A Younger Me
Letter One was sparked by a phone call recently.
The other day I was out eating with family to celebrate my cousin Amna’s birthday when a friend called me. I couldn’t pick up, so I left him my personal favorite custom auto-reply for those of you who have ever called me, “Sorry I can’t take your call right now! May I call you once I get free?” which he kindly accepted.
I texted him later when I got home and hopped on a phone call when I got free, thinking he must have some good news to share but eager to talk to him regardless.
Little did I know, he did not. It just so turns out he was dealing with something I myself dealt with in the past, which for his privacy’s sake I won’t disclose directly. As I listened to him share more and more about his situation and the decision point he was at, I found myself in a rare place where I knew exactly how someone else must be feeling and maybe even what they needed to hear at that moment (which I hope I was able to provide him as he deserved). I gave him my sincere perspective on the situation and let him know it was okay to feel what he was feeling and that he should lean on the people around him in the times ahead, myself included.
I wanted to write about this because it gave me two beautiful reflections.
I am grateful for the friends and family who were there for me when I dealt with similar struggles.
Perhaps Allah had placed me in that situation to be a resource for my younger brother here years later.
I leave you with the narration I shared with him as it has provided me much relief in difficult times and grounded me through good ones. To any of you going through challenging times, I’m here for you however you need as I’m sure you’ve been there for me in some way yourself.
Ibn Abbas reported: I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when he said to me, “Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. If you ask, ask from Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the nations gathered together to benefit you, they could not benefit you unless Allah has decreed it for you. And if the nations gathered together to harm you, they could not harm you unless Allah has decreed it for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2516
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Shoutout: Today’s my older sister Ilsa’s birthday. She is one of my favorite humans masha’Allah so please throw up some prayers for her on this blessed Friday. See you next post.
When?
Cool, thanks for sharing