Look For The Good
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatuLlah wa barakaatuh,
Trust that you are doing great, striving and thriving.
“Look for the good,” said S, after a day of tests, prescriptions and doctor's orders. I was tired, very tired! Plus my mind was not exactly ‘hunting for good’ I just wanted to go back to my normal pain-free life. But when S reminded me to do this, I wasn’t mad , infact I was grateful. It was barely a few minutes ago that I had received a call from someone whose son had the same complication, was hospitalized and had no means of paying the bills. Remind me, sis, what was I complaining about again?
I have been reflecting on this reminder and two things came up for me. The first is, we truly underestimate how we would react when we deal with trials. Yes, it is important to prepare outside of them, but you just never really know. Especially when you are dealing with an illness. I have watched loved ones groan and wish for the worst because of the unbearable pain they were in (May Allah grant them all Jannah Firdaus). It comes sometimes and hits you so bad, that you just never know how you will react, which is one of the reasons why I firmly believe in the importance of the right company.
Recently, another sister of mine described my friends as companions and I could not think of a better title for them. You need companions on this journey in life and not just for the girl’s trips and brunches, and celebrations but most importantly, to ground you when you are in pain. When that test comes, the material stuff won’t matter, what will matter, will be them making Du’a for you, supporting you, grounding you and the best part? Reminding you to ‘look for the good’. S’ simple reminder helped me greatly in the past couple of days, with every pinch I not only remembered to ‘look for the good’, I also remembered that “No believer is pricked by a thorn or more, but that Allah will raise him one degree in status or erase a sin.”
I remembered that healing comes from none but Allah and that I must put my trust in Him alone. Even when I had to strip my daily activities to the barest minimum, I already knew what mattered. My energy only went to what I deemed truly important and at the core of my purpose on earth. I pushed myself to perform deeds that I have learnt are loved by Allah and I somehow managed to keep up with my morning routine and even my gratitude notes. Believe it or not, there was so much to be grateful for, Alhamdullilahi.
Late disclaimer, this is not meant to scare you, I assure you I am fine, Alhamdullilahi robbil aameen. It is to make you really reflect on who your friends are. Will they make or mar you? May Allah bless us with the best of companions. Aameen.
This week’s resources are curated to help you find strength when things are just ‘somehow’ and to get you extra intentional about the company you keep.
First up is this beautiful reminder by sister Sarah Sultan where she provides some practical tips on how to view our struggles through a positive lens.
Next up directly ties back to the Central message of the newsletter: Cultivating virtuous friendships. Qalam Institute has this amazing series titled Heartwork - Virtues of Friendship by Ustadh AbdelRahman Murphy and it is transformational! You would be glad you listened.
Is there anyone who has not watched the replay yet? Ustadh Jubril Alao shared with us many reasons to start learning! His teachings have motivated many of us to take action. Will you be one of them?
Till next week, in shaa Allah.
We leave you in Allah's care,
One of us at IbadahPlug