Iman · Faith
Isn’t faith such a beautiful thing? Believing in and trusting the power of your creator so much that even in the worst of times, you have faith that He will protect you and He has your back. As Ramadan came to an end this year, I saw a lot of moments that reminded me about why I talk about having faith or faith as a concept in general so much.
One night during the last 10 days of Ramadan, I was watching a video of one of my Naani’s relatives with my mom. In this video, he was leading dua at a Madrassa and in the middle of his dua he got very emotional. Now this isn’t the first time I’m sure you guys have heard of someone making dua and getting emotional but it made me realize something. How often do we actually get emotional and cry out to Allah (swt) when we make dua? Probably not that often for most of us unless we consciously know that we need something/are asking for something, even though we forget we all are always in need of our Lord. But these people who are so high in deen and Iman and who have dedicated their lives to teaching the younger generation about Islam get so emotional during their duas. Their faith literally shines through their duas and the energy that they give off. Like I was watching a youtube video of someone a thousand miles away, but in that moment I got emotional and felt his faith and the faith of everyone else in that room myself - subhanAllah.
Another moment that made me feel a burst of faith during the last 10 days of Ramadan was seeing videos from Palestine and of Al-Aqsa Mosque. For those who don’t know, Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site for Muslims after Masjid Al-Haram and Masjid Al-Nabawi. I’m sure you all have seen videos of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque being attacked while they’re praying. These worshippers also put their faith on display for the world to see — which is so genuinely incredible. May Allah (swt) free Palestine and allow Palestinian children to see a peaceful day. The energy and faith of Palestinians are truly beautiful and I pray every night that they see the day their country is freed and their people are freed from all oppression.
I started writing this during Ramadan but never got around to finishing it because I wanted it to be perfectly written but that also means I have more content!!! to add now. We all know Ramadan is a blessed month and a time for sincere repentance and growing closer to our creator and the religion He has perfected for us. It’s a time for us to spend more time on that prayer mat and converse with our Lord after our prayers. It’s a time for us to hit the reset button and clear our minds. One of my older posts talks about this too: The Power of Dua. Sometimes we get so caught up in asking for something during Ramadan that we forget the dua actually getting answered. I was reflecting on some things after praying today and realized that one single dua that I made for someone else every night during Ramadan had been answered. I didn’t think this dua was anything huge but I knew that I was making it very sincerely and realizing that Allah (swt) had answered my prayers was such an indescribable feeling. I wrote about it in a private post and re-reading that post shows me where my heart was at the time and truly how my dua was answered. A lot of times people make dua and if their dua isn’t answered right away or the way they want it to be answered, they give up. But continuing to make that dua to the One who is all-knowing is a sign of strong Iman. The power of dua itself should never be overlooked, but I know that directly seeing a dua get answered is a huge Iman booster.
So to bring it all home, the reason I love talking about the concept of faith as much as I do is because who are we not to have faith in our creator. Did the Prophets who came before us not have faith which saved them during their troubles? Who are we to feel superior to some of Allah (swt)’s most beloved? Dunya is distracting and so often we get caught up in it. But remembering our creator, trusting Him, and having faith in His plans and His power are the things that I feel are gonna help us get through this dunya. I hope one day I can have enough Iman for it to be radiant and felt by the people who choose to be around me (and vice-versa).
