BismiLlah.
AlhamduliLlah.
BismiLlahi-r-Rahmaan-ir-Raheem.
As-salaam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh.
At this point, I'll probably write to you every single time a Q&AE session happens because, subhanaLlah.
May Allah reward AE girls for coming up with this and make this friendship a source of Jannah for us all and unite us all in Jannah. Aameen.
The session is currently on as I write (it’ll be over by the time you see this, sad) and this week, we’re discussing a verse from Surah Ar-Rahman.
فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَان
So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
Surah Ar-Rahman
This verse occurs 31 times in Surah Ar-Rahman. So it's hard to pick one for reference.
In discussing this verse, the girls mentioned this other verse in Surah Ad-Dhuhaa.
وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ
But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].
Ad-Dhuhaa 93:11
So this letter is me trying to remember all the little and big ways Allah has shown up for me this past week.
Like some of you already know (if you didn't ghost my last letter🌚) I'm in the middle of exams.
And somehow, I'm here writing you this letter. Telmabout easeeeeeee. AlhamduliLlah.
But really, this past week has been a rollercoaster.
An exam got cancelled, I discovered new topics just before exams, health has not be healthing, cash is now gold in this school=everyone is stranded=there's no money for food and transport.
But somehow, Allah has made it all so easy. SubhanaLlah.
So here's my gratitude list for this week.
I'm grateful for all the good food I've eaten since I started exams. Because, subhanaLlah, I've not only not died of hunger, I've been eating well. AlhamduliLlah.
I'm grateful for the sleep I've been getting. Not enough but just enough so I don't crash. AlhamduliLlah for that.
And the water that has been surplus in this hostel. And the electricity. Exam time in Danfodiyo and there's water and electricity like this? AlhamduliLlah×⁵⁰⁰!
AlhamduliLlah for good health. My health has not been perfect but it's been wayyy better than I expected. AlhamduliLlah.
And more than anything else, the fact that I've not blanked out in any exam. SubhanaLlah. This one! AlhamduliLlah!
AlhamduliLlah for the cash I miraculously got this week. Off to do another sujud for this because, have you seen everyone in this school this week? Everyone looking for cash and somehow, I'm sitting in my room and cash just comes to me? AlhamduliLlah.
More than anything else, alhamduliLlah for ease.
What's the point of this letter?
Slow down. Take a pause. Before last night, I was tireddddd. I just wanted to sleep. I wanted a break. Every shege I had seen this week sat heavy on my head like a cloud and I was just done.
Then I remembered the cash situation and it made me realize how much ease Allah had been granting me which I had been blind to, because I had been so focused on the shege.
Now, I'm just grateful. And because of that, I'm seeing so many other things I might have been blind to if I wasn't in this state of mind.
So here's a reminder that, even when everything feels overwhelming and it feels like your stress cup is filled up and spilling over already, you're still coping. You're holding on, no matter how tentatively. And that's only because Allah is turning down the heat in some ways you're not seeing. Because He knows your limits and He would not burden you more than you can bear.
So slow down and look at the ease, look at the ways he's turning down the heat and the ways He's been cushioning your falls.
Be grateful. Show your gratefulness. Report the favors of your Lord. And watch Him grant you more.
So this week, what are you grateful for?
Until next time,
As-salaam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh.
Ps. What are you grateful for this week?🌚🌝
You can catch up with subsequent Q&AE sessions and other AE programs here btw…
https://mainstack.me/theaepage