Doing Our Best

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Everything has been decided and written in the lawh almahfuz. Whether it is going to be in our favor or not, it is in Allah's hands alone. We have no say about it. But we still have to do our part because we are His slaves. He is the Lord. Our part is doing what Allah wants from us. If we don't know what Allah wants from us, then we learn. We ask Allah to help us and give us tawfiq.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, knew the result of the Battle of Badr before it happened, but he did not sit back and wait for Allah to send the victory. He did his part--planned and prepared the army, not stepping on anybody's toes, and he made a long and intense du'a to the Lord the whole night.

We might find certain things difficult or impossible to do but we do them anyway to the best of our ability because we are certain that Allah does not burden a soul beyond his scope (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286). The moment it is going to be beyond our ability, help will come but we have to do our part.

Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When (will come) the Help of Allah?" Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:214

Remember Maryam binti Imran, the mother of 'Isa, peace be upon them. When it became unbearable for Maryam to bear the labor pain, Allah sent her comfort.

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" Then [the baby 'Isa or Jibril] cried unto her from below her, saying: "Grieve not! Your Lord has provided a water stream under you; And shake the trunk of date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad, And if you see any human being, say: 'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allah) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.'"

Surah Maryam 19:23-26

She was told to shake the palm trunk and dates fell for her to eat to gain back her strength. If we were to ask 10 men to shake a date palm trunk at the base, they won't be able to move it even a fraction. How could a woman in labor, weak and exhausted, shake it? What's the point with shaking the tree? Allah can easily make the dates fell on her lap without any effort from her, kun fayakun, but Allah wants her to do her part.

If we want something from Allah, we have to take the first step. If we wait and expect things will come to us without any effort, nothing will happen. Allah does not reward laziness and procrastination.

So until the help comes, hang in there patiently and at the same time do our part to the best of our ability.

May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam