Saturday, July 4, 2015

21 years of Alhumdulillah

Today I start to retrospect again, with a write-up that has become an almost ritualistic part of my blog. I have been blessed enough to greet yet another July, making this my 21st. Yes, senility has struck and the metaphyseal plates have closed. The time to grow has passed, time to evolve has begun.

For long I have wondered what this article should be about, what events of importance must it include, what feelings it must convey and what it must conclude with. I scanned a trained eye over everything that was, on the lookout for anything that could add significance to this article. What I found was overwhelming. Overwhelmingly simple.

I found twenty one years of Alhumdulillah.

This has been the most splendidly master-minded life. A life where Blessings far outnumber any complain my human-self could make. A life that has overcompensated for any deprivation, any failure, any loss I ever took. My life with all it's "flaws," has been nothing short of perfect. Alhumdulillah.

But to you, dear reader, I have something else to say. Maybe you have followed this blog since it's inception or maybe this is your first ever visit here. It doesn't matter. If you are reading this, here is what I want to tell you:


DON'T EVER DESPAIR.
Hang in there with a smile and I promise you it'll be fine. Pray. Pray the pain away. Let the Heavens know you're hurting, not people. Cry not on a shoulder, but in seclusion, with Angels for company. If you hit dark times, look for light within. If you find yourself alone, tell yourself that's stupid; the people of Alhumdulillah are NEVER alone.
If you are physically wounded, give it time. For a broken spirit, apply some Faith.
When knocked down by Life, cushion the fall with Patience. Be patient, and God will be with you. Learn to labour and to wait.

FORGIVE.
Yourself first, then everyone else. We are imperfect beings in a perfect world who ride on infinite Mercy to get by each day. Pass on this favour, for this is no small feat. Spread among people that which rains upon you from the Heavens.
Revenge is immature. Revenge is fickle. Those who seek it seek only to harm themselves.
Look around you in those "this is so unfair!" moments. Look around you. Are you a small child? At the bottom of a well? On a dark, starless night? Thrown in there by the people you most loved?
Ofcourse not.
No matter what your situation is and no matter who put you in there, remind yourself that you have not been thrown into a well while the world presumed you dead. And if little Yusuf Alaiyhissalam could find it in him to forgive, then so can you.

SAY ALHUMDULILLAH.
This is the perhaps the simplest trick of the lot and my most sincere request to you, dear reader. Appreciate the little gears that click impeccably to get your life going. If you think you're in a bad place, say Alhumdulillah. Because in these bad places and the by these wrong choices is how you learn the best of lessons. Say Alhumdulillah when you're in pain, for pain purges you of impurities like fire purges metal. Say Alhumdulillah when loneliness creeps in, because God wants one-on-one time with you.
Have a complain? Tell Him. Unprepared for exams? Tell Him.  Feeling sick? Tell Him. Want your Haemoglobin to rise? Tell Him (< true story :P) Sad? Tell Him. Happy? Tell Him!
Tell Him because He wants to hear from you.
Do you know your heart stops beating for a split second when you sneeze? And that is why you say Alhumdulillah after. Seriously, imagine having to use a defibrillator to revive sinus rhythm each time you sneezed!
My point here? It's only a matter of perspective. You could either complain about the cold, or claim brownie points each time you sneezed. ;)


So that sums up a lifetime of lessons. After finding my way through wide lanes, wrong turns, shady alleyways and confusing road maps, I am here now. I am exactly where I was supposed to be and headed exactly where I am supposed to go. And so are you!
Never despair, always forgive and give thanks. This is a journey worth taking.

Alhumdulillah.