Dealing with tough times

Allah (SWT) has made man the master of every other thing in the universe. His mastery and control of the universe however depend on his ability to do what is right. If he fails to do what is right, the situation might become unpleasant such that he will never find his feet. Our contemporary Nigeria is a case study. We are blessed with every thing that leads to greatness. We are supposedly the richest in Africa, and one of the well endowed nations with great potentials in the world, but ironically we remain a toddler even in adult, we remain poor in the midst of abundance.  This is because the influential factor needed to build a great nation is missing. Leadership! I mean leadership at all strata of our lives. We fail to do the right thing, and we grapple with the consequence. Some people somewhere are heads of a mini and quasi organisations and by their own small enclaves they will not do the right thing. Their decisions are premised on self centredness, greed and insatiable desire to accumulate wealth. What we see is the effect of nepotism, corruption, avarice, kidnapping, killings and other crimes. If it is possible to have an angel run this country, the angel will in the next few hours of his leadership plead to Allah to be returned to his original abode. Human being is difficult unbearable to him. Everyday, the story slides from bad to worse. The worse also escalates. Faith becomes threatened. Beliefs are now vulnerable, waivering and wobbling as a result of the excruciating condition of making ends meet. We fear how worse it can possibly get if nothing is done to check the trend. I pray the eeman of my brethren becomes strong enough to withhold these afflictions. The Federal government also appears to be helpless as it also raised the alarm that real hunger is in Nigeria shortly after the FEC meeting on Wednesday. The Minister of Agriculture who addressed journalists after the meeting expressed optimism that in the next one and half years, Nigeria would be self sufficient in grains like rice, maize and beans. That promise, even as empty as it sounds since we have not seen any move to really make food available and abundant in the next one year; that is if the hungry common man survives the situation till the next one and half years.  Where do the common man run to? What are the measures put in place to stem the tide? None. Where are the palliatives? Our recourse is only unto to God.

It is natural to be weigh down by the harsh and difficult times. Believers have to be wary because shaytan can inject fear and plant doubts in our minds to do bad things or join the bandwagon. Some people would say, if you cannot beat them, then you join them. That is syndrome is unacceptable in Islam. In fact, you do your best to correct the situation in whatever little way you can and rather than being mired in a blame game. We  have to move forward and we just have to think forward too.
Islam teaches us to stay in control by hanging on to the Mercy and Grace of Allah. We pray that Allah keeps us safe from the challenges and trials of life, but as Muslims we should know and understand Quran message and the prophet’s guidance for handling tough moments in life. 
Sahih Bukhari, 6657 says: “...Be patient, for verily there will not come upon you a time except the one after is worse...” 
A strong faith can help us to hold our heads high. When faith seems to be dwindling, we should get back to Quran and remind ourselves that only Allah can let us out of our ordeal. You must, therefore, keep that faith and not let Shaytan instill thoughts that could weaken your faith. Even when all doors appear to have been closed, as true believers we should never let feelings of helplessness conquer us.  It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allah has decreed and what He wills He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the shaytaan.” Narrated by Muslim (2664).
As Muslims, we should accept Allah’s Decree both as it manifests itself around us and in our lives. It should be a relief to us that only Allah is the master of our destiny and we are only going to be tested about whether we reacted to what befalls as true believers. We just have to be patient in adversity and grateful in prosperity.
As part of that belief, we should, therefore, recognize that Allah does what He wills for reasons that are only known to Him. Any attempt to comprehend the wisdom of it all using our limited faculties, or to understand how our current situation fits in His overall plan can only lead us to erroneous conclusions resulting in increased frustrations .
One of the best remedies for tough times is to be patient. A state of patience requires that we not resort to complaining, and remember Allah often. We take this lesson from the story of Prophet Yusuf (A.S.) who went through various ordeals in life only to be rewarded with a large kingdom in his later years. Allah tells us in the Quran: They said: “Are you indeed Yusuf (Joseph)?” He said: “I am Yusuf (Joseph), and this is my brother (Benjamin). Allah has indeed been gracious to us. Verily, he who fears Allah with obedience to Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds), and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the Muhsinoon (good-doers – see V.2:112) to be lost.” (Quran, Surah Yusuf: 90).
Note that when you remember Allah in good times, Allah will help you in tough times.