Falling Short

Morals of the Story

1. Mental health is not always the result of low Imaan. It is simply a factor and an alternate aspect of life that should be considered and taken care of. As a result of taking care of mental health, one can prioritise increasing their Imaan with other beneficial, spiritual acts.

—

2. Tolerance comes with a limit. One should not force themselves beyond their abilities for a particular outcome.

—

3. Marriage is sunnah, yes. And divorce, despite it being undesirable as stated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is not haram, especially in dire circumstances. Of course, this is not a summary of the rulings behind it, but it is not a sin to consider it when necessary.

—

4. This world is a test for a believer, and one should be consistent in their religion, despite everything else falling apart. This is not to say that everything else must be neglected, but that having faith in Allah (the exalted) will inevitably result in the greatest help. The Holy Quran states:

یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱذۡكُرُوا۟ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَیۡكُمۡۚ هَلۡ مِنۡ خَـٰلِقٍ غَیۡرُ ٱللَّهِ یَرۡزُقُكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ لَاۤ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤۡفَكُونَ

"Oh mankind, remember Allah's blessing upon you. Is there any Creator other than Allah Who gives you provision from the sky and the earth? There is no God but He. So, to where are you being turned around (by your desires)?" [Quran 35:3]

—

5. Allah (S.W.T) does not neglect one's duas, rather, His Knowledge cannot be comprehended by us mere humans with merely a pixel of His eternal knowledge. He knows what is right for us and what isn't, and what the future will be like for every one of us. The Holy Quran states:

‎وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تَكۡرَهُوا۟ شَيْئاً وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمۡۖ وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْئاً وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

"It could be that you dislike something when it is good for you, and it could be that you like something when it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know." [Quran 2:216]

—

6. This short story concerns "falling short" of expectations, self-values, successes and anything else which plays a role in how one perceives their future. However, it's not that you should have these expectations at the core of your life, but simply as a guide.

—

7. Whatever happens is Allah's (SWT) will. We cannot, and must not, complain about the hardships and burdens that we have, rather, we should be grateful that it is not something worse. Hardships and illnesses do remove one's sins and clear the heart of a Muslim, so we must be hopeful about the fact that Allah knows best, and He will give us what is for our benefit. Nothing more, and nothing less. Yes, these hardships require a great amount of patience, but remember that Allah only tests those whom He loves, and it is nothing beyond their capacity. Allah (swt) says in His Holy Book:

لَا یُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَیۡهَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ إِن نَّسِینَاۤ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَیۡنَاۤ إِصْراً كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَاۤۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ

"God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its bad- ' Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have the strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.'" [Quran 2:286]

—

8. There's more to it than meets the eye; people hold unbelievably complex stories within despite seeing them smiling. They may be on the brink of exploding, and you wouldn't notice it until you are told, or an inevitable truth is revealed.

—

9. When you know what's right and are pressured by the wrong, ensure it is communicated, and don't let them persuade you out of that knowledge. This is on the condition that the knowledge one has is sought after by research and not out of ignorance.

—

10. It is not encouraged to engage with the opposite gender, when they are non-mahrams, as it will inevitably lead to undesirable and tense situations and misunderstandings. The general rule is if it's only a female and male in a room, the third that is present is Satan. After all:

إِنَّ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنَ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّاۚ إِنَّمَا یَدۡعُوا۟ حِزۡبَهُۥ لِیَكُونُوا۟ مِنۡ أَصۡحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِیرِ

"Surely, Satan is an enemy for you. So, take him as an enemy. He only invites his group (to falsehood) so that they become inmates of the blazing fire." [Quran 35:6]

There is an emphasis, not only on the fact that Satan is our enemy and will lead us to the fire, but also an emphasis on the fact that we must refrain from following him in his evil ways and, inevitably, stray away from God.

—

11. Sincerity comes with action, not words.

—

12. We can never be sure about our decisions in our lives. One must seek advice and test the waters, nonetheless, before jumping into any big or small decisions to avoid negative outcomes. However, in the scenario that we make poor decisions, it is also a stepping stone for us to learn and adapt to new situations, because how can we ever learn without experiencing what it's like to be patient? We need to be trialled with hardship to attain such skills, and similarly, we must meet these negative outcomes with optimism, asking, 'What is Allah (swt) trying to teach me here?'.

—

Author's Note

JazakumAllah Khairan for reading, and I hope you not only enjoyed the narrative, but also benefitted from the lessons and morals that I have embedded within it. May Allah (the exalted) remind us of what we forget, teach us what we are ignorant towards, and guide us to the straight path. Ameen, oh Lord of the Heavens and the Earth.

With great honour to have you as my reader,
Zainab.