We ask ourselves “Why is there pain in life?” “Why is there difficulty?”

As we can see here, what pain actually does is make us question - question the “normal” that we have become accustomed to expect in our lives.

This pain is a mighty force that makes our mental gears turn, not our average mental gears that we use daily, but those that are used for heavy and deep thinking.

And when these mighty gears start rotating, we begin to reflect. Reassess. Reevaluate. Reconsider. Realize.

Without this pain, we would not reflect. Without reflection, we would not change. Without change, we will never become better.

Embrace the pain. Embrace the reflection. Embrace the new future.

Many Muslim parents in non-Muslim societies grapple at some point with the question of "going back home to save their kids", especially as they begin to notice their children and the Muslim community being hit with serious blows by the dominant values and the political climate. This angst naturally hinders our ability to think reasonably, and so to better help us maximize the moment, and not reach for artificial solutions in desperation, I wanted to share this response by Dr Hatem al-Haj (originally a text message to his friend) to help us process these feelings and fears. Bismillah....

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With regards to people like us, it is too late to choose. Our children will not return to Egypt, and even if they do so to appease us, they will do so begrudgingly and then return here sooner or later. This is not playing psychic, but what is necessitated by considering the many cases similar to ours. And us returning to our birth countries is meaningless if we leave our offspring here.

Our duty at the moment is to exert our all in building the Muslim community here, directing it, and rectifying its trajectory as best as possible. Developing stable institutions is among the utmost priorities of the hour; research institutes, mosques, universities, schools, support groups for homeschooling, relief organizations, orphanages, senior homes, rehab centers, dawah platforms, media centers, athletic clubs, chambers of commerce, social services such as matrimonial and marital counseling, psychiatric clinics, publication houses, political action committees, etc.

I deliberately mentioned them randomly, and each person will be facilitated towards that which he was created for. As for optimism, let me say that the bounty of Allah is vast, and our hope is that He will reward every good doer for their good-doing, and treat the negligent with His forgiveness. And irrespective of what the future of the community will look like, I hope that death will befall us while we are upon obedience to Him, striving for His pleasure, and continuing to plant the saplings of good wherever we can. We will never be shortchanged of the reward for what we plant, regardless of its harvest in this world.

Prayer is so important, that the fifty daily prayers were not sent down to the Prophet (ﷺ) by Jibreel. Rather, the Prophet (ﷺ) was actually called up to receive this command, directly from Allah. And many of us know what happened after, how the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke with Musa ('alayhis salam), and after a back-and-forth conversation, eventually the prayers were reduced, with the mercy of Allah, to five with the reward of fifty. 

When the angels ask the people of the fire why they ended up there, they will say: Lam naqoo minal musaleen,” Elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah (Azza wa Jal) mentions the people who are punished on the Day of Judgement, and when others ask why they’re being punished, they’ll say they wouldn’t pray when they were told to. So we know that rejecting prayer, this is a major cause for entering Jahannam. May Allah (Azza wa Jal) save us all from this. 

Some will emerge from this lockdown having memorized some Qur'an, developed a sustainable routine of night prayers, bonded with their children, rehabilitated their marriage, and donated regularly to protect their masjid from collapsing. Others will behave as if Corona prevents them from all that. Allah make us and you from the first group.

We need to put our priorities in check, in order to hustle for the Akhirah over this dunya. Why do people prioritize the dunya over the Hereafter? There’s so many reasons. Sometimes, the dunya feels cooler. Teens may look cool and rebellious by not praying, gaining points with their peers. People want to look in fashion, and don’t want to wear the hijab, or keep the beard, and so on. This may apply more to the younger people in our community. But as we get older, we find other excuses. I have no time brother. My kids, my work, and so on and so forth. Yet, if you really think about the time we spend on nonsense, there’s plenty of time to devote to Allah. It doesn’t mean hours a day. Even just ten minutes at night, reading the Qur’an, making dhikr, doing something solely for the sake of Allah. That’s hustling for the Akhirah. Showing Allah that we value Him and dedicate time to Him, even outside of our Salah. 

What are some tips we can do, to help set our priorities straight? First, our salah needs to be in order. Abraham Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” If we neglect our salah, that’s the foundation of our bridge between the dunya and the Hereafter. It connects our physical body, our mind, with our Lord. We leave our work, our chores, whatever it is, to spend time to worship Allah. So first, we need to maintain our prayers. After that, we should take a look at our time. Keep a journal for a day, and see where you’re spending your time. Did you spend an hour watching TV, but had no chance to open the Qur’an? There’s room for improvement. I’m not perfect; I spend time on things that aren’t beneficial. But we’re always in a changing state as humans, and we should always aim to do better. So if you’re spending an hour doing something not beneficial, maybe start by taken ten minutes away, and dedicate that to Allah. Make that a habit, and you’ll see how it becomes something you soon can’t live with out, inshaAllah. 

Sisters often ask what affect their cosmetics have on their wudu’. This is a commendable question, one that reflects their pious caution regarding their profile before their Lord.

In brief, water *must* reach every body part the Qur’an instructs us to wash or wipe {5:6}. That is why some scholars obligate even those *unable* to apply water to those limbs due to burns, casts, etc., to use water where they can, and then perform tayammum (dry ablution) for the rest. It then goes without saying that waterproof aesthetics like nail polish, artificial nails, and make-up can invalidate one’s wudu’ especially since they are voluntarily undertakings.

And if you are unsure whether a cosmetic product is water-permeable or not, err on the side of caution, and remember that our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, “Allah will not accept a prayer without purification, nor a charity from misappropriated wealth.” (Sahih Muslim)

Every Muslim is religiously obligated to learn what makes and breaks their Salah - for it is the central column erecting our faith, and the first item we will be asked about on the Last Day. Therefore, it would be reckless to not allot it the utmost care to ensure its acceptance. Invest in this learning however you can, and Allah will open many doors for those who seek Him.

And Allah knows best.

When a sheikh was questioned about how he hears/gives similar reminders- does it not loose its effectiveness? (Something so real, we can all relate to this)

He said “you read the Quran frequently not because it changes but because YOU change.”

Different life experiences and events alter the way you internalize certain reminders and how impactful they are on you. Embrace life, Learn from your experiences, Be better everyday.

Yes, depression can coincide with strong faith as it did with Yaqub (peace be upon him). Yes, it may be linked to chemical imbalances and thus medicine may be useful. But let’s be clear: nothing contributes to the rampant mental heath crises today like faulty faith and a worldview that isn’t informed by the Quran.

A believer cannot thank Allah enough for giving him the resilience that only comes with understanding the reality of this life and what one should and shouldn’t expect from it. Without this armor, a person is left utterly vulnerable, and is frequently brought to their knees by life’s unpredictable arrows. With it snugged tightly in place, you will still feel life’s blows but can never be broken by them.

We are living an age when the ‘ease’ of life has made it so difficult; our unprecedented luxuries have spoiled us into being forever dissatisfied, and so easily triggered at every turn. One truly cannot thank Allah for breaking our sense of entitlement, and thickening our skin in order to survive - rather, to thrive - simply by “saying it as it is” so we are mentally and emotionally prepared to face it.

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You ˹believers˺ will surely be tested in your wealth and yourselves, and you will certainly hear many hurtful words from those who were given the Scripture before you and ˹from˺ the polytheists. But if you are patient and mindful ˹of Allah˺—surely this is a resolve to aspire to. {3:186}