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ALLAH KNOWS BEST - THE PERFECT DOSE OF TRIALS

We are only humans. We are slaves of Allah who are imperfect in a myriad of ways. Indeed, we are powerless. Everyday, from dawn till dusk, we are always at the mercy of Allah the Almighty. The question is, do we realise it? Sometimes we go about our daily life without even a flicker of realisation that we are under the command of Allah. At times, we seem to think that we are in control. Yes, to a small extent I guess we do. However, the ultimate planner is still and will always be Allah.

Everytime we open our sleepy eyes and inhale the morning breeze during Fajr, some of us make an effort (a gallant effort, undoubtedly), to map out their activities for the day. This commendable action is definitely worthwhile to do. Nevertheless, bear in mind that Allah has also mapped out our activities. Indeed, man proposes, Allah disposes. My point is, it is important for us to plan our lives. It is pertinent in fact. However, we just need to remember that despite the plans that we organized, Allah has greater plans in store for each of His slaves. Indisputably, His plan is the best possible plan.

I'd like to share an incident that significantly altered my view of life in general. When I was in my secondary school, an English teacher of mine shared her wisdom with the whole class. I was Form Five. We were all engulfed in our books, with pressure mounting as the time flies nearer to SPM. My teacher was quick to realise that we needed a dose of inspiration to spur us ahead. Thus, she mentioned that despite all your shortcomings, problems and insecurities, God does not give you more burden than you can bear.

Allah does not give you more burden than you can bear.

That simple sentence proved to be incredibly influential to me. It gave me a kind of confidence that I had never experienced before. To me, it meant that no matter how difficult life treats me, no matter how hard it is to smile, no matter how unbelievably impossible it is to push through the trying times, I can still do it. I can still prevail because that quote reminded me that Allah is Most Merciful. He throws all the challenges and difficulties at me because He knows I can overcome them. It made all the difference to me. It modified my outlook on all the predicaments and troubles that I have to face. Hence, I grew confident to prevail over them.

When I was at school, I admired my teacher for her wise words. As time flies, I gained more experience and knowledge, vested by Allah of course. Until one fateful day, Alhamdulillah, I came across a verse in the Holy Quran from Al-Baqarah, verse 286. The final verse of the longest surah in the Holy Quran. This verse is translated as:

‘Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned...'

This is a verse that many of us recite, especially after Fajr and after Maghrib. It is one of the verses that were compiled as al-Mathurat. A verse that I am sure many of us have it locked and safely memorized in our brains. Yet, despite the many times that I have recited this verse, I never took the time to understand its meaning. Nonetheless, alhamdulillah, Allah blessed me with His hidayah and I read the meaning.

‘Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned...'

Surprisingly, when I read this verse, it reminded me of the advice given from my English teacher. That was when I finally became enlightened. It came to my knowledge that my teacher actually quoted a verse from the Holy Quran. She actually imparted knowledge so grand and meaningful - a testament of knowledge from Allah, the Most Knowledgeable. Consequently, the effect of my teacher's quote became more profound and significant. The belief I had on the quote amplified. I have utmost faith that Allah will follow through in all of His promises. Thus, I totally believe that Allah does not give us more burden than we can bear.

Imagine what you can do with such belief? Each and everyday, we are bombarded by incessant challenges that come our way. Some of us are born more resilient than others when it comes to overcoming these challenges. However, the rest of us are somewhat frail and naïve. Generally speaking, people usually judge this difference to be due to one's upbringing. To an extent, our upbringing certainly dictates how we turn out as human beings. Nevertheless, when we truly rest our beliefs on the verse above, we can scale enormous heights, regardless of our upbringing. No matter how difficult things are or ought to be, we can indefinitely rise to the occasion because deep down in our hearts, we know for a fact that Allah will not present us with such difficulties unless He knows we are capable to triumph over them.

Therefore brothers and sisters, if Allah has the confidence in us, why don't we have such confidence in ourselves? If Allah has promised us that we can reign over our problems as they come by, why do we still question ourselves and our abilities? Who are we to deny the promise made by Allah who created us?

Theoretically, it might seem easy to comprehend the essence of this verse and imagine ourselves practising it. However, it can prove to be quite troublesome to really put it into practice. As most of us are students, we are often faced with examinations and tests to gauge our level of knowledge in the field of study that we have chosen. Sometimes, we wonder if we can answer the questions in the exam. It might be helpful to bear in mind that Allah planned for us to face the examinations, and since that is His plan, we should have the means to successfully pass the exams.

However, the road towards that success is not lined with pristine petals of roses. Let's not kid ourselves. Of course, we have to work for it. Allah vested us with brains for us to use wisely. True, according to this verse, we can overcome every challenge that we face. But, we still have to put in our efforts. We will not go anywhere if we simply rest on our laurels. The verse should give us the motivation to move forward and shine us with confidence to act upon all the predicaments that cross our way. With the motivation and confidence, we can surely summon our greatest might and effort in order to appear victorious.

As Muslims, we are truly blessed with a rich and colourful history. We have learnt that Islam conquered the world once. That era was indeed incredible. Muslims at that time were different from Muslims at present. They practice Islam like it should be practiced. They were Muslims every second they lived and in every breath they took. It is high time for us to follow on that example and prove to the world that we are capable to do greater things. Hopefully, with the understanding of this verse, we have the faith in ourselves, the way all Muslims should. Indeed, the world is waiting for us to act. The world is waiting for us to help them break away from the injustices that are enveloping.

Hence, brothers and sisters, are we ready to shoulder the challenge?

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Last update : 14-04-2008 14:01

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