“But if you are patient in adversity and conscious of Him- truly this is something upon which to set one’s heart.” (Qur’an 3:186)
“The patience shown by the moon to the dark night is what keeps it radiant; the patience shown by the rose to the thorn is what keeps it fragrant.”~ Rumi
To know our Lord, we must learn to embrace our life instead of always trying to escape it. God speaks to us both through our blessings and our trials. When God blesses us with wealth and abundance He is calling us toward His names, The Most Generous (Al-Karim) and The Most Grateful (Ash-Shakur). When we stay faithful and hopeful in times of difficulty, we are getting to know God through His quality, The Most Patient (As-Sabur). As the Prophet Mohammad says, “Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not true for anyone except the believer. If something good befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient, and that is good for him.” Both within ourselves and in the greater cosmos, God is opening the door for us to get to know Him through the manifestation of His names.
The Qur’an describes life as a test, because God sent us to Earth to challenge our own perceived limitations and to help us unveil our vast array of capabilities. Life is not just about Heaven and Hell, it is also about unveiling who God created you to be, so that you can come to know who God is. The path to God begins with witnessing and experiencing our human qualities, because you cannot actualize what you have not acknowledged. When we shift our perspective from what God is doing to us, to what God is doing for us, we are able to see that although God may not always give us what we want, He will always give us exactly what we need.
“It may be that you hate something and it is good for you, and it may be that you love something and it is bad for you.” (Qur’an 2:216)
God knows what your seedling soul needs to blossom. He gives you people to love you, to leave you, to inspire you, to doubt you, and to believe in you. Out of His love, God lets the world hurt you and break you, not because He wants to destroy you, but because He wants to show you your hidden strengths that can only be manifested in the cocoon of trials. God takes us into the cave of difficulty and pain when there are gems for us to find there. God pushes us to the edge of the cliff when He wants us to learn how to fly. The difficulties we face can act as catalysts for self-discovery and growth.
This blog is an excerpt from A. Helwa’s recently published best-selling book, “Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam.” Her book is available on Amazon.com
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About A. Helwa
A. Helwa believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine. She is a writer who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her passionate, poetic, and love-based approach to spirituality. Her popular blog @quranquotesdaily, was established while obtaining her Masters in Divinity, as a means of helping others overcome personal and spiritual struggles on their journey of experiencing divine love.
With over 15 years of experience writing and speaking on Islam and spiritual development, A. Helwa draws from her personal experiences and traditional sources to help her readers access ‘Divine love in everyday life.’