“AND WHOEVER RELIES UPON ALLAH

THEN HE IS SUFFICIENT FOR HIM.” Qur’an 65:3

t a w a k k u l

AL BAYYAN UIC Muslim Student Association Presents:

Issue 3 January 2015

Issue 3 UIC MSA 2

Footprints of Jannah Page 3

The Most Difficult Love By A yah Chehade Page 4

He Will Take Care of You By Maria Quadri Page 5

Tawakkul: The Light of Our Lives By Tooba Ghafoor Page 6

The Importance of Tawakkul By Fathima Alaidroos Page 7

Yolo By Rowida Zatar Page 8

An Inspiration By Maryam Muhammad Page 9

Keeping the Faith By Annesti Elmasri Page 10

When the going gets tough...Give Dua! By Lilian Maali Page 10

I Realized Something By Anonymous Page 11

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

“Tawakkul is trust, strength, and sympathy.” -Zeba Siddiqui

"My hear is at ease knowing that was was meant for me will never miss me, and

that what misses me was never meant for me." -Imam ash-Shafi'

"Tawakkul is not about everything turning out okay. Tawakkul is about being okay

no matter how things turn out." -Boonaa Mohammed

“What is good for you Allah will give you; what is not, Allah will give you some-

thing better. Allah gives and takes, but He never makes a mistake.” -Saleha Vhora

“Tawakkul means tying your camel first and then relying on Allah (SWT).” -Nura

Mohamed

“Try as best as you can and leave the rest to Allah (SWT). He will do what’s best

for us.” -Shahina Khan

Issue 3 UIC MSA 3

Whenever I hear the word Tawakkul, there is one man that instantly comes to mind. A man who was faced trials

upon trials for his belief in the oneness of God, but never did he sway away from the Straight Path of Islam. Allah

accepted his deeds, and so honored and raised his position that He made him the Father of all the Divine Religions.

This man is none other than Prophet Ibrahim (more commonly known as Abraham) (AS).

Out of the many trials that Ibrahim (AS) faced, there is one that always gives me the shivers whenever I come

across it. This is the story of when Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was thrown into a blazing fire by the people of Babylon.

Ibrahim (AS) would call his people to leave worshipping the idols that they crafted and decorated and worship Al-

lah alone. Many people disobeyed him and became even more arrogant.

Ibrahim saw that the people continued to worship idols. They rejected Prophet Ibrahim’s call and the clear signs

that he came with. Accordingly, he decided to do something with these idols to prove to his people that they were

only objects and did not deserve to be worshipped. Perhaps then they would realize their deep ignorance.

Every year, people would make a celebration for their idols, during which they would go outside the city to the gar-

dens. Ibrahim took advantage of that time and entered the house where all the idols were kept and worshiped.

There he saw a big idol and on its left and right were smaller ones. He went on smashing all the small idols with an

axe until they were all destroyed. He then hung the axe on the big one’s neck, so that when his people returned they

could see for themselves that these things could not even protect themselves. How can they worship them instead

of worshipping Allah the Almighty?

When his people returned they knew that it was prophet Ibrahim that destroyed their idols and because of their

deep ignorance they could not understand the reason Ibrahim did this. They were furious. They wanted to take re-

venge. They chose the most severe punishment, to burn him alive.

They started shouting, “Burn him! Burn him! Take revenge for our gods!” For several days, the people of the king-

dom gathered sticks and fuel for the fire. The fire was so big that the people near it were getting burnt. The flames

were so high that even the birds could not fly across anymore because of the force of the heat.

But Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was not scared.

He had trust in Allah, and he knew that Allah would not let anything bad happen to him.

When the fire was finally ready, the people of the kingdom tied Ibrahim’s (AS) hands and feet and placed him on a

catapult- a machine that would throw him into the fire. At that time, Angel Jibreel came to him and said: "O Ibra-

him! Is there anything you wish for?" Ibrahim could have asked to be saved from the fire, to be taken away, but no,

he said: "I only wish that Allah be pleased with me." The catapult was released, and Ibrahim was thrown in the

heart of the fire. But Allah would not allow His Prophet to be killed; He ordered the fire: "O fire! Be coolness and

safety for Ibrahim!" And the miracle happened. The fire obeyed and burned only his chains. Ibrahim came out from

it as if he was coming out from a garden, peaceful, his face illuminated, and not a trace of smoke on his clothes.

People watched in shock and said: "Amazing! Ibrahim's God has saved him from the fire!"

If that’s not the epitome of tawakkul then I don’t know what is. Now let’s imagine ourselves in such a situation.

Would we have reacted with the same trust in Allah as Ibrahim (AS) did? Probably not even close. Whenever a

tribulation befalls on us, we easily get disturbed and become unhappy. If we try to correct the way we take in trials

and tribulations and have more trust in Allah’s plan, we can easily become much happier people.

By leaving your affairs to Allah, by depending upon Him, by trusting in His promise, by being pleased with His

decree, by thinking favorably of Him, and by waiting patiently for His help, you reap some of the greater fruits of

faith and display the more prominent characteristics of the believer. When you incorporate these qualities into your

character, you will be at peace concerning the future, because you will depend on your Lord for everything. As a

result, you will find care, help, protection, and victory.

Footprints of Jannah

Issue 3 UIC MSA 4

The Most Difficult Love Ayah Chehade

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH) is that

among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:

“O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not

oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of

Me and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of

Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing

of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek for-

giveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and

will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the

human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would

not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of

you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not de-

crease My kingdom in anything. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and

the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he re-

quested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My

servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds

good, praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.”

It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).

Loving oneself is hard- the hardest love there is. Let’s face it. We know our missteps, our faults, our

insecurities, our vulnerabilities, and the complexity of our thought more than anyone else. We carry our sani-

ty at the end of a delicate string. Everywhere we go, we are baring our soul to those around us. Of course,

life is a journey of improvements.

We are both artists and sculptures, molding and shaping our minds and hearts under God’s plan. But

this process can be grueling, overwhelming, and frustrating.

As Al-Ghazali once said, we are like ants, scurrying across a sheet of parchment, trying to string to-

gether the little droplets of black ink we trot across, confused and helpless and small. And all along, in retro-

spect, the parchment is a beautiful sheet of poetry- the black droplets being par-

ticles of ink that string together letters to form meaningful language.

At crossroads we ask ourselves:

Where am I?

Who am I?

Where am I going with this?

What am I doing with this life I was given?

Every heartbeat is a second passing, every drop of blood replenishing our

bodies is a reincarnation, every blink, every breath we breathe without thinking

twice, is a lift of our chests into the heavens where we try to taste the air there.

But alas, after all this, do we thank God? Do we go back to Him as the

source of solace? Because what is life but a slow process towards death and the

hereafter? What would be of life is there was not a reckoning?

Struggles are signs that God is paying attention to you. Life is like an ocean. Sometimes it is stormy

and dangerous and that is okay- so long as you don’t let the water into your ship. So long as you understand

this life as simply being a vessel to the next, the storm will not hurt you but carry you further on your jour-

ney.

Throughout these scattered paragraphs, I haven’t said the word “tawakkul” once (until now) but I’ve

“Struggles are

signs that God is

paying attention to

you. Life is like an

ocean. Sometimes

it is stormy and

dangerous and that

is okay.”

Issue 3 UIC MSA 5

just tried to illustrate to you the blessing of life that we have, the blessing of our own selves as vehicles to-

wards our Lord. We must believe that in loving G-d, we learn to love ourselves. In knowing G-d’s perfection,

we come to know that He has created us in the greatest possible way. In reflecting on our miserly insignifi-

cance compared with the greatness of God, we come to understand the infinite mercy of God and that He plac-

es value on us and it must be for a reason.

So don’t be so hard on yourself. Take time to learn the things that matter most. Appreciate and glorify

G-d for all that He has given you - the blessings you are aware of and the blessings you are unaware of. Look

in the mirror and have trust that the person you are seeing is destined for greatness. Perhaps not worldly great-

ness, not power, not fame, not riches but something more valuable: greatness in the eyes of Allah SWT. Work

towards this status, know your place, and let that guide you toward His love.

He Will Take Care of You

By Maria Quadri

Life sucks. Yes, there are some really awesome moments but most of the time, it just simply sucks. Don’t be

concerned, I’m not depressed, in fact, I’m an unnaturally positive person. But my optimism is a product of the

acknowledgement that life is primarily meant to be rough and tough. This world is not supposed to be a place

of constant relaxation, comfort, and happily-ever-afters. (Note I said “constant”; imho, chillaxing is not wrong

altogether). This world was uniquely designed to test us every step of the way. Consider it to be a battlefield

where we are the soldiers and all of the impermissible pleasures of this world are the enemies. Adopting this

perspective is beneficial for the following three reasons:

1. It helps us to achieve a greater clarity of where we are and what we are meant to do.

2. It motivates us to put our complete trust in Allah.

3. It makes our life seem so much cooler than it actually is.

Let’s focus on # 2 - Trusting Allah

As soldiers in a battlefield, two of the most important qualities/abilities that we must possess include strength

and stamina. And I’d like to suggest that the only way to effectively achieve these two is by placing our com-

plete trust in Allah. Especially when it starts to get real tough, which it will, we must trust that Allah will take

care of us. Trust that something greater will follow and that our struggle is worth every drop of blood, sweat,

and tear that we sacrifice - this is the strength. And the stamina, the ability to endure the prolonged effort,

comes from trusting that Allah will surely bring all of our trials to an end and reward us with that which is be-

yond our imaginations.

Because when you think about it, besides our complete trust in Allah, there is little else that we can control.

Again, this might at first sound pessimistic, but it actually is a very liberating idea. Just think about it. How

amazing do you feel in those moments when you’re being tested with a great difficulty and instead of collaps-

ing in hopelessness, you instead face the trial head on, strictly because of that strength and stamina? How

much boss status have you achieved when you think to yourself “I have no idea how the fish sticks I am going

to overcome this terrible difficulty but I know I will because Allah will take care of me.” This is the attitude of

a winner. So let me repeat that life is not always sunshine and rainbows. It’ is darkness and monochromatic

dispersion of light. Just kidding. Life is a battlefield and you are a fighter. Accept this fact and adopt the atti-

tude that you will push through your challenges at all costs. Have dreams, set goals, take risks, make mistakes,

learn well, and always remind yourself that Allah has it all under control. He will take care of you.

Issue 3 UIC MSA 6

Tawakkul: The Light of our Lives By Tooba Ghafoor

Racing thoughts. Sleepless nights. That sick, churning feeling in your stomach. At some point or another,

we’ve all been floored by challenges in our lives, and we’re left wondering how on earth they will be solved.

In these moments, as believers, we remember Allah. We remind ourselves that the trials of this dunya are

from Allah, so surely the solutions to these trials will also come from Him. These reminders to ourselves are a

glimmer of the light that is Tawakkul.

Tawakkul is the reliance upon Allah (SWT) in all aspects of one’s life. The person with Tawakkul has abso-

lute certainty that Allah will surely provide for them. They live with this ayah in their hear t:

“He who fears Allah will be provided a way out by Him, and given sustenance from the sources he

could never expect, for Allah is all sufficient for the person who puts his trust in Him” [65:2-3]

In this ayah, the word used for sustenance is rizq, which includes all forms of sustenance, including wealth,

Iman, a spouse, children, etc. Allah specifies that the believers will be given their rizq from sources they

could never expect. This tells us that the person with Tawakkul never has anything to fear, because Allah

will provide for them even in the face of impossible odds. However, this person does not sit back and relax,

telling him- or herself that Allah will take care of things. As the Prophet (S) said to a bedouin whom he saw

leaving his camel untied: “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah” (At-Tirmidhi, 2517). So, it’s our

job to take all necessary steps in order to earn our sustenance, with complete confidence that Allah give us

success in our efforts.

Perhaps one of the greatest examples of Tawakkul can be found in the story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS). We all

know the story of how, in response to his denial of their false deities, his community built a huge fire to burn

him in, a fire so large that no one was even willing to go near it, they had to build a catapult to launch him in.

As he was in the air, Angel Jibreel came to him, asking if there was anything he needed. In response to this,

Ibrahim (AS) simply asked if Allah (SWT) knew of the condition he was in. Jibreel (AS) replied “Yes”. Ibra-

him (AS) said as long as Allah (SWT) knew of his condition, that was enough for him. Upon this, Allah

(SWT) ordered the fire to be cool and peaceful upon the Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

This incident provides a huge lesson for us. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had already been launched into the air, he

could see the massive flames, which were probably generating a lot of heat, and yet he still did not waver

even a bit in his reliance upon his Lord. He didn’t even ask Angel Jibreel for help, all he cared about was that

Allah SWT was watching his condition. Because he had Tawakkul, he knew without a shred of doubt that his

Lord knew of his condition surely and He would do what’s best for him. He knew in his heart that “Allah is

the Wali of those who believe” [2:257]; meaning, when a person submits him- or herself to Allah (SWT),

Allah takes full responsibility to provide for that person. They don’t have a single worry in the world.

Here, I must confess, that sometimes I don’t feel that way. Most of the time, the glimmer of Tawakkul in my

Issue 3 UIC MSA 7

life is only that: a glimmer. I don’t feel the full ef-

fect of this beautiful virtue. But why aren’t our lives

fully lit up with the confidence that we have nothing

to fear, that Allah will surely provide for us?

The answer to this is found in the ayah we started

with: “He that fears Allah will be provided a way

out by Him”. It’s a hard truth, but the more honestly

we face it, the easier it will be to fix it: We say that

we fear Allah, but our actions do not reflect that. By

committing sins, we lose the light of Tawakkul

from our lives. Let’s each take this opportunity to

ask ourselves about our sins: When’s the last time I

engaged in backbiting, knowing that my Lord hears

all? When’s the last time I failed to lower my gaze,

knowing that my Lord sees all? How much free

time do I throw away, knowing that my Lord will

ask me about every moment that I did not spend in

his worship?

The Importance of Tawakkul

By Fathima Alaidroos

“Your life may not be going exactly as you planned it, but it is going exactly how Allah (SBWT) planned it.”

Putting your full trust in Allah and relying on Him is Tawakkul. Believing that anything that occurs in your

life is His decision for what is best for you. And although it may feel your prayers aren’t being answered, Al-

lah (SBWT) definitely has something in store for you for the right time. So continue putting your faith and trust

in Allah because He is All-Knowing, and He knows what He’s doing.

An important example is that of Prophet Ibrahim and his wife Hajera and their baby. Stuck in the middle of a

barren desert, Ibrahim is commanded by Allah (SBWT) to go preach that there is only one God. He was told

not to speak to his wife while leaving. Hajera, wife who was uneasy about seeing her husband leave, put her

trust in Allah (SBWT) and told her husband that since it is Allah’s command, he must go and that Allah

(SBWT) will take care of her baby and herself. After her husband had left, their baby was thirsty/hungry.

Hajera went up and down Safa and Marwah 7 times, desperately looking for water; then the baby started bang-

ing its feet on the ground and, miraculously, zam zam water began spurting up from the ground. Hajera, who

put her full faith in Allah, was rewarded with water. Travelers in caravans stopped on their way for the water

in the middle of the desert. With water, food, and company, Hajera and her child were safe and taken care of

by Allah (SBWT) until her husband returned.

There are many examples in the Quran that portray tawakkul and serve as great lessons for us. One of these

examples is the command from Allah (SBWT) to Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim explained to

his son Ismail what Allah (SBWT) commanded and both son and father put their trust into Allah (SWBT) be-

lieving that what they were being asked to do would be good for them. And what happened during the sacri-

fice? A miracle occurred and Ismail was replaced with a lamb. Allah (SBWT) was testing their trust and they

successfully passed.

Next time, believe that Allah will do what is best for you. In our lifetimes we will be tested in our trust and

faith, so make sure we as Ummah have strong imaan and tawakkul on Allah.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, this is our chance. Our

lives are plagued with worry, and sometimes there

seems to be no way out. But if we just take one step

and turn to Allah, I swear all of our difficulties will

melt away. The first step to developing trust in Al-

lah is to develop an awareness of Allah. This means

that we need to become aware of when we sin. Let’s

not put this newsletter down without making the

intention that every time we sin, we will ask for Al-

lah’s forgiveness. Surely, Allah (SWT) will provide

for His servants that repent to him, InshAllah.

“Put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those who

put their trust in Him. If Allah helps you, then

there is none who can overcome you. If He for-

sakes you, then who else is there other than Him

who can help you? Therefore, in Allah let the

believers put their trust.” [3:159-160]

Issue 3 UIC MSA 8

YOLO By Rowida Zatar

Ok, ok, I know “YOLO” is dead. Alhamdulillah, long

gone are the days of the inescapable YOLO t-shirts

and snapbacks. However the idea of YOLO is far

from gone, in fact, it has become an even more preva-

lent theme in pop culture. The amplification of this

mentality, has resulted in a culture that thinks in the

present and has little regard for mistakes of the past

or consequences of the future. Many of us can relate.

Remember when you went out with friends instead of

studying for that upcoming test? Or when you spent

too much money on your cool new Ray-Bans instead

of saving? Yes, you know what I’m talking about.

Dangerously, many people think of tawakkul like

they think of YOLO. In fact one of my favorite

quotes, a quote by Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, that reads,

“No amount of guilt can change the past and no

amount of worrying can change the

future,” almost seems to align with

the idea of “no regrets” and

YOLO. However, achieving

tawakkul, like many things

in Islam, is a matter of

achieving the perfect me-

dium between two ex-

tremes: obsessively re-

gretting the past and planning

the future and living in the moment

without thought of the consequences that may

result.

Many of us know the story of the man who asked the

prophet (PBUH) whether he should tie his camel and

rely on Allah SWT to keep the camel safe or leave

the camel untied and rely on Allah. The prophet

(PBUH) replied, “Tie your camel first, then put your

trust in Allah.” Tawakkul is not the same thing as be-

lieving in Allah; it is not just a matter of worshipping

Allah as He has decreed and being rewarded. Allah

SWT wants us to take responsibility for our actions

and work hard in the present, plan for the future, and

learn from the past. Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Were

you to put your complete trust and reliance on Al-

lah, He would provide for you as He provides for

the birds. They issue forth hungry in the morning

and return filled in the evening” (Tirmidhi). The

birds do not stay in their nests all day waiting for Al-

lah to bless them with his bounty – they work hard

to find food and rely on Allah and are consequently

successful. Regarding this topic, Umar Ibn Al-

Khattab was quoted to have said, “The sky does not

rain silver and gold.”

Even in our most difficult moments, Allah still de-

mands that we work for his blessings. When Mar-

yam (AS) was in the agony of delivery, Allah did

not simply let dates fall upon her, He commanded

her: “And shake towards thyself the trunk of the

palm-tree: It will fall fresh, ripe dates upon

thee” (Quran 19.25). Shaking a palm tree is not an

easy business so you can imagine how hard it must

have been for a woman in labor. Again, this illus-

trates another perfect medium in Islam: a medium

between being absorbed in worship and being ob-

sessed with work. The companions of the prophet

(PBUH) did not spend all of their time with him;

they would alternate between working and spending

time with him. They set a perfect example

for us. We should not think of tawak-

kul as a guarantee from Allah that if

we have faith we will be prosperous in

the future without consideration of how

our actions (or lack thereof) will affect

our futures. Instead, we should tie our

camels before relying on Allah and learn

from Allah’s beautiful winged creatures,

Maryam (AS), and the companions (RA).

Overall, we should remember that our society en-

courages us to blur the line between tawakkul and

the YOLO mentality that can be misinterpreted by a

well-meaning Muslim as “live in the present, have

faith in Allah, and everything will turn out ok” and

that this is not the same as tawakkul. Finally, we

should remember that we, in reality, live twice. The

second time we will have to answer for our actions

and beliefs in this life. This means our hard work in

this life, along with reliance on Allah SWT, we will,

insha’Allah, receive the greatest reward of all.

Allah knows best.

Issue 3 UIC MSA 9

An Inspiration By Maryam Muhammad

I had heard stories about how she was once really depressed, but I couldn't get myself to believe them. She was

(and still is) one of the most cheerful, friendly, nice, and welcoming people I have ever met.

She was an elementary school teacher at a school I went to in Ohio. From the day I met her, I felt like I could

talk to her about anything and always count on her to brighten my day. That's why when people told me that

she was once depressed-- I couldn't believe them.

I found out later that this sister was married and had a miscarriage before I moved to Ohio. She was utterly

saddened after losing her baby about half-way through her pregnancy. She had learned that it was a boy and

had chosen a name for him. You and I can imagine her excitement for her first child. Yet he didn't survive,

and there was a Janaza prayed for him.

Fast forward a couple of years and I get to meet this sister-- one of the friendliest people ever. It would be dif-

ficult to find her without a smile on her face. She related to people of all ages, and my mom and I often would

meet her and enjoy her company.

We learned that she was pregnant again and that she had to stay in the hospital, bed-ridden for most of her

pregnancy to prevent complications. We visited her and boy was she happy to see us. The lonely hospital was

boring her, and she'd try to distract herself by shopping for things online, but even that got boring. She was a

people person.

Around two weeks later, we heard that they prayed Janaza for her second son lost to a miscarriage.

My mom and I couldn't believe our ears; we were so sad and shocked--it's really hard to put those feelings into

words. When you see someone you really, really love go through a very difficult time, it affects you and com-

pels you to wish you could take away their pain.

This sister was indeed very sad for the weeks that followed. She was a human being after all, and this was her

second miscarriage.

However, whenever I think of her, I think of her hugs, smiles, advice, and inexpressible love. This sister had

ultimate tawakkul in Allah (SWT) that everything will be okay, and that she will be rewarded for her patience.

So when we got a phone call that we were invited to a surprise baby shower for her, we were so nervous. We

didn't think it was a great idea since we would be celebrating something that still didn't happen. And anything

could happen. My mom and I attended because we knew it would mean a lot to her if we drove from Chicago

just for her.

She was ecstatic about the surprise and all the gifts, and we were happy for her. She was definitely in our

dua'as.

I'll skip all of the anxious days of waiting for news. Alhamdulillah she now has a beautiful daughter, Mar-

yam ;) and is happy as ever.

I don't know if she'll ever know how much she has inspired me, but I hope her story inspires you as well.

When I think of tawakkul, of putting one's trust in Allah, I can't help but think of Umm Maryam.

Issue 3 UIC MSA 10

When the going gets

tough…. Give Dua! By Lilian Maali

Life is composed of happiness and sadness, we as

humans have to at some point in our life taste hard-

ship. Allah puts us through these tests, to see how

we are going to be and this is Allah’s way of hav-

ing you come back to him. Humans have this

thought that when you are happy or content in your

life its because of having a good job being wealthy

and living a luxurious life. That when you have all

of these things that means that god loves you. Pov-

erty and wealth is both a test. The richest person in

the world can be tested with his wealth; all the

money in the world can become a curse instead of

a blessing. The poorest man on earth gets tested in

his own circumstances as well. Each of us is com-

pletely different and we each get tested in our own

way. We all get tested in so many ways, with the

smallest or largest things to see how we are going

to react. Allah takes away worldly things from you

so you can rely more on Allah. Allah gives you life

and death; Allah also gives you happiness and sad-

ness. Success comes from two things, your effort

and Allah’s barakeh. When you have failure you

forget about all the other things that you have been

successful in. One little set back crushes your faith

and can get you sad. But Allah is teaching us that if

you have a positive attitude, hardworking, and faith

in Allah than Allah will make our tasks easy in-

shAllah. When you’re going through these hard-

ships just constantly give dua to Allah, repent and

put your trust in Allah. Also think of the prophets,

they each had hardships in their life and they all

put their trust in Allah and surely they succeeded.

Having faith in Allah, you will never be disap-

pointed even when it feels that you have been

abandoned that is the biggest sign to make your

relationship with Allah stronger.

Keeping the Faith By Annesti Elmasri

Last semester, I wrote a reflection about how I finally

felt like I was putting my trust in Allah after so many

years of unnecessary stressing and micromanaging.

However at that time, the most trying thing in my life

was organic chemistry and I really couldn't imagine

life's tests being much more difficult.

The stress of school and trying to remain patient

throughout my freshman year turned out to be the

least of my worries. After what I thought what was

going to be a normal doctor’s appointment for ex-

treme fatigue, I ended up in the hospital. Doctors told

us I could just have a severe case of anemia or it

could be something much worse. Fast forward, and

results would show that it was something much

worse: I had been diagnosed with leukemia.

The split second after being diagnosed, my life felt

like it was crashing in front of my eyes. Doctors and

nurses kept assuring me that everything would be

okay and that my cancer was curable. Even though I

was terrified, a part of me always knew in the back of

my head that it would be okay. I knew that, even in

the worst case scenario, there would be ease and re-

ward, if not in this life, then surely in the next.

Suddenly, I was dropping my courses and my life be-

came visits from friends, hospital beds, and chemo-

therapy. The wonderful people He put in my life con-

stantly reminded me that "Verily with every hardship

comes ease" (94:6), "...Allah is the best of plan-

ners"(8:30), and "Allah does not burden a soul be-

yond that it can bear" (2:286). These verses are con-

stant reminders that my struggles are not for nothing

and He is ALWAYS with me. Bawling my eyes out

after being diagnosed could not stop me from trusting

in His plan. For me, tawakkul was crying for hours

while murmuring Alhamdulillah and knowing it

would be okay.

Cancer is humbling because it is a constant reminder

that you are not in control, no matter how much you

wish you were, and there are greater plans for you. It

reminds you that tomorrow is not guaranteed, for any-

one. I don't know the cause of my leukemia, but I

know that there is a purpose in it and that only my

trust in Allah will get me through it.

Issue 3 UIC MSA

I Realized Something By Anonymous

Person 1: I realized something. I concluded that all that people want is acceptance and a place they feel

they belong. And so they try to accomplish this by building and maintaining meaningful relationships, wheth-

er that be the relationship of a sibling, friend, spouse or child. To accomplish building a meaningful relation-

ship, people attempt to share inner secrets and thoughts that they feel will bring them closer together.

But in the end, it's inevitable that betrayal and misunderstandings ensue and so people perpetually continue to

harm one another in an effort to get closer to each other. It's all quite mad really.

That turned into a rather long monster thought that was about people in general.

Person 2: But what I learned is that people are not nice. I always thought everyone was very nice deep

down inside. But unfortunately, most aren't. And what's worse is that I can't tell about how a person is so this

will cause me a lot of problems in life.

And honestly, most people just want to fulfill their selfish desires. They get others in trouble just so they can

save themselves. For instance, a person clarifying themselves to me and just putting the blame on someone

else.

Person 1: It' s more of a self preservation type thing I believe. Everyone is trying to save their own skin

but it doesn't necessarily mean that their intention is to ruin or hurt others.

Everyone starts with good intentions, at least anyone sane and normal does, where they mess up is when a

situation requires a reaction and things fall into a grey area. So their nafs and shayateen come into play and

things get ruined.Even if what they started off with was something pure, in the end they look like monsters.

So the question remains do you forgive on account of the intention or forsake on account of actions?

Person 3: But then again, we are humans. Simply and quite holistically put; we are humans.

Again and again we put our hopes in beings that weren't created to be trusted. We should strive to hold these

temporary things in our hand and only keep Allah in our hearts. Because people will always disappoint you.

Only Allah is Al-Baqi (The Eternal); the One who will never turn you away.

Person 1: That’s true. Why do we put so much dependence on these things when we know that?

Person 3: We should let our happiness or sadness be defined by

those temporary things because they are imperfect by their nature.

They’ll cause us joy sometimes and sadness something, but we

shouldn’t let them define our happiness and sadness. Instead of mak-

ing those things our focus, we should let our focus be only and only

towards Allah; that tawakkul is the true key to happiness.

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COMING SOON

Azfar Sharif &

Madihah Sharif

News Editors

Fazila Vhora

Editor-in-chief

Maryam Raja

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Copy Editors

Al Bayyan Staff

The topic for our next issue

is RELATIONSHIPS. The

deadline is February 20th,

2015. Please send all

submissions to

albayyanuic@gmail.com.

All contributions are greatly

appreciated. THANK YOU!