Whisper 22

The solution, then, starts with du'a, as we saw in Whisper 26. But for du'a to bear fruit, it must be accompanied by taqwa (warding off evil, keeping one's duty to God).

"And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation. And whosoever putteth his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Lo! Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah hath set a measure for all things." (At-Talaq : 2-3)

"And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, He maketh his course easy for him. That is the commandment of Allah which He revealeth unto you. And whoso keepeth his duty to Allah, He will remit from him his evil deeds and magnify reward for him." (At-Talaq : 4-5)

"Lo! he who wardeth off (evil) and endureth (findeth favor); for verily Allah loseth not the wages of the kindly." (Yusuf : 90)

Taqwa may be easy for some, but it may be extremely hard for others. So it may take some time before someone can really meet this condition. God says:

"And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed." (An-Nur : 31)

"O ye who believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run before them and on their right hands: they will say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo! Thou art Able to do all things." (At-Tahrim : 8)

"Forsake the outwardness of sin and the inwardness thereof. Lo! those who garner sin will be awarded that which they have earned." (Al-An'am : 120)

"He knoweth the traitor of the eyes, and that which the bosoms hide." (Ghafir : 19)


"Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts; and if Allah willeth misfortune for a folk there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside Him." (Ar-Ra'd : 11)

"The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Stern in punishment, the Bountiful. There is no God save Him. Unto Him is the journeying." (Ghafir : 3)

But God does help those who are really sincere about going His way:

"As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good." (Al-Ankabut : 69)

"Allah increaseth in right guidance those who walk aright, and the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better for resort." (Maryam : 76)

"While as for those who walk aright, He addeth to their guidance, and giveth them their protection (against evil)." (Muhammad : 17)

Being a muttaqi (one who wards off evil) doesn't mean, though, that you will never sin:

"And obey Allah and the messenger, that ye may find mercy. And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil); Those who spend (of that which Allah hath given them) in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; Allah loveth the good; And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins -Who forgiveth sins save Allah only?- and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did. The reward of such will be forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever, a bountiful reward for workers!" (Al-i'Imran : 132-136)

But even with du'a and taqwa, you have to be patient, because even if your wish does not seem to be fulfilled quickly enough, this doesn't mean that God does not take into account the efforts you've been making to please Him. Even if you may get the impression that God does not care about your "misery", He is in fact with you.

"Lo! Allah is with the steadfast." (Al-Baqara : 153)

Moreover, "Allah loveth the steadfast." (Al-i'Imran : 146)

"But if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient." (An-Nahl : 126)

"Endure thou patiently (O Muhammad). Thine endurance is only by (the help of) Allah." (An-Nahl : 127)

"And have patience, (O Muhammad), for lo! Allah loseth not the wages of the good." (Hud : 115)

"Lo! as for those who believe and do good works, Lo! We suffer not the reward of one whose work is goodly to be lost." (Al-Kahf : 30)

"But it was not Allah's purpose that your faith should be in vain, for Allah is full of pity, Merciful toward mankind." (Al-Baqara : 143)

"All that are in the heavens and the earth entreat Him. Every day He exerciseth (universal) power." (Ar-Rahman : 29)

"And let not thy hand be chained to thy neck nor open it with a complete opening, lest thou sit down rebuked, denuded. Lo! thy Lord enlargeth the provision for whom He will, and straiteneth (it for whom He will). Lo, He was ever Knower, Seer of His slaves." (Al-Isra : 29-30)

If you think you're steadfast already, then think again!

"And of His portents are the ships, like banners on the sea; If He will He calmeth the wind so that they keep still upon its surface. Lo! herein verily are signs for every steadfast grateful (heart)." (Ash-Shura : 32-33)

"O ye who believe! Endure, outdo all others in endurance, be ready, and observe your duty to Allah, in order that ye may succeed." (Al-i'Imran : 200)

See? You have to "outdo all others in endurance"! You know why? Well, ....

"And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (His) bondmen." (Al-Baqara : 207)

"O ye who believe! Seek help in steadfastness, and prayer. Lo! Allah is with the steadfast." (Al-Baqara : 153)

There are two kinds of patience: 1) positive patience, which means working hard in order to attain one's aim and enduring hardship; 2) negative patience, that is, waiting with crossed arms and lamenting one's lot.

As a believer, you have to have both ambition and patience, because they will allow you to have a better vision of things.

"But if ye persevere and ward off (evil), then that is of the steadfast heart of things." (Al-i'Imran : 186)

"And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth, lo! that, verily, is (of) the steadfast heart of things." (Ash-Shura : 43)

"Then have patience (O Muhammad) even as the stout of heart among the messengers (of old) had patience" (Al-Ahqaf : 35)

If Man was placed as a viceroy in the earth, how about you who aren't only a man, but on top of that a believer?

"And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth" (Al-Baqara : 30)

"Recite unto them the tale of him to whom We gave Our revelations, but he sloughed them off, so Satan overtook him and he became of those who lead astray. And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought." (Al-A'raf : 175-176)

Lastly, if you really are a patient person, then consider yourself lucky, for patience is the greatest thing man can ever be given.

"But none is granted it save those who are steadfast, and none is granted it save the owner of great happiness." (Fussilat : 35)

"For those who do good in this world there is good, and Allah's earth is spacious. Verily the steadfast will be paid their wages without stint." (Az-Zumar : 10)

And patience is -in God's sight- a great virtue, too.

"Lo! We found him steadfast, how excellent a slave! Lo! he was ever turning in repentance (to his Lord)." (Sad :44)

Innocent Whispers