Faith in difficult times

When we look at today's headlines in the newspapers and magazines, or
perhaps hear a brief news report on the radio or television, or read
the latest news updates on the internet, it is quite easy for a person
who does not have the Qur'anic perspective and thus fails to consider
that there is good in everything that Allah creates to be overwhelmed
with a feeling of the darkest foreboding.
Unemployment is on the increase in many of the world's largest
economies;financial markets are unable to shake off their doldrums for
very long; the twin scourges of homelessness and hunger are on the
rise. It seems tomany that the days of limitless economic growthand
the boundless wealth associated with it are coming perilously close to
a shattering end. People are now feeling great anxiety about not only
their own but their children's futures; recently,in London, England
rampaging mobs of looters took to the streets to express themselves
through wanton theft and lawlessness. All around us, it seems that the
machinery of civilization iscoming to a halt. We see signs of
increasing immorality, of a hardeningof attitudes in the hearts of men
throughout the world, of the abandonment of the most helpless amongst
us by not only their respective governments, but seemingly by their
fellow men as well.
At difficult times like this, it is of the most vital importance for
the believers to never forget that all these manifestations are not
cause for us to resign ourselves to feelings of nihilism. We must
always remember that it is our Lord, Almighty Allah, Who is in supreme
control of allaffairs, and all things happen through His All-powerful
Will. Indeed, the life of this world is buta place of testing for the
true life to come, the Hereafter.
One of the reasons so many people feel despair and hopelessness in
their lives is that they have fallen prey to one of satan's greatest
traps; they have put their faith, not in Allah, but in the transitory
treasures of thisworld. They have replaced faith in our Lord with
faithin the New York Stock Exchange. They long not to read the Word of
Almighty Allah, the Qur'an,but instead their quarterlydividend
statement. They wish to hear only the honeyed words of their financial
advisor, and pay no heed to the call to prayer. They turn for help to
economists, financial pundits and investment bankers, oblivious to
the only One Who can grant them assistance, Allah, the Creator and
Owner of all things. As a result, their lives are an unending quest
for ever-greater riches in the life of this world, all the while
forgetting the eternal life to come. When events no longer proceed in
the manner in which they foolishly assumed would continue for the rest
of their lives, their hearts are seized with disillusionment,
despondence, fear, and anger.
All too many people todayhave fallen into this snare set for them by
satan; they have succumbed to his infernal whisperings. They live
their lives in an egocentric manner, obsessed with the accumulation of
riches andthe acquisition of "the finer things in life." They care not
for their fellow men; they turn away when they see a homelessman or
woman begging inthe streets. They avert their gaze and walk by as
though these needy people did not exist, and do not even give them a
kind word if perhaps they haven't the money to spare them. In the
worst cases, they privately (or even publicly) castigate these
indigent people and wish them ill. These people have truly fallen into
the lowest levels of moral degeneracy.
However, it is incumbent upon us as believers to profess our great
devotionand deep faith in Allah, theLord of the Worlds, He upon Whom
all things depend, and for us to give our constant praise and thanks
to our Lord for all the innumerable blessings which He has chosen to
bestow upon us through His endless munificence. Intimes of difficulty,
it is of course natural for us to turn to Allah for help in removing
our afflictions; but we must also never forget to turn to Allah in
heartfelt thanks in times of plenitude and show Him our deeply felt
gratitude for the boundless blessings He has granted us. In these
volatile times, we must also humbly implore Almighty Allah to give us
the strength we need so that we may remain steadfast and continue on
His path, and to seek refuge in Allah from the ".......whisperer who
withdraws, who whispers into the hearts of men among jinn and men."
(Surat an-Nas, 4-6).
Let us briefly reflect on what faith means to us as Muslims.

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