Quran Reflection -- Don't Be Impatient

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

When something negative happens in your life, don't think that that is the end. Perhaps it's the beginning of a Master plan and Allah wants you to excel in life in a way that you become so big in His eyes. Maybe someone blocked and stopped you from doing something good or someone caused harm to you or someone affected you in your business in terms of losses or your boss fired you from your job. If there is no Iman (Faith) you can become depressed. But don't. Go to Surah Yusuf and read it.

Allah relates the best of stories and in Surah Yusuf, Allah tells us the story of Yusuf. There are many lessons that we can learn from this Surah and help us deal with our problems.

إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ إِنِّى رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِى سَـٰجِدِينَ ﴿٤
قَالَ يَـٰبُنَىَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُءْيَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا۟ لَكَ كَيْدًا ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٥

[Of these stories mention] when Joseph said to his father, "O my father, indeed I have seen [in a dream] eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me." (4) He said, "O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers or they will contrive against you a plan. Indeed Satan, to man, is a manifest enemy. (5) [Quran, Yusuf 12:4-5]

This is Allah's plan and how it started with Yusuf, Ya'qub and his brothers. And the ending was joy and hapiness as Allah tells us in the Surah,

فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ ءَاوَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَالَ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مِصْرَ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ءَامِنِينَ ﴿٩٩﴾ وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًا ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَـٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿١٠٠﴾

And when they entered upon Joseph (Yusuf), he took his parents to himself and said, "Enter Egypt, Allah willing, safe [and secure]." (99) And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration. And he said, "O my father, this is the explanation of my vision of before. My Lord has made it reality. And He was certainly good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you [here] from bedouin life after Satan had induced [estrangement] between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise. (100) My Lord, You have given me [something] of sovereignty and taught me of the interpretation of dreams. Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous." (101) [Quran, Yusuf 12:88-101]

So when you are stricken with problems say, Alhamdulillah, inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajin. Stand up and start again with patience. One day Allah gives you tawfiq. On that day are you going to become arrogant or are you going to become Yusuf? Yusuf was patient for 40 years (according to some narrations from the time he was thrown in a well by his 10 brothers and taken to Egypt as a slave and later thrown in jail). He was patient for 40 years but we cannot be patient even for 4 minutes! This is where most of our problems lie.

Allah created us to test us. Don't get caught in cheating ourselves because of our lack of understang about this life. Don't be impatient. The result is downfall. May Allah protect us and help us with future tests.

Sometimes Allah took something away because He wants to fill it with something better. Thank Allah when something bad happens and exercise patience. Remember, Yusuf alayhissallaam was denied his father's upbringing and companionship. Ya'qub alayhissalaam became blind from his sadness of losing his beloved son, Yusuf, whose older brothers were jealous of him. Shaytan overtook the brothers of Yusuf and talked them into killing Yusuf because they felt their father love him a bit more.

Allah has placed good health and sickness in our lives, good and bad children, wealth and loss of wealth, success and failures, loss of loved ones and companionship, to help us find Him and come close to Him. Alhamdulillah, inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajin.

May Allah grant us goodnees and enable us to reach out to Him in a beautful way.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam