What is your Safa and Marwa? Musings on persistence

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." This quote is usually attributed to Albert Einstein (erroneously though, it seems). On the surface, it makes sense. If you are trying to get something to work, or invent something new, doing the same thing again probably won’t cut it. You need creativity and thinking outside of the box.

But a door that is stuck doesn't necessarily need creative ways to get it to open. It usually just needs persistence; the same push, maybe a little harder, or from a different angle, perhaps even with help from others, until it loosens up and finally opens. That persistence may result in bruises, being let down by those who said they would help, and lots of questioning yourself and doubts - but in the end, it is that persistence, and everything that comes with it, that opens the door, by the will of Allah.

And this is what we learn from Hajar (as). Left in the desert with an infant son, there was not much she could do; but doing nothing was not an option either, not for someone with deep conviction. So she went, back and forth, between the mountains of Safa and Marwa, hoping to see someone - anyone - pass by. She did that seven times, even though it was unlikely that things would change - but she trusted in God. And Allah gave her a miracle: the well of Zamzam, something wholly unexpected, which brought people to her.

That striving wasn't motivated by mere desperation, but by deep trust in God. When Prophet Ibrahim (as) left her and their son Ismael, she asked him, "is this from Allah?" And when he replied in the affirmative, she was certain that Allah would not leave them. And so she stayed but she did not despair. Her trust meant striving and knowing that Allah would reward her persistence somehow, in this life and the next.

And this is what the month of Dhul-Hijjah should remind us of. The mandatory act of sa'i between Safa and Marwa (going between the two mountains) during Hajj, following the footsteps of Hajar (as), should serve as a reminder for us whether we are on Hajj or not. Dhul-Hijjah is a time of renewal. Of remembering that persistence and trust. Not because we are expecting our own Zamzam, but because we know that every push, every bruise, and every tear shed with trust in Allah is not lost with Him. That door may crack or even burst open, at the time we least expect it, or someone might lead us to another door we did not realize was there. But we strive. 

And the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the gift we need to strengthen our resolve. For those whose hearts are broken because they cannot go on Hajj and cannot follow in those steps, Allah compensates those broken hearts with the blessing of these days: the first ten of Dhul-Hijjah. No good deed is more beloved to Allah than on these days. They are days of turning to Allah, remembering Him, and asking Him. During the last ten nights of Ramadan, we worship Him and do even more in the hopes of catching Laylat al-Qadr. In these ten days, we do not need to guess. We let the first few days build up to the fast of the day of Arafah, when Allah frees more people from the hellfire than any time of year. When pilgrims stand in dua at the mountain of Arafah, and those fasting pour their heart out in supplication as they break their fast.

And perhaps this Dhul-Hijjah will be your opening; when your persistence, worship, and trust in Allah will open that door you have been pushing for years, or you will be surprised by something you did not expect, by His grace alone. But know that your perseverance and trust will, inshAllah, open for you doors in the Hereafter far more miraculous than anything in this world.