sparks itwith zeal, motivation, determination and He gives it a burst
of enthusiasm. He blesses his slaves with high aspirations and drives
them towards good deeds until… Shaytan recognises this tremendous gift
and he in turn rushes to stop such a well-driven believer.He launches
his army against him, but then Allah `azza wa jall by His Mercy and
Power protects His slave and helps him overcome the plots of Shaytan;
"Indeed My Slaves, you have no authority over them, except those who
follow you of the deviators." [al-Hijr: 42]
And so the slave of Allah is forever in a battle; between fighting the
grip of Shaytan and between hastening onwards to achieve his goals and
aspirations.
We have to learn to recognize this pattern that often occurs the
moment we make an intention to do something good in our lives;
something that's worthwhile and rewarding,or has great weight in the
Hereafter. For some, this battle begins the moment they enter into
Islam, for others the battle kicks off when they make a firm resolve
to achieve something (e.g. seeking knowledge, or learning Qur'an, or
setting up community projects etc).
One of the crazy plots of Shaytan is that he often seeks to harm us
through the people that surround us or people that are close to us.
Subhan'Allah how often we hear of youth suffering at the hands of
their (non-practising/non-Muslim) parents who restrict them from
practicing their Islam, or a person who wishes to embark on some good
but his friends are the first people to put him down ordemotivate him,
or laymenwho are turned away at the doors of knowledge unfairly such
that they're made to feel rejected, or a worshipper who is
rebukedharshly by another such that his drive in worshipping Allah is
now broken. Yes, harms can often reach you from thosearound you;
sometimes it'speople that you couldn't care less about, sometimes it's
those above you in authority, and sometimes, just sometimes, it's
those that mean the world to you.
As part of a lifelong tarbiyyah, we have to recognize that this is not
uncommon in the path of struggling towards Allah and His Pleasure.
Many scholars have written books on it and classical texts such as Ibn
Hibban's 'Rawdhat al-'Uqala' have numerous chapters dedicated to this.
Yes, eventhough you will meet goodcompanions in life who help you and
offer you kind words of encouragement, there are times unfortunately
when you will also face people (often at the peak of your enthusiasm)
who intentionally or unintentionally bring you down, discourage you,
or zap all your zeal and passion in one way or another. As a result, a
person ends up either not fulfilling their potential, or they become
weak in their pursuit of the good deed, or they abandon it altogether.
We have to recognize that this is just another tool of Shaytan to
prevent the slave of Allah from attaining the high ranks in Paradise.
How can a person best dealwith this?
Focus on Allah, your Creator . He is the One whowishes to see you
succeed. He is the One who wants good for you, and His Help is with
you so long as you are sincere and do your best.
Focus on the Hereafter and make it your focal point throughout life.
Fix your vision on attaining the high ranks; "Look at how We have
favoured some of them over others, but the Hereafter is greater in
degrees and greater in distinction ." [al-Isra: 21].
Ask Allah for guidance in all your affairs . Seek HisMercy and
Blessings. Ask Him to help you overcome the obstacles in life and help
you deal with people in the best manner, and insha'Allah He will most
certainly bring you out as astronger, wiser person.
Be patient. Be patient with people, with circumstances, with the
erayou live in. Be patient when things don't go smoothly or even if
they do go smoothly, be patientwhen they don't turn out as you expect.
Realise that sometimes people are just part of the test . They may not
always intend you harm, but it's the Decree of Allah that He may wish
to test you with others. In the end, this will only increase your
reliance upon Him and your heart will learn tobe patient with
everything and seek Him Alone.
Remain humble. It's all too easy to improperly react (or overreact!)
when faced with difficult people. Be calm, be collected and stay
humble. We ourselves are not safe from mistreating others which
islikely to happen if we respond with anger or speak without thought.
If you endure harm from one person, don't let it cause you to abandon
others . Be social but be wiser in your sociability. Remember the
words of Ibn Hibban when he said, "Whoever seeks to please all people
is seeking something impossible!
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