folio

If you want to measure the extent of your reliance on God, check your response to a friend’s reproach. It is easy to moisten one’s tongue with ‘Allah is enough for me.‘ But when the deep depression descends upon receipt of unwanted words, it becomes apparent that there is a gap between one’s desired state and one’s actual condition.

It is said that if you know God, everything else becomes of little importance to you, and if you have faith in God, you are safe from everything. For a man of faith, insults should have no value and no effect upon one’s self-esteem.

When last night and today my melancholy overtook me, I realised that my chorus — Allah is enough for me — has yet to become a true representation of my state. On my way home from work, I reflected on the life of Yusuf, peace be upon him, and his true faith. When cast down the well, betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery, even after years of hardship he returned to that refrain: ‘Allah is enough for me!‘

By comparison, I slipped into a miserable lull upon receipt of just a few angry words. I would cut myself off, in the hope of slipping into obscurity. At work I sat staring at my computer screen, hoping that my work would do itself, unable to concentrate. As I travelled home, Glory be to Allah on my tongue somehow brought me to tears.

To utter that beautiful refrain is one thing, but to see it become a reality in our lives is quite another. To rely totally upon one’s Lord means to diminish the self. So ultimately I must once more express gratitude for uncomfortable moments which revealed to me my true state. Were it not for words I disliked, would I recognise the limitations of my faith?

When somebody reproaches you, say alhamdulilah,¹ for it could just be a gauge with which to quantify your progress.