بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Are you in the midst of giving up? We’ve all been there, right?
You just feel like the walls around you are going to crumble down and crush you. Nothing makes any sense, your problems are just too big and there’s no way you can ever get through this.
Yes, life can be downright nasty.
But Allah says in the Quran,
O believers! Patiently endure, persevere, stand on guard, and be mindful of Allah, so you may be successful. [Surah Ali Imran, 3:200]
Our battles on earth will just keep on coming. No matter how strong you are, there will be times when you will be crushed to the ground and sometimes all you want to do is just stay there and never get up.
Even Maryam A.S wished she could vanish from existence when she was about to give birth to Prophet Isa A.S.
… She said, “Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.” (Maryam, 19:23)
So it’s okay to feel disappointed, beaten up, torn and depressed as a result of enduring this merciless and cruel world. But in the midst of any hardship, we must always remember that we still have Allah to turn to for help.
This article serves as a motivation for you to remember why fighting another day for the cause of Allah is always worth it. 🙂
1. Prophet Muhammadﷺ never gave up
Prophet Muhammadﷺ is one of the most beloved slaves of Allah and our biggest source of inspiration. Can you imagine what would happen if he had given up on Islam in the early days of preaching?
If it wasn’t for his grit and perseverance (and the grace of Allah), Islam probably would not have reached every inch of the world as it has 1,400 years ago. He was such a remarkable man MasyaAllah.
In a time where there were no internet, no airplanes but only camels, horses and paper to transport and communicate, he was able to strategically spread Islam to the whole world. Imagine that SubhanAllah.
So when you feel like giving up, remember how our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW braved and persevered his way to success. InsyaAllah it will give you the inspirational boost you need to follow through with your worthy goals.
If he can succeed in those days, how can we not succeed in our modern time right? 😉
2. Success is from Allah
While success is the result of our efforts, Allah is the One who can decree a successful event upon you. So, if you feel like giving up because you’re stressing over the outcome or how your life is supposed to be, you need to let go and let God.
What does that mean?
It means to let go of your own expectations and worries that is haunting you and start accepting Allah’s plans for you.
You know why? Because even if you are the most hardworking and diligent person on the job, if Allah does not ordain success for you or a certain outcome you wish for, it will not happen.
So stop worrying about the outcome and start focusing on what would make your efforts count in the sight of Allah.
Allah says in the Quran,
Surely, Allah does not change what is in a people until they change what is in themselves. [Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:11]
Allah will not alter our situation unless we first change ourselves or – in other words – what is in our control. So what is in our control? Our mindset, attitude, level of patience, these are all things we can start changing because it is in our control.
If we truly want success, make sure we have exhausted all our efforts, keep trying and never give up until Allah gives that sweet success to us insyaAllah.
3. Never give up hope in Allah
Giving up something good and worthy in the cause of Allah can also be seen as giving up in the hope of Allah’s mercy and refuge. Someone who trusts Allah and believes that He is kind and that His help is near will never give up on something they know would please the Al-Mighty.
No matter how low and hopeless you feel, Allah can change your situation in a heartbeat.
Yasmin Mogahed said:
How do you get yourself to keep trying when something looks so impossible? Just remember Hajar and how she ran the same course 7 times looking for the impossible: water in a desert.
Yasmin Mogahed
So continue leaning into Him and keep trying your best even if it’s just making one more sincere dua to Him.
Allah says in the Quran,
When We will something to happen, all that We say is, ‘Be,’ and it is. [Surah An-Nahl, 16:40]
Related read: 11 Big Ways to Strengthen Our Trust in Allah
4. Prove we love Allah
Striving to achieve a worthy goal sincerely for the sake of Allah takes a lot of courage, perseverance and hard work. Not everyone is willing to put in that kind of effort. If you are willing to go through this difficult path and never give up, your actions day in and day out will prove to Allah that you are willing to put in the work in order to earn His pleasure.
Isn’t that beautiful? So have comfort knowing that Allah sees all your efforts no matter how small. He never misses anything.
This world is designed to keep us distracted, pull us into the haram and lead us astray. If you can focus on your goals and keep on living in Allah’s straight path, Allah will definitely love you for it. No doubt insyaAllah. 🙂
You’re doing great girl! Keep on moving forward!
5. Fulfill our obligations as a khalifah
Being a Khalifah does not mean being a leader of a nation like the Khulafa Ar-Rasyidin. Rather, it is to be the leader of your own roles in life. For example, if you are a student, are you taking up your responsibilities well as a student?
If you are a mother, are you fulfilling your obligations to your best abilities as a mother to your children?
We all have our own roles in life, whether you are a wife, sister, mother or daughter does not matter. What matters most is how we continue to strive in giving our best in each of our life roles.
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said,
“Surely! Everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for his charges: The Imam (ruler) of the people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects; a man is the guardian of his family (household) and is responsible for his subjects; a woman is the guardian of her husband’s home and of his children and is responsible for them; and the slave of a man is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it. Surely, everyone of you is a guardian and responsible for his charges.” [Sahih Bukhari]
If you give up on doing your best, you will not be fulfilling your obligations as a Khalifah. On the contrary, following through with our commitments day in and day out will grant us both success in dunya and akhirah insyaAllah.
6. Inspire others
We love to be inspired. When we look to others’ success, those who have accomplished the goals we are pursuing ourselves, it can give a great motivational boost to us.
Why not give the same to others? Show others that if you can do it, so can they.
Becoming an inspiration to others could just be the motivation you need to keep pushing. We are all created with our own set of gifts and talents, why not use it to the best of our abilities? Plus, the feeling of inspiring others and helping others achieve their dreams and success is truly what makes life so rich to begin with.
You have to want to experience that insyaAllah! 😉
7. Be worthy of Jannah
Ah, Jannah: the one place we are all striving to get to as Muslims.
Allah says in the Quran,
Do you think you will be admitted into Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so violently shaken that even the Messenger and the believers with him cried out, “When will Allah’s help come?” Indeed, Allah’s help is always near. [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:214]
If you want to be the people of Jannah, you need to earn it. Our Prophets from the time of Adam AS and the Sahabi who were promised Jannah had to go through immense trials and hardship to prove their love for Allah and worthiness of getting into Jannah.
What did we ever do to be worthy of Jannah compared to them? Probably not much, especially if we haven’t been tested with much of life’s traumatic hardships.
So when we talk about not giving up in life, it also means not to be complacent and take things for granted. Start helping others more, improve your relationship with Allah and loved ones.
That could be your ticket to Jannah insyaAllah. 🙂
Related read: 10 Beautiful Ways To Be The People Of Jannah
8. Repay our dues to loved ones
The moment we open our eyes to this world, we are already indebted to our parents. They raised us, took care of us and loved us with all their hearts. The best we can do is to repay our dues by achieving success in our own lives.
Would it make them proud to see you succeed in your career, marriage, family and all your other life areas? Absolutely. So, do your best to repay your dues to your loved ones. They have sacrificed so much for us. So much so that it is actually impossible to repay their kindness to us.
The least we could do is to remember their sacrifices and not give up when life gets hard. Continue to do your best with the intention of repaying your dues insyaAllah.
We can make this dua for our parents:
‘My Lord, have mercy on my parents, just as they cared for me when I was little.’ [Surah Al-Isra, 17:24]
Related read: 100 Simple Ways to Love and Respect Your Parents
9. Live a meaningful life
A life without meaning is a life lived in fear without taking risks and courageous actions towards worthy endeavors. Think about it, every inspiring leader and successful people in all walks of life had taken immense actions to see their dreams and aspirations come true.
No one has it easy. If you give up when the going gets tough, you’ll never see your success come true. That’s just the way life works. And remember Allah Himself said that He will not change your condition unless you first change what is in your control.
So don’t be afraid to go the extra mile, the pay-off will be worth it insyaAllah.
Related read: 11 Ways to Be Strong When Facing Life Challenges
10. Prove Islam is the ultimate way of life
Here is a sad but honest truth – Muslims today are becoming more distant from the religion and blinded by the distractions of this dunya. While technology has advanced us in many ways, most of us are not using it to spread the goodness of Islam, but instead to entertain ourselves or numb us from the problems we’re facing.
If only we restore the glory of Islam’s way of life, no distractions in this dunya will ever be able to take away our faith. InsyaAllah. So if we truly want to show the world how Islam is the true way of life, we must not give up and continue to better ourselves as Muslims.
Practice the sunnah and teachings of the Quran wholeheartedly, not only will you see your life change, everyone around you will be able to see the beauty of Islam as well insyaAllah.
Related read: 8 Social Media Habits we can all Benefit from
Conclusion
When you feel like giving up on the road to success, know that Allah’s help is always near and that you can call Him anytime you need Him. Don’t let your fears and insecurities get in the way of reaching your highest potential.
Allah loves His slaves who continue to strive for His pleasure every day. If you want to be amongst those who are most beloved to Allah, know that persevering through hardship when reaching your worthy goals is simply the requirement.
Stay strong, love.
Until next time. Salam.
Any good from this article is from Allah and any evil is from the shaytaan and me. May Allah forgive our shortcomings in practicing His deen.
Wa billahi tawfeeq wa hidayah
(All successes come from Allah and His guidance).
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