Shakirah Hunter

Life is full of ups and downs. You have this incredible excitement when you feel like you are at the cusp of change , when you can feel a goal within your grasp. The feeling of achieving a long term goal. You might be waiting for a new job , awaiting a raise , hoping for a home application to go through. And you are completely nervous and full of dua. People around you will send you the perfect duas to read. What has ‘worked’ for them and will definitely work for you.

The excitement as you wait for news. The build up to hearing if you have been accepted or not.
And you have total yaqeen that Allah will answer your Duas. Yet what happens when things don’t go as planned ? When that job you had planned or that house you wanted so badly falls through? You wonder if your Duas were accepted if you had somehow been punished by Allah Ta’ala for something .

But this happens doesn’t it ? We don’t always gets what we want exactly and all the time. Our hopes many times are broken ,delayed or completely the opposite of what we would like.

It is in moments like these that our faith is either completed or broken down. When we realise that faith is all about understanding that your Rabb definitely knows best what is right for you in any given moment.

It is in the acceptance that no matter how hard you wished it ,or much you might have prayed – Allah knows what is best for you.

Hopes ,your Amal – determines your Duas and your desires. But there are a few guidelines that Allah grants us in order to live under the banner of Iman in moments of your hopes being dashed.

1. Allah says in Surah Talaq {  لَا تَدۡرِی لَعَلَّ ٱللَّهَ یُحۡدِثُ بَعۡدَ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ أَمۡرࣰا }
[Surah At-Talâq: 1] After framing the loss of marriage through divorce ,Allah so beautifully says : ” You do not know if perhaps Allah will open a matter (opportunity for you ) after this .
This directs us to understand that you might have had massive hopes and desires; dreams and goals for your marriage but if it didn’t go as planned know that Allah will definitely send something better.

2. Understand that Allah has dashed that hope because He is Al -Aleem the All Knowledgeable.  It is only that He is able to see the future and He can see the path so clearly that you are unable to see , that allows Him to redirect you to and turn you away from certain things. Recently I had pinned all my hopes on something and was looking so forward to it and when my hopes were dashed I found myself sitting in silence and incredibly shocked that Allah Ta’ala had not facilitated a way and in that moment I just repeated : Allah will not desert me now. And subhaaanallah a few hours later I found the exact same thing at a considerable amount cheaper than I had my hopes pinned on. It was a seeming loss in those first moments but it was inevitable that I understand only one thing- perhaps you did not like that delay yet it was the best thing that happened to me. It saved me money and trouble yet by only focusing on my own shortsightedness I could not see what Allah could and know what He always knows.
{ وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَیۡـࣰٔا وَهُوَ شَرࣱّ لَّكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ }
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 216] “perhaps you love something whilst it is evil for you , And Allah knows whilst you do not know.

3. Understanding that everything is happening exactly as Allah decreed it- therefore your faith must swing between the two statements of Hamd. You praise Allah Ta’ala irrespective of the situation. Your focus is always gratitude for without a doubt hopes might be dashed but so much more is written and so much evil is turned away. You have this quiet certainty of trusting the gentle sway of the plan of Allah. Sven as your mini woul. love to focus on logic and focus on facts and figures you have to keep Breaking down your logic and find accedptance in the certainty plan of Allah Ta’ala.