Who Allah Guides...

BismIllah wa as salaamu alaykum wa RahmatUllahi wa Barakatuh.


Sometimes you will find that people around you do not encourage you to complete reliance and trust (tawakkal) in Allah. However, you may in yourself feel sure that if you act in obedience to Allah, avoiding or giving up something for His pleasure, that He will take care of you. People will say, "You'd better take that job even if they say you can't wear your hijaab/ perform salat/keep your beard." You might even hear people tell you to overlook working in a place that sells alcohol or pork, has music and movies playing, or makes money from gambling or taking interest (ribaa). The "logical" arguments and justifications are often along the lines of, "Otherwise, how will you pay your rent and feed the children?" You may have a voice inside you thinking, "If I stick to obedience to Allah, then He will give me another way that is Halal and pleasing to Him to pay my rent and feed my children." You may believe that Allah will provide you with much better than what you give up for His sake, including halal income. However, there is usually contingent who will say you are being naive, or even foolish.

Which of these viewpoints will win in your mind and heart? When faced with the two roads, which one is walking on stable ground and which is a paved with quicksand? Well, the ones who said you should compromise your Islaam for worldly security would say that you were being responsible by taking that job. However, Allah tells us that the only security lies in obedience to, and total reliance on Him. It is in total obedience to your Creator - Allah: The Provider, The Sustainer, The Just, that you walk the secure path, paved with solid, stable ground. That is the responsible and guided decision. I'm sure you will find examples of this all around you, both in your own life and in the lives of others, where Allah proves His Truth. Please do share some of your inspiring true stories with us, inshaa'Allah.

I have faced many of these situations over the course of my life, and especially during the 24 years I have been a Muslimah, and what I have found is that the real truth lies in Allah's words:

"Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace, and He brings them our of darkness by His Will unto light and guides them to the Straight Way"  

[Surah Ma'idah, ayah16]

and the words of our beloved Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, in the oft repeated Khutbah Haajah:

"Who Allah guides, none can misguide and who He misguides, none can guide. 

May we be of those who Allah always Guides to His Siraat al Mustaqeem.