Grab Hold!
by Michelle Al-Nasr
Al-Jumuah MagazineThis is your life. But everyone wants to tell you what to do with it - everyone else seems to think they know what is best for it. But, wait just a minute. It is YOUR life, right?
Yes, that is right, it is. And you have been given free will - the choice - of how you will live it. Parents and teachers can really only offer you guidance, but the ultimate choices you make will be entirely yours.
At the end of they day, you are the plan maker or breaker. You will decide if you will attend college and which career path you will take. You will choose the type of employment position you will take, or turn down. You will decide what friend or spouse you will be; even what type of son or daughter you will end up to your parents. But for now, it seems that no one understands all of the things you are going through and you feel like your problems are too complex to even bother to talk about them. That, or no one really listened to what you are saying.
Everybody wants you to be quiet and just listen. They want to talk AT you, instead of talk TO you. Would it not be great if someone would just listen - I mean, really listen closely to what you have to say, and not just for the moment, but also for the rest of your life? A true friend that you could confide in; someone that you could freely and openly talk to about your opinions, your fears and all of the pressures you deal with everyday. Someone you could cry to when things seem all out of whack and you are stressed out and someone who would not mock you because of it. Someone you could share all of your dreams for now and for the future.
Would not it be great to get away from it all and get some peace from the fast-paced daily life? Some place where you could go and where you would not be judged because of how you look, how wealthy you are, or not, or who your friends are. A place where there would be no social classes, no racism and no hate; a place where you would only be judged for what is in your heart, rather than the brand name on your clothes or by the latest poll on the popular vote. It would be a place that is safe, and that would be your solace, refuge and protection from harm, gossip and ridicule. It would be a place with no groups of jocks and skaters, freaks or gangs.
Well, that place is real and I can tell you where it is. But I hope that it does not come as a surprise, and I hope that you have already found it. But, just in case, if you are wondering how I can be sure that such a place exists, let me first share this with you: The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said that Allah said, "Seek guidance from Me and I will guide you. O My servants, you sin by night and day, and I forgive all sins. Therefore, seek forgiveness from Me and I will forgive you."
[Muslim].
That special place of comfort can be found in the cover of your Salah and each Du'a.
Abdullah ibn Abbas said, "One day I was with the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and he said to me,
'Young man, I shall teach you some words (of advice): Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help; seek help of Allah. Know that if the World were to gather together to benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.'"
[at-Tirmidhi].
And that friend, the Hearer of All, is your Lord, Allah. The peacefulness you will gain from the remembrance of your Creator is immense and the knowledge and consolation you acquire will fill your heart. He is the One who will always listen to you - any time, any place. He is your Protecting Friend for now and forever. Remember Him, and He will remember you. Be mindful of Him and He will protect you.
It is your life, and He has offered you the rope of salvation. So, grab hold and never let go.
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