Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: Allah Almighty ﷻ says: I am as My servant expects of Me and I am with him as he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I will remember him in Myself. If he mentions Me in a gathering, I will mention him in a greater gathering. When he draws near Me by the span of his hand, I draw near him by the length of a cubit. When he draws near Me by the length of a cubit, I draw near him by the length of a fathom. When he comes to Me walking, I come to him running. (Bukhari, Muslim)
This hadith Qudsi encourages us to be mindful of our relationship with Allah ﷻ and motivates us to work toward strengthening it. We learn that our positive thoughts and reflections have a direct effect on our relationship with Allah ﷻ. We also learn that we can increase our connection to Allah ﷻ through our own regular deeds. As we read this and contemplate the words of Allah ﷻ, we are filled with hope regarding not only our spiritual strength but also our emotional well being.
We are, through the Grace and Mercy of Allah ﷻ, women who have made deen a central part of our lives. Because of this we are in a constant state of reflection of our journey in this life. In this reflection we find highs and lows, trials and blessings, setbacks and gentle nudges forward. When understood in the light of this hadith, we are able to make sense of all of these states.
If we hold a positive view of Allah ﷻ in which we are acutely aware of His blessings and Mercy and are aware of His constant forgiveness–we are more likely to experience these attributes within our lives. This doesn’t mean that we will live a life devoid of difficulties, but rather we will approach these difficulties with the awareness that Allah is with us throughout them. Our lives are marked with considerable challenges. In fact, Allah ﷻ has promised in the Quran that He will test us with many of the things that we love and hold dear. These trials can fill us with uncertainty and (may Allah protect us all) pervasive doubts about Allah. We are reminded through this hadith that Allah’s Wisdom and Mercy are always at work.
The converse of this way of thinking could fill us with despair and or spiritual anxiety. If we allow ourselves to fall into a trap that Shaytan sets for us or we set out for ourselves, we begin to believe that Allah ﷻ is distant, punishing and indifferent. This type of thinking creates a barrier between us and the peace that comes from trusting Allah’s plan. It is incumbent upon us in these times to hold tight to the sunnah of our beloved Rasul ﷺ and the actions of our esteemed teachers as they help to protect us and reinforce our faith and trust in Him.
- A practice of regular dhikr in the form of morning and evening adhkar found in the sunnah, regular istighfar and salawat are important to hold tightly to. This helps us to anchor our day in the remembrance of Allah ﷻ and to fulfill the wordings of this hadith for us, that if we remember Allah ﷻ, He will remember us as well.
- It is also important to develop a relationship with the Quran. The Quran is a healing for our hearts and our sorrows. Wherever you are in your journey with the Quran, strive for regular reading and contemplation. We are also told in hadith that the more struggle we have with Quran reading, the more reward Allah gives us.
- A regular gratitude practice is encouraged by Allah in the Quran when he says:
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ ٧
“And remember when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’” (14:7)
Tafsīr scholars interpret that the “more” Allah mentions here is our capacity for gratitude. This means that the more we are grateful, the more we find to be grateful about. We don’t necessarily increase in more blessings but our capacity to see what we have increases. A regular gratitude practice is also prescribed by therapists as they have also found that when people regularly mention out loud or in journal form what they are grateful for, they are able to alleviate depressive symptoms.
- Find good company that can help remind you of Allah’s Mercy and the blessings in your life when you are struggling to see them for yourself. Your classmates in your Ribaat classes, your halaqa-mates, the women that you pray next to in the masjid are all resources to find the positive affirming company we all need in our daily lives. Good company can fill us with more gratitude and more remembrance of Allah, thus helping us to think good of Him and improve our own states.
- A regular diet of ‘Ilm and service helps to ground us in our deen and remind us the importance of services. Take a class and fill our week with knowledge and scholarship and find a way to give back as service is a direct route to Allah ﷻ.
This hadith serves as a compass to contentment. By trusting in His Mercy and Wisdom, and by thinking well of Him, we open our hearts to the blessings and peace that come with true trust and faith in Allah ﷻ. Let us remind each other as sisters on this path to open our hearts and minds to the myriad of ways that Allah ﷻ has blessed us despite all the tests that we have inevitably faced. May Allah ﷻ grant all of us steadfastness on this path toward Him.
Anse Sana Mohiuddin, Ribaat Academic Institute Instructor
