When God moves you

Some of us, at certain junctions in our lives, will be forced to leave, and others will be forced to stay. We might not want to, but oftentimes, the place we are forced to be offers the most spiritual growth.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not want to leave Mecca. He said as he left:

By Allah, you are the best and most beloved land to Allah. Had I not been driven away from you, I would not have left you. (Tirmidhi)

Not used to the climate of Madina, the companions became ill, many longing to return. The Prophet ﷺ supplicated:

O Allah, make Madinah dear to us as you made Makkah dear, and more so. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Subsequently, when the Prophet ﷺ returned from a journey and saw the walls of Medina from afar, he would quicken his pace and, if he was on an animal, he would make it gallop out of his love for Madina. (Bukhari)

Indeed, it was Madina that became the sanctuary for the Prophet ﷺ, and despite being able to return to settle in Makkah after its liberation, he chose to return to Madina, and it was there that he passed away and is buried ﷺ.

We do not know where the most growth will happen in our lives. Many times, it is on the other side of struggle, particularly if we utilize that struggle to gain closeness to God. Sometimes the move is forced upon us, and might be the most detestable or at best most uncomfortable situation for us, but only because Allah knows that what lies beyond is better for our heart and soul, even if we do not know what it is, and especially when the benefits are not immediate or obvious.

Moosa (as) was forced away from his mother and believing family. He was an infant, of course, and the decision was made for him - but little did his mother know, as she threw her son in the river in desperation to save him, that he would be safest in the palace of the very man who wanted him and his people dead. While it hurt her, she had to let him go - and he was saved from murder, by God’s will.

After going from a believing household to grow up in the palace of the disbelieving Pharaoh, he was forced to move again. Accidentally killing a man while defending another, he knew that he would be persecuted for that action instead of being given a fair trial.

So he fled, away from all that was familiar, and away from his loved ones. It must have been lonely, and scary.

But Allah gave him a family and a home in Madyan. He spent almost a decade there, learning what Allah wanted him to learn, until he received revelation. That period in his life was necessary for what was to come after.

So as you assess your situation, where you are, where you are going, and where you want to be, remember that it is in the place that is most unfamiliar and uncomfortable that you might find the growth you truly need - not just the one you want. Sometimes the pain prevents us from moving forward or benefitting, but the moment we trust in Him that there is wisdom - like the Prophets Muhammad ﷺ and Moosa (as) - the purpose and the benefit can be more clearly seen. Sometimes the true measure of trust is doing what He loves wherever we find ourselves, and that can be the purpose of the move - to be worshippers of Allah wherever we are, even if we are not loving that place.

This does not mean complacency. The Prophet ﷺ was seeking to leave Makkah because it became clear that there would be no acceptance from his people at that time. So he sought to extract himself from the place he loved, in order to do what Allah loves. And while the Prophet ﷺ wanted Ta’if, Allah chose Madina. So even as you wonder why you are in one place and not another, try to see the wisdom of where Allah has placed you. Remember that He knows the unseen, and He wants what is best for this life and the next for you.

And perhaps that is the lesson - that Allah, the Most Merciful, the All Wise, is with us wherever we are. If we cannot love the place, surely we can love the One who put us there out of His infinite wisdom and mercy. And perhaps, we too, will find our Madina.