All Pharoah had to do was say SORRY and start worshipping one Allah. He would become a bigger king then he was because him releasing the jews and being kind would have won many hearts and his strength would have increased. He made a severe mistake. He pushed it and pushed it until it was too late and nothing could be done to save himself. So, he became an example of what happens when you insist on “ME, MINE”..EGO. Lack of common sense often caused by power.
No one asked him to pay a bill, no one asked him to give his wealth, no one asked him to sacrifice anything.. He was asked to submit to Allah and stop oppressing the Jews and release them. That is all. Yet, he refused.
Why do we refuse goodness? We all do this at some point. What stops us from submitting to Allah.
The other day, me and my friends were discussing if Allah is engaged in micro management or not. Whether he interferes with everything or not. I think he does, while some others said that He has created a system and does not interfere unless He wants to and not for everyone. What is right and what is wrong is another debate but I know one thing. We are given choices.
In ANY situation, I choose to either SUBMIT to Allah or do KUFR. KUFR is to Hide His reality. Ignore it totally and do what common sense or anyone else says. How much of Kufr do we do daily? Think about it.
Let me give you an example.
You are driving. You stop at a traffic light. A car hits your car from the back. What do you do?
Do you get very angry? Or do you look up at Heaven and say THANK YOU , I am safe and the person driving the car that hit mine is safe. Do you TRUST ALLAH enough to believe that this maybe happening for your good? Do you get out of the car and FIRST comfort the other person or do you smack them in the face and curse them? How aware are you at that moment of who is watching you and who is not? Think about it…
The mishap could be : Diversion of a bigger calamity, a Test or a reminder IF you believe Allah is in charge. For your common sense, it is just an idiot that hit your car.
The Results of Opting for Submission to Allah : No stress, quick solution, maybe a nice surprise, peace.
Result for opting for Not even considering Allah: A possible fist fight, anger, frustration, maybe a worse scenario, no peace.
Your choice: to TAME the common sense by realization of Allah or to let it be by IGNORING your submission.
Other examples:
1. I feel depressed here: You can start whining and become repulsive to people, you can throw a fit OR you can go pray , Ask Allah and wait for joy to enter your life. Trust me, it will..
2. I lost my job/ business and money is so low: You can start getting loans right and left, you can sell what you have , start chasing people OR you can go pray, Ask Allah and work positively on the opportunities presented to you being totally aware of Him.
3. I have lots of money , am powerful and enjoying it: You can flaunt it, play with the less fortunate, ( I will not say don’t spend.. spend.. be generous.. ).. OR you can go pray , be aware of Allah and THANK Him for HIS favor on you.
We all have to make this choice many times in different situations. How much do we remember Him and how much do we ignore His existence. How much we communicate with Him and HOW much we trust Him. Rest is all a waste of time.
SAJDA… Bow down in front of him often if your heart is full of joy or full of pain. Go in Sajda many times in a day.. and see how your eyes see so much more than what they see…
In business and in livelihood and in everything, we are tested all the time. When we have plenty and when money is low.. we are tested. Do we do something in haste, or do we just pray and leave it to Allah? We must leave it to HIM.
It is about FOCUS.
What you focus on becomes your goal and your goal is what you reach for completion. Is it not our Goal to reach Allah and reach Him successfully and then be blessed? If you have submitted to Allah, then that is your goal. And, knowing what Allah is and can do, do we not need his help to achieve the little objectives too?
Yes, that is the mission – to REMOVE “I” with “ALLAH”. Never say, I WILL DO THIS, say ALLAH WILL DO THIS or CAN DO THIS. Apply it in your daily life. See how many times you say ALLAH and how many times you say “I”. What is the value of this? Great value.
You start to live in the NOW. You are less burdened and believe it or not , LESS scrutinized. And, if you are like this consistently, then you find great success in everything you do.
Feeling His presence around you and being aware of Him.. that is TAQWA. Do you know what amazing things this can do? It gives you direct access to Supreme Intelligence. Guidance. Allah has promised that He will guide people with Taqwa out of anything. When you are in this state, you need not worry about so much. And, what does this do? It makes you a superior human being because while everyone else is going around with stress and being “smart” , you are at peace. Being at peace is vital for good health. And, situations will not always be good, but you can be.
Yes, Allah does act in every situation for human beings and Jinns. BUT, there is a condition. Submission. He does not act or acts AGAINST the ones that ignore His Greatness. And so they are condemned to an incomplete intelligence and common sense that is limited to some senses and not all senses.
The life of a real believer and worshipper of Allah will always be different from common folks. He can never be like them but they can try and be like him. And, he will always be superior in all situations. Allah raises people in rank and status. People will always feel their power and they will always be loved and hated out of jealousy too. Matter of choices.
And, as time passes by.. this choice has to be made more frequently and sometimes even constantly. Difficult. I know.
This post is inspired by a conversation with a friend who has suffered a lot in terms of work and income. He is too good to do something bad and he is too frustrated to remain good. I hope he calls out to Allah and goes into Sajda and asks for His divine help. Because, He will help. It is a choice. Instead of doing anything negative, why not try this. No one is getting hurt and what else is there to do?
Yes, we use our minds to figure things out and get work done. But, when there is no opportunity and no solution, there is always a solution… submission. And once this is done, every step you take leads to success. At the least, whatever your issue is now.. will disappear.
I pray to Allah almighty to guide us, forgive us and give us joy in His worship and enable us to gain from His book and His messenger , May Allah’s peace be upon him. I pray that we make the right choices at all times.
Enjoy your week with awareness:)
Real Talk Blog : ali shah 