Tools To Deal With A Spiritual Emergency

To my friend who is worried, to my brother who is sad, to my sister who feels broken, remember you are never alone. Remember you are stronger than you tell yourself, braver than you know. You are not standing on the edge of defeat; you are standing at the door of God’s Love and Mercy. Remember He is here right beside you through every trial, every challenge, and every tribulation. He is here right beside you through every success, every happiness, every smile and every joy. In a crazy, crazy world, He is our constant. The chaos of the world makes us feel dizzy and out of control. Stay focused on Him, because He never wavers.

As we enter this beautiful month of Ramadan, it is important to take the time to reflect on our relationship with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has promised us that this life will be a life of trials so we must prepare ourselves to navigate through those trials by strengthening our reliance on Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) first and foremost. As a reminder to myself first, below are the tools we must keep in our hearts every day and be ready to pull out in case of a spiritual emergency. Remind yourself of these daily in order that it become easy for you to run to His comfort in difficult times. Ramadan is a time many people feel spiritually uplifted. It is an excellent opportunity to draw nearer to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and prepare ourselves for whatever the coming year may bring.

Be of Those Who Are Remembered By the Almighty

“So remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not Faith” (2:152)

How many times do we try to impress people? How many times do we do things just so they take notice of our actions and learn our names or acknowledge us in a gathering? How many times do we do things for the temporary people of this temporary life? What about the Everlasting God? Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) conveyed in a hadith, through our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him):

“Whoever makes remembrance of Me to himself, I make remembrance of him to Myself. And whoever makes remembrance of Me in a gathering, I make remembrance of him in a gathering better then his gathering.”

How many times do we act in a way that is pleasing to Him so that He may make mention of our names alone on His mighty throne or in His own blessed gathering? We can remember Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) through prayer, dhikr, shukr, and ensuring each and every one of our actions is in a manner that is pleasing to Him. In return we strengthen our relationship with our Lord and earn reward in the process. As we desire the company of beloved human beings we should desire even more the company of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). Turn down the noise of the dunya, remove yourself from the distractions of this world and spend time in the presence of Almighty Allah. When you seek closeness to Him, He is reciprocating the action in greater measure.

Allah Is Always With You

“And if my servant asks about me, I am near to him. I listen to the call of every suppliant when he calls on Me.” (2:186)

Throughout the Qur’an Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) instructs the Prophet (peace be upon him) to respond with questions and He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) begins with, “Say”. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is emphasizing the importance of the word “Qareeb”, when instructing the Prophet to respond to the companions’ inquiry about their own physical distance from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). In this instance He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) does not use the word “say”. He responds directly to each and every one of His servants who asks this same question — “Indeed I am near to him.”

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is right here. He knows your feelings, your hopes, your desires, your dreams and your disappointments. He knows and is near to you. When you prostrate in prayer with your head on the ground, and the tears flow as you whisper into the carpet what you can only share with your Lord and Creator, He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) sits on His mighty Throne and hears every word you utter and every thought you keep silently in your heart. He hears every tear that falls quietly on the soft carpet, as he hears the footsteps of an ant that walks on a smooth rock in the middle of the night. He knows His servant is turning to Him and as you walk towards Him seeking Him, He is lovingly running towards you ready to accept you. Talk to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). Thank Him for the blessings He has given you and ask from Him whatever you need. He has no limitations and loves for His servant to ask freely of Him whatever is wanted. But know that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) knows what is in our hearts and what is best for us. Seek what you will from Him and be sure that He responds to every call in one of three ways: producing what is sought, preventing it in order to prevent harm for you, or preserving its delivery for the Day of Judgment.