A message for you

Allah's messages are all over, subtle in His creation and the happenings in our lives. But sometimes they come to us directly to remind us that He is indeed near, that He hears the quiet conversations in our hearts, and that He is truly the Most Merciful.

My day started out pretty normally. In the mornings I usually work from cafes, and if the weather is pleasant, I go to one where I can sit outside. I had already intended to go to a cafe by the harbor.

As I was driving though, I changed my mind at the last minute. I wasn't hungry, and if I went to that cafe I would have had to order food, and also, I had a lot of work to do and I wouldn't have been able to stay there for a long time. So I decided to go to my regular, which is quiet and I know the baristas pretty well.

When I got there I saw one of the baristas who I hadn’t seen for a while. When I sat down, he came to me and asked me how I was, and we made small talk for a minute. He hesitated, and then said, "I just want to tell you a story and maybe it will help you too." He proceeded to tell me what happened to him and his wife.

"The 31st of December was the worst day ever for us". I had had a pretty rough December too, so I could relate. He told me how his wife had had a stable job for seven years, and recently moved to another one that would pay her better. They were both excited, because they lived away from their children, and this new opportunity meant that they could bring their children to live with them.

But on that day she was terminated from her new job without explanation. They would not be able to survive on only her husband's salary, particularly since they sent a significant portion back home to support their kids. He said, "I knew I had to be strong for her. So I told my wife we just need to pray to God and not to complain and to submit to Him. And we were just praying to God. And one day I went out alone because I didn’t want to show my wife that I was stressed, and I just sat down on the sidewalk for the longest time. And I said to God 'I know that You know what You are doing and I submit to whatever You want.'" He also then decided to fast for God.

Twelve days later, his wife got three different job offers that were much better than what she had before. The salary was higher and the benefits were better. And the final thing he said was,

"It was just a test from God, and also God was showing us that He is the Provider."

It was as though that was what I had to hear. The moral of the story was not that the wife got a better job, although that was of course wonderful, but all of the realizations they had and the way they dealt with their test. They complained to God, not about Him, they prayed, and they understood what He was showing them: that He was indeed the true Provider.

Their life on the 31st of December looked very different than it did on the 12th of January. From a lack of one type of provision to an abundance of it. From constriction to relief. From loss to gain.

Such is life for all of us. Our states vary from day to day, week to week and year to year, but never without purpose. Our provision - in its different forms - fluctuates. The only constant is Allah, and truly only He has the power to change our condition and situation. He is al-Qabidh al-Basit (He who contracts and He who expands), He is al-Razzaq (the Provider), and He is al-Wahhab (the Giver of gifts); when we understand that, we can exhibit true patience, with love and hope, and know that nothing - not good or bad - lasts forever, but Allah does.

And perhaps Allah surprises you too with unexpected provision, through your faith in Him.

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Closing the gaps: On being an Ummah

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Yacub and solace with Allah during loss