FOR ONCE, LET’S LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE

I have been writing so much about how things are difficult, how being a normal muslim is difficult in these modern times. Life can’t be good if all a person thinks about is the doom and gloom. Hence my resolve to look at all the blessings I have in my life at the moment.

Alhamdulillah. Things are looking up. I’ve been receiving good news on the job search front. Great news I must add, considering the fact that I’m not completely idle at the moment. I’ll like to believe that I would still write this even without receiving the latest good news. Life makes more sense when we are grateful to the Almighty and contented with our lot in life. This is why I am trying to have a more hopeful outlook henceforth.

As I try to look at the blessings in my life, I realise that I am immensely blessed. Life is full of trials but looking at the blessings could aid us in becoming better muslims. I am grateful for many things. I will look at my blessings in different fronts; the good people in my life (family and friends), personal blessings (body and health) and miscellaneous.

I’m immensely grateful to Allah for the good people in my life. I have wonderful and amazing parents and siblings. My parents are the best. I have friends who remind me to always improve my relationship with the Almighty. My close relatives are super caring. What more could I look for?

As I was reflecting on the verses in suratul Baqarah about Dalut being the chosen King because Allah has made him stronger and better in knowledge and body, I realised that the immense blessing in having a good healthy body is usually overlooked by many. We end up thinking too much about money and finances. This is why I count my good healthy body as one of the great blessings Allah has bestowed on me. Regarding the knowledge aspect, it’s still a work in progress in sha Allah. I need to work hard and strive hard to make Qur’an 31:12 a reality in my life.

The next aspect is on the parts I find hard to categorise. These are also numerous. Allah says in the Quran 14:34 that “if we try to count the favours of Allah, we would not be able to enumerate them”. This is the difficulty I am facing. The favours and bounties of Allah upon me are uncountable and no matter how hard I try, I could never list and be grateful for each of them. All I can do is to realise that I am blessed beyond measure and that there’s a need for me to be grateful to the Almighty every day of my life.

One blessing I must showcase is the blessing of Islam. Being a Muslim in these trying times. Alhamdulillah ala ni’imatil Islam. I could never fully express my gratitude to Allah for making me a part of His chosen servants. It is the greatest blessing ever and this is why I saved it for last. Yes, life is difficult and we are facing trials individually and collectively as an ummah. However, it is important that we don’t lose sight of the things that matter, of the blessings we continuously receive. This is why I am trying to have a more optimistic outlook when it comes to how I navigate my life in this particularly difficult era.

May Allah strengthen our resolve, make us steadfast upon the deen and give us the best ending in this life, a death with the kalimah as our last words, a death in the best of conditions, when He is most pleased with us. Ameen.