“Bismillah (In the name of God)”
Sometimes, to understand Allah’s (God’s) Mercy or Favors in your life, you must look back and visit hopeless events that happened in your life. If you pay attention, you will find how Allah (God) sent you help.
When life feels dark, hope can feel distant. But Allah commands us:
“Indeed, none despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” (12:87)
This is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl. She left her homeland to stay in her aunt’s house in Canada. When she arrived, her aunt explained to her that her purpose in the home was to help her raise her children and take care of the house chores and in return, she will lodge her, feed her, provide her with an allowance and send her to school.
The aunt had three children. Two were school aged and the younger one went to daycare. It was the girl’s responsibility to wake up everyone, get the school age children ready to take the school bus for school and take the younger child to daycare before she goes to school.
In the evening, she would prepare dinner for the family, help the children with their homework, and their nightly routine.
Life there was stressful, often for the girl because there was a lot to do and the aunt was rarely satisfied. Unfortunately, the aunt’s husband started to show interest in the girl. So, the aunt chose to blame the girl instead of confronting her husband.
One day, she asker her “Didn’t you have your period this month?”
“Yes” she replied, “It only came one day while I was asleep, I changed the bed sheets and used only one pad for the month.”
“That’s all “she said
“Yes” replied the girl
A few days later, she told the girl, “It seems to me that your period is becoming irregular, I can give you birth control pills to make your period regular and also to help you with the menstruation cramp.”
“No” replied the girl, “Neither my aunts nor my mother took the type of medicine that you are talking about.”
She continued, “You said that my husband is bothering you when I am not home”
“It’s true,” said the girl
“Why not get a boyfriend so, he can leave you alone.”
“I don’t want a boyfriend” replied the girl “I don’t want to be here anymore. Send me back to my parents.”
A few days later, the aunt started to call her friends complaining about the girl. She described her to her acquaintances as “The little slut who is after my husband.” She even called the girl’s father and other family members to talk about the chaos that the girl is causing in her house. As punishment, she would send her in the basement to reflect on her actions.
Finally, the school principal asked for a parent teacher conference because the girl had 30 absences from school. The aunt couldn’t attend the meeting because she had to work. She sent a lady to whom she used to complain to about the girl
The principal took out the girl’s file and started talking. The lady explained the girl’s home situation and repeated all the information that was given to her. The principal sent a social worker to the house to investigate. The couple got scared and sent the girl to her father who was living in New York.
Despair closes the door that Allah(God) keeps open. No matter how long the night feels, help is near.
Allah’s mercy is closer than you think.
Ask yourself
- Where have I lost hope?
- How can I choose trust instead of despair?
- What prayer will I hold onto?
Prayer
O Allah, replace my despair with hope and light. Ameen