When Life Gives You Lemons

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” (Quran 2: 155)

Some of the most common situations amongst human beings are the trials and tests that they must go through in life but what makes one person different from another is how they react and respond to their specific problems.

It is inevitable that one who is encountering a difficult or tragic situation must struggle hard to curb the persistent negativity sprouting up from within and around him but what exactly is negativity? Negativity mostly starts with a stream of unpleasant thoughts and feelings that are left unresolved, which can lead to hostile behaviour, misplaced anger, frustration and anxiety, followed by erratic outbursts at anyone vulnerable such as, children, co-workers or friends which in turn results in feelings of regret, guilt or depression.

The Recurring Dilemma

Back in my days of ignorance (my time before being close to Allah’s deen) I, like many other Muslims, experiencing the unidentified predicament of self-congratulation at the little ibadah done during the blessed month of Ramadan.

In the past, my entire year apart from Ramadan would be dedicated to seeking dunia, so I would feel satisfied with whatever little ibadah I could perform during Ramadan. It didn’t bother me much that my rituals were shallow and devoid of any sort of spirituality, so long as I tried to do what others were doing, because to me Ramadan was a tradition of rituals like any other tradition that one blindly follows.

Self Empowerment

Don’t determine your worth by someone else’s inability to see it. Believe in the power that you hold from within you and let it pull you back up whenever you are about to fall.

Self Worth

Don’t evaluate your worth by your failures or by the number of times you’ve been rejected. Instead value yourself for the number of times you’ve risen up against odds.