A Letter of Hope

Assalam o Alaikum friend,

It is yet another strange week.  I am still wishing to go to sleep one day and wake up to find everything normal again.  The deadly-virus-free kind of normal.  If it was the Matrix, I would not take the pill that wakes me up to the reality. The blue pill would be my choice where blissful ignorance would serenade me daily without any objection on my part.  I am not okay with being uncomfortable.  When faced with uncomfortable truths, I would rather distract myself with anything that will take my attention just to avoid sitting in silence and recognizing the reality. 

And yet here I am.  Here we are.  Uncomfortable, anxious, uncertain, and at times, more fearful than we want to be. It seems that we are all standing on the brink of something and the only escape route will open after we withstand an unprecedented storm. 

Honestly, I feel like instead of being on the brink of something, we are standing on an old, shaky bridge suspended in the air as gusts of wind sway it continuously with even that brink-of-something hiding in the mist.  There is nothing to hold on to.  No railings and no net under the bridge should we fall.  We just have to dig our heels as deep as we can and weather the storm.  I don’t know about you but the idea of it sometimes even paralyzes me. 

A number of Sunnah Living friends have shared with me similar feelings of fear and uncertainty.  Strangely enough, I was calmed to hear them.  It feels better to know that there are more people who are feeling the same way.  If I was going down a dark alley at night, I would definitely like to go with more people.  The more the merrier, as they say.  Neo was not given the red pill and left to his own devices.  He had a team that was waiting for him.

There is strength in numbers.  How true is that!  In our situation, the strength does not lie in how much weight we can lift with one hand but the strength is in how much we can remind each other of the Truth – the reality behind the mist.  Many of my friends on instagram are sharing reminders from the Qur’an pertaining to our current state of mind. As much as I shy away from the ruthless reality in everything I do, this one is different.  This reality is not written in a serial killer’s fantasy who is waiting at the end of the dark alley.  It is also not written by a disgruntled coworker vying for revenge. 

No.  

This reality is written by Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem.  Our reality is written by the Most Merciful and Infinitely Merciful.  We can not, with our human mind, come close to comprehending the vast and magnanimous Mercy of Allah ﷻ.  However, we know of it because we have read the Message, we have received the Message, and we believe in the Message.  Because this is all true, despite the fears and uncertainties and the discomfort, I know that we will be okay.  We will weather this storm.  We will walk right through the darkness and reach where we are meant to be.

On our way there, let tawakkul be our compass and istighfar be our guide.  Should we remain steady on our compass and follow our guide, in a few short months we will look back at this time with gratitude.  Insha’Allah our patience will be fully rewarded on the Day when the gates of Jannah open and we breathe in its scent.  Allahumma ameen.

So hang on tightly, my friend. It is going to be rough and you might want to give into the whispers of Shaytan. Do not give in. Dig those heels in and do not let anything shake them loose.  Take that red pill with absolute trust in the Divine Decree. The reward will be worth it.

-S