بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Imagine you want to be a lawyer or a doctor. Lawyers and doctors can tell you the pains of the journey to become one but a very rewarding journey nonetheless regardless the many years of many sleepless nights, bags under our eyes, feeling miserable, anxieties, spending lots money, no social life. Then after we graduated, it's not over yet--another big test--the Bar exam or the Board exam (for the doctors). Oh yes, I know about the Bar exams--passing the bar is not easy---20 to 40% passing rate in California--it is not so much a test to see how much we know (that was already done in law school exams)--but how much we can work under pressure, how much we can endure 3 solid days of doing nothing except working our brains off reading hundreds of cases, sifting through issues and applying the law! You don't hear anyone say, "bad law school, bad State Bar, for denying me my sleep, my leisure--I have no life because of you, you take all my money, you make me sick! You don't question this, but you struggle patiently until you pass the Bar exam. You are thrilled to death when you receive the long awaited news of passing the Bar exam--almost every lawyer could tell you a story of that moment no matter how many decades ago they received this tremendous news--they could still remember the place, the time, the hows and the whats as if it was just yesterday. It was the most memorable time of a lawyer's life, perhaps their entire life! This is how we take the matters of this temporal life.
You don't mind the pains--lost of sleep, spent all your money, borrowed money, even endured divorce (law school is also a test of patience for the other spouse). Why? Because you see the gold mine at the end of the journey--wealth, status, prestige, and the like. (This is not to say some people don't have high goal which is to serve Allah with their degrees/career but most people don't go to law school or medical school having this goal in mind). You understand that you have to follow the rules of the Bar, Medical Board, etc, study hard and put your life on hold for many years is a huge detriment but it is a necessary detriment for that great benefit that ensued. (You can think of many other examples that apply to you but you get the idea.)
Likewise, you have to follow Allah's rules to rise in the ranks with Allah. You have to give up, among other things, your sleep to pray tahajjud, eating and drinking during fasting, your money to perform hajj or pay zakat or give charity. You have to endure people's chastisement for your scrupulousness and "being or looking different," etc. This is a huge detriment but remember the benefit is tremendous--eternal bliss, Allah's noble countenance in Paradise--this outweighs the detriment which is relatively a short period of time. Even if it is difficult, just keep doing it, do it and do it...until it become part of you that you don't care what people think of you anymore--this may take 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years but eventually you will get there inshaAllah. And the road to Him become easier and easier. And you would be able to experience the sweetness of being His slave even in this life. Allah loves the believers but you have to earn His love, i.e. obeying Him. You must follow His rules no matter how difficult or uneasy--do them, do them...after a while inshaAllah they become easy and become part of you. No benefit is without a detriment but find solace that the benefit outweighs the detriment--His love, which is what we have to strive and ask for. So stay up at night, go for a time without food in fasting, wear the hijab, give charity, etc. Learn what Allah wants you to do and keep learning, teach to others and apply what you learn. If you learn and apply something of sacred knowledge each day, you will see a big difference in your coming near to Allah in no time, inshaAllah.
May Allah give us all tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllah khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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