It’s In Your Loneliest Moments That You’ll Realise You Only Really Have Allah
Have you ever felt so lost, alone and confused, to the point that you feel it’s better off disappearing in solitude? Or maybe you feel you have been let down, disappointed and disheartened and need an escape from people? Perhaps you have been in a predicament where you felt you’ve exhausted all avenues, but are still in the same boat, on square one? You may have wanted people around, but ended up alone. Alternatively, you may have wanted to be alone and discovered you need people around. Life is full of varied scenarios. Often we may find that it’s necessary to walk alone. It is during these moments of isolation that true discoveries are made.
Spend A Night Alone.
Ever had twenty-four hours by yourself? Recall the nights you’ve spent alone. (If you haven’t spent the night alone before and you can, try it. It will teach you a lot.) Spending the night alone will teach you immense things about yourself and your relationships, past and current. Moreover, it will instigate a soul-searching process within you, which will prepare you for future relationships.
Here’s a story.
I once found myself in town, stuck alone at home. No family near by. No friends. Just me, to spend the night alone.
Bedtime came, I had to adapt. Safety was of paramount importance, there was a history of crime in the neighbourhood. I turned off the stove, I locked up, checked the windows and doors, set a security alarm and crawled into bed. I remembered my Creator, The One, Allah. There was no distractions, no human calling for a need, nor anyone to talk to. I soon realised that, in my absence, the needs of others will get met, so long as Allah is providing for them. In the absence of others, Allah will certainly take care of me, for He is The Self-Sufficient. In other words, we only truly have Allah…it’s in our loneliest moments when we’ll realise that only Allah can fulfil our needs, alleviate our sufferings and provide without measure.
Furthermore, I am not the most powerful, I have to take my precautions and due diligience and set my security measures, yet it won’t guarantee my safety. Anyone could break in. Only Allah is my True Protector. As I go to sleep, I know not whether I will awake again, for my life and death are in Allah’s control.
Realisation: I’m just a poor, weak servant. I ask Allah, The King of the dominion, The Master, The One, to have mercy on me.
Only For The One
Through the night and into the day, I continued with my daily routines without any human stimulus. I felt alone. I was alone. The motivation to do certain social activities had waned further. Regarding food, for instance, when there’s no responsibility to feed people or eat together with others, hunger takes a dip. Eating just becomes an activity for survival as opposed to enjoyment. Serving myself felt selfish. However, it was less stressful. Indeed, eating for one means less effort to prepare and less clean up, albeit it’s not that fun for a prolonged period of time. Moreover, eating in front of the computer isn’t the healthiest. A computer can only be a companion for so long. Its battery dies and your eyes need a break.
As the day progressed, I felt the emptiness thoroughly. Even if it was enjoyable, I still missed the presence of others. The room I was staying in felt minute compared to the vast emptiness of the other unoccupied rooms. In contrast, when all rooms were occupied, the house seemed alive, cosy and smaller in the sense that an emptiness was filled. Strangely, every little thing seemed more obvious and amplified. Even the silence felt noisy. I’d be talking to myself, or saying my thoughts aloud. The lack of sound was peaceful yet disturbing at the same time. I had no one to fall back on when sick and I had to make sure I took care of myself. I acknowledged that the ability to take care of myself and others, is ultimately a blessing from Allah. In retrospect, it made me appreciative of all I have and don’t have in life, Alhamdulillah in every circumstance. I craved solitude and I got it. I liked it. A lot. Strangely, however, I began to miss company. It was a good experience. Would I like to do that every single day? I’m not so sure. Could I do it? Possibly. Have to and like to are two different things.
What’s your loneliest moment?
On the surface, life in isolation means the autonomy to do as you please. Eat alone. Sleep alone. Wake alone. Pray alone. Work alone. Play alone. Cook alone. Clean alone. Everything alone. However, we must acknowledge, some things are not meant to be done alone. Humans are social creatures, after all. On occassion, you can’t always choose. Sometimes, you have to adapt and accept the situation, other times you have the luxury of alternatives. If you could choose, would you choose to live a life with nobody around, or would you choose to be around others? Indeed, many(particularly introverts) value “alone time”, yet we must be truthful- we’re human and we need each other. It’s impossible to function without any human interaction at all. Further, that which we perform on our technolgocial devices, requires interaction with humans in some way. Importantly, without humans, there is no technology, but the reverse is not true. For sure, no computer, nor mobile, nor tablet, nor laptop, nor any electronic device or WiFi can replace that human connection, not even in a billion years.
Complete Solitude Is Impossible.
As humans, it’s known we cannot survive completely alone. We have all fallen sick, or been in need and required support. We are not invincible. After all, we are mere mortals. We are born and we will die. We start off helpless, we grow strong and then we become weak. In addition, we need the help and support of others. We need to offer others help and support. Humans rely on one another, but only for so much. After all, humans cannot do more than they are capable of. They can’t continuosly provide without measure, without fail and without expectation.
Indeed, we may have been recipients of rejection and disappointment. We may have rejected and disappointed others. The point is, we cannot fulfil each others every need. Thus, don’t expect it. Don’t expect too much from mere mortal beings. Don’t expect too much from the creation. Rather, beg from the Creator, The Provider, The One- Allah.
The minute you realise your true poverty infront of Allah, you will humble yourself in gratitude for all that He has bestowed upon you. You will stop putting your trust in the creation and start trusting the True King, Allah. You will make more effort and take initiative instead of being helpless and begging of the creation. You will gain honour and power and strength when you turn to Allah, He is The One Who owns and distributes true honour, power and strength.
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. [Qur'an 35:15]
Moreover, Allah tests us in different ways. This is not to discount the responsibilities we have towards each other as humans. We should endeavour to fulfil the rights of each other, to avoid oppression, to possess the best character, with the correct intention. Consequently, we will discover our capabilities, boundaries and limitations. Sometimes you can make people happy. Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes people will make you happy and sometimes, they won’t.
Appreciation- Now You Know.
Perhaps the dissappointment and rejection from creation would be a cause for us to surrender and submit ourselves to Allah, The One. Furthermore, it may propel us to return our hopes and dreams to The One, to admit our destitution and desperation to The One, to acknowldge His Lordship and His magnificent attributes and beautiful names. Subsequently, with conviction, we will declare His sole right for worship alone. It’s all in harmony with our true purpose of existence, to submit ourselves only to The One, Allah.
To conclude, the next time someone says no or rejects you or dissappoints you, the next time you find yourself lost and stuck in the loneliest moment you’ve ever experienced, remember- you only really have and need The One, Allah. Allah is Al-Ghani, The Most Rich. He is capable of fulfilling your every need, removing your difficulties and being the One you can fully rely on.
Whoever has Allah, is wealthy indeed.
It’s in your loneliest moments that you’ll realise, you only really have and need The One.
Only For The One