahead, those people saw only defeat:
“And when the two bodies saw each other, the people of Moses said: ‘We are sure to be overtaken.’”(26:61).
But Musa عليه السلام had different eyes. His eyes were spiritual eyes that saw through the illusions of worldly hardship and defeat. He saw through. With a heart connected to the Most High, looking at the same seemingly impossible situation, “(Moses) said: ‘By no means! My Lord is with me! He will guide me through!’” (26:61–62)
And indeed Allah did just that:
“Then We told Moses by inspiration: ‘Strike the sea with thy rod.’ So it divided, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain. And We made the other party approach thither. We delivered Moses and all who were with him; But We drowned the others.” (26: 63–66).
In the very next ayah, Allah says: “Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.” (26:67) — This is not just a story. Nor is it ancient. It is an everlasting sign and a lesson for all time. Your faith requires you to believe with your heart what you’re eyes cannot yet see.
It is a sign of the Reality of God and the secrets of this world. It is a sign that tyranny never wins and that obstacles are only created to test us, train us, and purify us. But most of all it is a sign of where success actually comes from.
Take Away — Even if everything is pointing in the complete opposite direction of what you desire, make immense dua and trust that Allah will make a way for you.
Musa asked for forgiveness and was forgiven, guided and given victory. This is how al-Walī al-Hamīd deals with His allies who have the utmost confidence and best expectations of Him, harbor no negative thoughts of Him, believe in His promises and guarantees.
Don’t Ever Lose Track of Who Truly Provides
You must know and believe that Allah is ar-Razak (The Provider), Many people don’t and so they doubt in what Allah is able to do.
Fear of poverty is counted as one of the diseases of the heart. For the reasons that follow, scholars have said that nurturing this fear is tantamount to harboring a negative opinion about God the Exalted, who has revealed, Satan threatens you with poverty and he commands you to immorality. But God promises you His forgiveness and bounty (2:268).
One of Satan’s tactics is to keep people so occupied with the fear of losing their wealth they end up desperately clinging to their Money and depriving the needy — and themselves — of the goodness of giving for the sake of God. A person under the spell of irrational fear is more vulnerable to transgress laws, even to the point of indulging in lewdness, for the purpose of gaining profit and wealth.
The Vastness of Allah eliminates the fear of loss and limitedness.
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah notes:
‘The condition of the one who relies on Allāh is like the condition of the one who is given a dirham by a King, then it gets stolen from him; so the King says to him: “I have many times as much as that, so don’t worry. When you come to me, I will give you from my treasures much more than that.” Thus if (this person) knows the truthfulness of the king’s statement, and trusts him, and knows that his treasures are full of that, then what he missed will not make him sad.’
“If Allah were to enlarge the provision for His Servants, they would indeed transgress beyond all bounds through the earth; but he sends (it) down in due measure as He pleases. For He is with His Servants Well-acquainted, Watchful.” (42:27)
Ibn al-Qayyim said “And if Allah closes one of its paths for a wisdom which He alone knows, He will — out of His mercy — open another path for you which is even more beneficial. Had Allah lifted the veil for His slave and shown him how He handles his affairs for him, and how Allah is more keen for the benefit of the slave than His own self, his heart would have melted out of the love for Allah and would have been torn to pieces out of thankfulness to Allah.”
It is from Allah’s kindness that He gives His servants of His bounties what is best for them and withholds from them when receiving those bounties is not in their best interests. Allah gives to us and withholds from us according to the dictates of His wisdom, mercy, and justice. The believers should be aware of this great reality and therefore should never act ignorantly as those who deny it. Sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa’illah “His most perfect blessing on you is to give you just enough, and to deprive you from what will cause you to do wrong”.
“And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know.” (12:21) — meaning, have no knowledge of Allah’s wisdom with regards to His creation, compassion and doing what He wills.
Allah mentions this ayat to us after Yusuf عليه السلام is thrown down a well by his own brothers, separated from his beloved father by their envy and sold as a slave, and this is before the test of the women and prison…why?
Whereas the majority of people when placed in difficult times would lose hope in the mercy of Allah and despair, we mustn't be fooled by the difficult times in our life — that things may get worse and continue to, but we have to remember Allah is in full control of our affairs.
“but most of the people do not know” meaning, have no knowledge of Allah’s wisdom with regards to His creation, compassion and doing what He wills. In other words, it means that Allah is powerful and fully in control over; all outward chains of causes in this world start falling in line with His will and permission.
His mercy was all encompassing even if Yusuf didn’t understand how at the time of his suffering. It was a chance for him to display his trust, elevate his rank and be a means of mercy himself to countless others after interpreting the dream of the King and implementing the solution. This was all in the plan of Allah, His rahma is manifested on His terms and that is no doubt best for his slaves.
“And be patient for the decision of your Lord, for indeed you are in Our eyes.” (52:48)
Allah tells us in the Quran that for all things He has created an “appointed term’. This includes our hardships and struggles. They all have a birth and a death. They all have an appointed term. Every situation in our life has an appointed term, after which they come to an end and/or change.
Not only should you have patience because: 1. Allah’s command is controlling the situation (and when it will come to an end/change), but also *because* 2. You are in ‘His eyes’: He is your Guardian even throughout the hardship’s ‘lifetime’.
Despairing in Allah is a major wrong because of the stern warning that has been narrated concerning it, such as the verses in which Allah, may He be exalted, says “Certainly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve” (Yusuf 12:87) and “And who despairs of the Mercy of his Lord except those who are astray?” (15:56). It is an implicit rejection of the Qur’an and the definitive texts, and it is thinking ill of one’s Lord, may He be exalted, for He says — and His word is true — “My mercy encompasses all things” (7:156) — but this person is limiting that which is all-encompassing.
In fact, to despair is to follow the path of Iblis, whose very name comes from the Arabic root balasa, which means “one who despaired.” Iblis, therefore, means “he who causes despair.”
Shaytan exploits the sadness of a person and instills in us thoughts of hopelessness and despair. Rising after a fall constitutes a defeat for the devil and draws you closer to Allah.
Read the Quran and remind yourself of Allah’s mercy. We don’t know when the help of Allah will come, but we know that it will as it did to Yusuf عليه السلام.
Something Better
The Prophet ﷺ said “Verily, you will never leave anything for the sake of Allah Almighty but that Allah will replace it with something better.” (Musnad Ahmad)
Allah does not prevent His slave from attaining any worldly matter, except to give him something better and more beneficial than it be it in this life or the hereafter. No one enjoys this privilege except the believer; Allah deprives him of acquiring the lower in order to grant him the higher.
But due to man’s ignorance of what is actually good for him, and the wisdom, generosity, and kindness of his Creator, he isn’t able to differentiate between what he has been prevented from and what has been preserved for him. On the contrary, he is deeply attracted to the immediate things, even if they may be inferior, and hardly yearns for what has been deferred for him, even if they are superior.
“But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.” (2: 216)
People are often impatient and seek immediate answers to all the occurrences that defy comprehension. Such instances are in fact an opportunity for them to demonstrate their certainty in this attribute of Allah by having confidence in His wisdom.
One of the stories in Suratul Kahf is about Musa and Khidr on a ship. Khidr made a hole in the ship and Musa couldn’t understand why he would do that to a people who were giving them a free lift. Khidr later explained that a king was going round seizing all the ships that were in working order. So by making it defective, he had actually saved it for its owners.
The people of the ship may have lost out on some temporary gain but after some simple repairs they may have been the only ones in town left with a ship, consequently becoming very wealthy. The calamity thus became the cause of their success.
Allah rewarded the fishermen for their generosity with a small calamity that would lead to a greater victory — being the only useable ship in town.
Can you list any examples from your own life when hardship produced more success than ease might have done?
Musa’s Mother
“We inspired Moses’ mother, saying, ‘Suckle him, and then, when you fear for his safety, put him in the river: do not be afraid, and do not grieve, for We shall return him to you and make him a messenger.’ Pharaoh’s household picked him up — later to become an enemy and a source of grief for them: Pharaoh, Haman, and their armies were wrongdoers — and Pharaoh’s wife said, ‘Here is a joy to behold for me and for you! Do not kill him: he may be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son.’ They did not realise what they were doing. Soon after, Moses’ mother felt a void in her heart — if We had not strengthened it to make her one of those who believe, she would have revealed everything about him — and she said to his sister, ‘Follow him.’ So she watched him from a distance, without them knowing. We had ordained that he would refuse to feed from wet nurses. His sister approached them and said, ‘Shall I tell you about a household which could bring him up for you and take good care of him?’ We restored him to his mother in this way, so that she might be comforted, not grieve, and know that God’s promise is true, though most of them do not know. (28:7–13)
The mother of Musa obeyed her lord despite not understanding how His promise will come to pass. That was a hard plan to follow, but she trusted her Lord, and carried out her mission.
If we trust Him, do what He asks, and follow our hearts, His plan will unfold in our lives like a brightly lit path. Allah not only reunited her with her child but saved her from a life of trying to keep her son from being killed. Now she was protected by the same people who were supposed to kill her son. Moreover, she was now an employee in the Royal Palace, and was being paid to do what she would have done anyway — take care of her son!
Remember that the future is in the hand of Allah and that whatever Allah has decreed will come to pass. Your fear and anxiety about it will not change it at all. So keep busy with things that will benefit you and think well of Allah, for Allah is as His slave thinks He is, as He says in the hadeeth qudsi: “I am as My slave thinks I am, so let him think of Me as he wishes.” (Ahmad)
The essence of Tawakul is in the heart’s dependence on Allah’s mercy and wisdom so that the heart relies on Allah to bring about whatever will benefit the person in this world and the next. A profound force of inner strength can come with this knowledge.
Having Good Expectations of Allah
“I am as My slave thinks I am…” (Bukhari)
Your relationship with your creator and the connection you maintain with Him, is greatly influenced by what you think of Him and how you believe He sees you.
When we assume that everyone, including Allah, is out to get us or don’t care about us, we fall into the cognitive distortion of mind-reading. We assume ill intentions of Allah because our emotions overtake our thoughts. However, consider the statement of the Prophet ﷺ, Allah says: “I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e., I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me.
We often see the world through a lens colored over time by our own experiences. What has not come our way today may await us in the future. Think of the positives we are experiencing today. Both gratitude and patience, with a strong level of tawakkul will help us to acknowledge and accept the blessings that come with all situations, good and bad, and to actively seek the best of what is yet to come.
Remember, that with every hardship, Allah has promised ease. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ visited a sick Bedouin and said to him, “Don’t worry, ṭahūr (i.e., your illness will be a means of cleansing of your sins) if Allah wills.” The Bedouin said, “Ṭahūr! No, but it is a fever that is burning in the body of an old man and it will make him visit his grave.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Then it is so.”
Does Allah truly wish you ill if He promises to come nearer to you if you take even the tiniest step toward Him? In reality, our thought processes regarding Allah have much more to do with us than they have to do with Allah. Therefore, it makes sense that Allah is as we expect Him to be — if we expect good of Allah, we will find good in every situation; if we expect bad from Allah, we will perceive that.
Thinking well of Allah requires affirming His perfect traits of mercy and abundance, blocking out negativity and whispers to the contrary and believing with certainty.
Mariam Anwer has the following to say “At certain instances in his life, a believer might feel like an individual walking in the blinding darkness of an endless tunnel — scared, tired, thirsty, with hardly any hope left in him to find light or a way out.
But there’s something in him that always cures and heals his aching soul. It is his faith and trust in His Master that He, the One who has been taking care of Him all this while, is with Him and will never desert him. Whenever a crisis comes his way, he utilizes his faith and good expectations of Allah in order to hold on and be strong in repelling the whispers of shaytan to give up.”
Treat Islam as a burden and it will feel like one.
Treat it as a blessing and it will be one.
Consider the following verse
“your eyes rolled [with fear], your hearts rose into your throats, and you thought [ill] thoughts of Allah. There the believers were sorely tested and deeply shaken: The hypocrites and the sick at heart said, ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusions!’ [Such trials are ordained] so that Allah may reward the truthful for their honesty and punish the hypocrites, if He so wills, or He may relent towards them, for Allah is forgiving and merciful.” (33:24)
Allāh never fails in His promise, and should we assume otherwise our belief in Allāh requires revisiting urgently. He has promised to give support to the believers, to replace the one who leaves a prohibited matter for Allāh’s sake with something better, to aid those who rely upon Him, and so on. One of the many promises of Allāh is:
“And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” (40:60)
It is a matter of cause and effect, thus when the former is acted upon, then the latter is a promised outcome.
Your heart doesn’t need reasons to trust Allah. It is your mind (i.e. egoic voice) that latches onto reasons and frantically searches for ‘why’ you should be more hopeful in Allah. We must consistently affirm His traits of mercy and abundance whilst blocking out whispers to the contrary.
Anytime you begin to doubt or worry, leave those thoughts in your mind and come back to the present moment. Connect to your heart and know that trusting Allah is enough. Don’t give yourself the headache of ‘how’ and ‘when’ things will work out because your egoic mind will never be satisfied.
What you think is falling apart is actually being rearranged by Allah
to give you what you ultimately want. Ultimately — not today, not even this week or a month but for a lifetime. Hang in there just a little longer.
Having good expectations of Allah can lead one to have grand hopes and aspirations, and working towards them knowing that Allah (swt) “will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.” (18:30)
Ibn Qayyim mentions “But most people — in fact, all of them except those protected by Allah — assume other than the truth, and assume the worst. Most people believe that they are deprived of their rights, have bad luck, deserve more than what Allah gave them, and it is as if they are saying: ‘My Lord has wronged me and deprived me of what I deserve,’ and his soul bears witness to this while his tongue denies it and refuses to openly state this.”
The Prophet ﷺ said “Allah is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child” (Bukhari)
Thinking positively of Allah comes with the realisation and understanding of His mercy. If we are convinced that Allah is looking out for our best interests when He decrees painful situations, and that He will replace what is lost with something much better for us in both this life and/or the next, then that is exactly how we will find Him, without a doubt.
“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” (16:97)
Conversely if a person believes in a bad omens, Allah may make that the cause of bad things happening to him.
The Prophet said “Allah the Exalted says: I am as my servant expects me” (Bukhari) and in another narration “ Allah says: If he thinks good of me, he will have it. And if he thinks evil of me, he will have it.” (Ahmad)
The superstitious person attracts evil to himself as bad omens only affects the one who believes in them. If a person fears something other than Allah, it gains control over him and is tormented by it. All of this points to the fact that the believers should be optimistic and not pessimistic or cynical and are always expecting the best from Allah even if they do not know exactly how it will be.
The Prophet ﷺ said that “One of the signs of excellence of one’s worship is thinking well of Allah.” (Ahmad)
Our prayers need to be accompanied with certainty and conviction that our good expectations will be fulfilled. This belief has to be instilled in every fibre of our being. We have to constantly reaffirm and reinforce our prayers with the positive thoughts that Allah heard us and has already answered us in the best manner. Thinking well about Allah in this way is another step on the road to excellence in Islam.
In short, good expectation can only occur if the means for salvation are pursued. One should not be deluded to expect the fruits of Paradise whilst only planting the seeds of Hell.
We often find ourselves in difficult situations, not knowing which decision to take or how to resolve an issue. We need to find the path that is most pleasing to Allah, ask Him for guidance and trust in His divine decree.
Allah will never disappoint the sincere believer. Even when you think He hasn’t answered you, He plans in your favour.
…
Life is short, so don’t shorten it even more with worry. Sadness weakens the heart and diminishes determination and wanting to go forward. Therefore do not ruin your happiness with worry. Sadness is only mentioned in two places in the Quran — once to negate it and once to forbid it.
As humans we have the tendency to overthink and worry about uncontrollable matters. Ibn Ata’illah said “Relieve yourself of worry after you have planned; do not concern yourself with what Allah has undertaken on your behalf.” — Be at peace by having full confidence in Allah’s wisdom and absolute conviction in His plan.
The key has always been to strive and trust in Allah’s promises and timing.
