Any given time

When the going gets tough and I start to think that I should have been built with bigger shoulders to carry the stress, I find an immediate release upon remembering what Allah (swt) says in surat al-bakara, ayah 186: "when My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I answer the prayer of every supplicant when he calls on Me" Qur'an 2:186. Soon after, I slip back and succumb to the stress, but reminding myself over and over again that He is there any given time gives me the bits of strength that I need to get by.

Sometimes just knowing that someone is there to bear the load with me is enough, and more often than not, I find no one. After anger and desperation, I finally remember that I'm not the only one that knows my situation. Allah (swt) knows what I'm going through because He is the One that's putting me through it and testing me, and is doing so because He knows that I can take it. Remembering this in itself is empowering and takes about a 100 pounds off of my already small shoulders. I find myself feeling guilty for not remembering that Allah (swt) is always there-- I just need to turn to Him.


So the next time stress meets you, look it in the face and remember that you can take it. It might be hard, but it passes, because "verily, after hardship is ease", and the Promise of Allah (swt) is not broken. Chins up!