When The Chips are Down

“Take it easy

Even when things go crazy

And your heart is heavy

For it to will pass surely”

At one point or the other, every one goes through a period of extreme difficulty in their lives. This is a time when everything seems to go wrong for you and you feel that the whole world is against you. It doesn’t matter how good you use to have it or what race or religion you are. There are always certain periods in our lives when we are put through trials. Sadly, not everyone can take it. Some lose their soul in the process and even end up killing themselves.

During this time, it is very easy to think or suspect that there are evil forces working against you or that God has forsaken you. But the truth is that it is neither. Yes, it is God that allowed those things to happen to you because everything happens only by His will, but it is not because He doesn’t love you, no far from that. He only did it to bring you closer to Him. They said, if there was no suffering, then there will not be compassion. Have you ever noticed that the poor man is the most religious?

Going through hardships forces a person to slow down and reflect on his life and then concentrate on what really matters. As human beings when everything is going well for us, we tend to forget and get carried away by the good times and things in our lives. Some people forget God completely as in the case of many people in the Western world today who don’t believe in God or highly doubt His existence. Some people even forget their families. Men go out to cheat on their wives because they have enough to spend on their concubines without their spouses knowing about it. But when something bad happens to a person, say he loses his job, house, etc. it will force him to slow down and reflect on his life. This way he gets to sort out and concentrate on what is more important. And at the end of the day, if he did not allow his problems to destroy him then he would have become a lot stronger armed with some very important lessons that will come in handy over and over again. Even when things look up again he will still be a changed man. Although some people forget immediately things look up and change back, but a few always come out better people.

Some people succumb to their problems and end up taking their lives because they cannot handle the pressure. But suicide is not only stupid and cowardly, it only makes things worst. A person who kills himself in order to escape the pain of the world may end up having to endure that of the everlasting hell fire.

Hadith - Muslim #6480

Anas (b. Malik) reported Allah's Messenger as saying: None of you should make a request for death because of the trouble in which he is involved, but if there is no other help to it, then say: O Allah, keep me alive as long as there is goodness in life for me and bring death to me when there is goodness in death for me.

Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi #1613, Narrated Jabin ibn Abdullah [Ahmad transmitted it.]

Allah's Messenger said, "Do not wish for death, for the terror of the place whence one looks down is severe. It is part of a man's happiness that his life should be long and Allah Who is Great and Glorious, should supply him with repentance."

Hadith - Qudsi 28

“There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in [such] anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his hand, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled Me; I have forbidden him Paradise.”

The Noble Qur'an - An-Nisa 4:29

“...And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.”

May Allah strengthen our faith in time of crises. Amen.

The month of Ramadan is fast approaching. This is a period when you are expected to fast. That is, you must abstain from food, water, drinks, sex, etc. from dawn till dusk everyday from the beginning to the end of the month. That is usually 29 to 30 days depending on the sighting of the moon. At the end of the month, you celebrate on a day called Eid-il-Fitr, by giving out ZAKAT (Special alms) to the poor. The reason for this is best known to God, but one possible explanation is that the fasting experience will not only help you understand what the less fortunate people are going through but also soften your heart enough so that you can empathize with them and help them in any way you can. And the ZAKAT is that example. Think about it, not eating from dawn till dusk is hard enough, imaging having to go for days without food. That is what some people have to endure. So you can understand why it is important to use your blessing and help them out.

Therefore, the next time things are down for you and you feel as if you are near the end, think of it as God’s way of clipping your wings to prevent you from flying so high you end up losing your soul. Remember, bad things happen to everyone at some point. It’s not just you. Also remember that it is temporary and will definitely pass because no condition is permanent. Do not allow your problems to weigh you down and push you away from the right path. Put your trust in God and let Him make everything better again. The devil may try to take advantage of your weakness and sway you to his side. So, ask God for guidance and faith to enable you to pull through. Try to learn from every experience. The lesson you learn from a bad experience may come in handy in future for you. Do not ever stop helping others even when you yourself are in need help, because the hand that gives is always above the one that receives and what goes around definitely comes back around. You never know, it could be their turn to bail you out tomorrow. I believe that is what the Month of Ramadan is trying to teach us. And as we wait for it with anticipation, let us take a moment and reflect on what it is all about and how it is going to change us into better people. Let us open our hearts to those around us who are not as fortunate as we are. Let us help the needy, give charity and avoid sin, so as to make our society, country and even the world, a better place.

Hey there, fabulous readers! Big thanks for being a part of my incredible journey. I'm Hadiza Bagudu, a mom, blogger, poet, author, and podcaster. Don't miss out on my other exciting blogs—I can't wait to share more adventures with you. Stay awesome!

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