I begin in the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful, and though I am far from deserving, I pray that I will never lose despair in the hope of Allah and always think the very best from my Creator.
You can find guidance in Hadith as well as in the Quran Kareem, where Allah ta’Ala directly tells us that He is as we expect of Him. That He is ever near to us and knows what is in our hearts. That He responds to the caller when they call on Him… So, my sisters and brothers, the question seems to be… are we calling to Allah with hope and fear and expectation of the very best from our benevolent creator?
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ وَعَلا يَقُولُ أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي إِنْ ظَنَّ خَيْرًا فَلَهُ وَإِنْ ظَنَّ شَرًّا فَلَهُ
“Allah Almighty says: I am as My servants expects of Me. If he thinks good of Me, he will have it. If he thinks evil of Me, he will have it.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 639 (Grade: Sahih)
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ ب لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِۦ نَفْسُهُۥ ۖ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ ٱلْوَرِي
Indeed, ˹it is˺ We ˹Who˺ created humankind and ˹fully˺ know what their souls whisper to them, and We are closer to them than ˹their˺ jugular vein.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَجَبَتْ مَحَبَّتِي لِلْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَجَالِسِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَزَاوِرِينَ فِيَّ وَالْمُتَبَاذِلِينَ فِيَّ
“Allah Almighty said: My love is assured for those who love each other for My sake, who sit together for My sake, who visit each other for My sake, and who visit each other for My sake, and who spend on each other for My sake.”
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 22030 (Grade: Sahih)
Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
لَوْ أَخْطَأْتُمْ حَتَّى تَبْلُغَ خَطَايَاكُمْ السَّمَاءَ ثُمَّ تُبْتُمْ لَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ
“If your sins were to reach to the heavens and then you repented, Allah would still accept your repentance.”
Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 4248 (Grade: Sahih)
When you read these ayat and ahadith, can you imagine that our beneficent Creator wants anything less than the best for us? We were created weak and ignorant and given the opportunity to grow stronger and to gain wisdom by the generosity of Allah ta’Ala. Even if we sin, if we miss the mark, and err again and again, so long as we turn back to Allah and seek His forgiveness and strive to be a good servant and a good human, there is hope for us. Of course there is fear on the opposite side of the coin, and without hope, fear, and love our faith will lack balance. But for today, I am writing about hope, because I am feeling hopeful. I have been adrift and unfocused in my worship, and alhamdulillah, Allah continues to call me back to His service and allow me to learn more and deepen my submission.
You can find echoes of this Divine Generosity throughout other faith and spiritual traditions, so generous is our Creator. While drifting through some old personal development texts, I felt the call from Allah. Even when walking down the street, I saw messages on teeshirts that reminded me of His Mercy. If you seek, you will find…
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” ― Holy Bible, Matthew 7:7-8
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
