Words of Motivation

بسم الله والحمد الله

وصلاة وسلام على رسول الله

- By Ruh

We will find that the Quran and Sunnah is full of motivational words to help us to strive to find closeness to Allah ﷻ, to find His Pleasure and Mercy. It is a guidance for us, from our Creator and He Created us to be weak:

Allah ﷻ Says:

And it is Allah’s Will to lighten your burdens, for humankind was created weak..

- [an-Nisa 4:28]

Allah ﷻ Knows our hardships and He has Provided us guidance to overcome them, motivating, inspiring and opening paths for us through many ways, so as to Lighten that burden, and Allah ﷻ is true to His Promise:

Allah ﷻ Says:

O humanity! Indeed, Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of this world deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah.

- [Faatir 35:5]

Life brings with it many hardships and trials. Sometimes they can hit us so hard that we fall into darkness, but know that this is all from Allah ﷻ so that He can bring out the best in us and to Forgive us:

Allah ﷻ Says:

We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure - who, when faced with a disaster, say, “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.” They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided.

- [al-Baqarah 2:155-157]

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Nothing afflicts a Muslim of hardship, nor illness, nor anxiety, nor sorrow, nor harm, nor distress, nor even the pricking of a thorn, but that Allah will expiate his sins by it.”

- [Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim]

Know that the feeling of disgust we have in ourselves when we sin is a sign of imaan, not a sign that we are doomed, for Allah ﷻ is Most Forgiving, Accepting of repentance:

Allah ﷻ Says:

But Allah has endeared faith to you, making it appealing in your hearts. And He has made disbelief, rebelliousness, and disobedience detestable to you. Those are the ones rightly guided.

- [al-Hujuraat 49:7]

Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

- [az-Zumar 39:53]

Allah ﷻ Loves to Forgive and He did not Create us to be a sinless nation. Rather, we are a nation that is Showered by His Mercy:

Allah ﷻ Says:

“Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.”

- [al-Baqarah 2:222]

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin, and they would seek forgiveness from Allah and He would forgive them.”

- [Sahih Muslim]

“A visitor came to me from my Lord and gave me the choice between half of my nation entering Paradise or the intercession in the Hereafter. I chose the intercession, and it is for whoever dies without associating partners with Allah.”

- [at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

And his ﷺ intercession will be Accepted:

I will go and prostrate beneath the Throne. Then I will be given words of praise such have never been given to anyone before me, then it will be said, ‘O Muhammad! Raise your head; ask, for it will be given to you, and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.’ I will raise my head and say, ‘My ummah, O lord! My ummah, O Lord!’ It will be said, ‘O Muhammad, admit from among your ummah those who will not be brought to account from the right-hand gate of Paradise, and they will share the other gates with the people.’ He said, By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the distance between two of the gate-posts is like the distance between Makkah and Humayr, or between Makkah and Busra.”

- [al-Bukhari]

At times we can also feel abandoned. We try our best to avoid what is Hated by Allah ﷻ and adorn ourselves with good qualities, but we still feel lost. Do not despair for Allah ﷻ is close and He has not abandoned you, as can be seen from Surah ad-Dhuhaa:

"Surah ad-Dhuhaa was revealed after the Prophet (ﷺ) had stopped receiving revelation for a while. This saddened the Prophet (ﷺ) deeply, the polytheists of Makkah started to taunt him that his Lord has forsaken him (ﷺ). Allah (ﷻ) revealed it to comfort and console the Prophet (ﷺ) and consequently making it a source of comfort and consolation for us. Allah (ﷻ) says what is to come is better than what has passed you by. That He guided us while we were lost. It captures the mercy and love of Allah (ﷻ). It is hope-inducing and inspiring. It tells us that we might think our Lord has abandoned us but He do not".

Allah ﷻ says:

By the morning sunlight, and the night when it falls still! Your Lord ˹O Prophet˺ has not abandoned you, nor has He become hateful ˹of you˺. And the next life is certainly far better for you than this one. And ˹surely˺ your Lord will give so much to you that you will be pleased. Did He not find you as an orphan then sheltered you? Did He not find you unguided then guided you? And did He not find you needy then satisfied your needs? So do not oppress the orphan, nor repulse the beggar. And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.

- [ad-Dhuhaa 93:1-11]

Your hard work is very valuable to Allah ﷻ and it will not go to waste:

Allah ﷻ Says:

Surely those who say, “Our Lord is Allah,” and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them, ˹saying,˺ “Do not fear, nor grieve. Rather, rejoice in the good news of Paradise, which you have been promised. We are your supporters in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. There you will have whatever your souls desire, and there you will have whatever you ask for: an accommodation from the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful ˹Lord˺.”

- [Fussilat 41:30-32]

˹And they will be told,˺ “All this is surely a reward for you. Your striving has been appreciated.”

- [al-Insaan 76:22]

Allah ﷻ has Chosen you for this Ummah, this is not by chance, He Chose to Guide you because He loves you. He Knows your hardships and He Promises that there will be relief, and Allah ﷻ does not lie:

Allah ﷻ Says:

...And do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah, for no one loses hope in Allah’s mercy except those with no faith.”

- [Yusuf 12:87]

So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with ˹that˺ hardship comes ˹more˺ ease.

- [ash-Sharh 94:5-6]

And He wants us to call to Him: Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.”

- [al-Ghaafir 40:60]

Never give up on the cause of Allah ﷻ, never stop trying to be better, for Allah ﷻ does not Seek perfection from us, He Seeks effort and sincere intention. Never fall into despair. And remember, the Prophet ﷺ is excited to meet you:

“I wish I could meet my brothers.” The Prophet’s companions said, “Are we not your brothers?” The Prophet said, “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me although they never saw me.”

- [Musnad Aḥmad - Hasan]

Keep firm on your deen, be grateful to Allah ﷻ for Guiding you, and know that you are never forgotten by Allah ﷻ and He loves the believers, so let us strive to be from the best of the nation of Muhammad ﷺ. Focus on developing that love for Allah ﷻ and His Beloved ﷺ, for we will be with whom we love:

A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying, "When will the Hour be?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You will be with those whom you love."

- [al-Bukhari]

- Ruh