for you but Allah knows it is the best thing for you. I give you an example;
people who have health problems, financial problems, family problems, any
other issues that you have; you have an issue, you're trying
to get married....you don't know if that marriage is actually
going to work? I know of people who have fought to marry someone, they married them,
they have a child or two and there is a divorce and then they say I should never
have fought for this. but you didn't know. perhaps Allah created an obstacle in
order to keep you away from it. this is why there is
something known as Istikhara, Istikhara meaning seeking the
guidance of Allah subhanahu wata'ala in a certain matter. what do we say at the
end of that supplication? we say oh Allah if you know that this is not good for me;
it's not good for my deen, it's not good for my faith, for my present, for my
future, then keep it away from me, create a barrier between that and myself.
so suddenly many barriers are being created but you still say my Istikhara
was positive. it was positive. you don't know we have a missed notion. people
think when you read the dua of Istikhara you will see a dream. that's not
true. you may but 90% of the time you won't it.
will either be facilitated, made easy or made difficult. read the meaning of that
dua and you will know how you will get a response. oh Allah, if this is good for
me, it is good for my deen, my dunya, my life, my future, my akirah, my hereafter,
then make it easy for me and give me blessing in it. so suddenly the doors
start opening. the next day you get a phone call, the following day someone
tells you a good word, then someone else tells you my brother I heard something
nice. it's all positive signs and things are facilitated. so the point I am
raising is we will all go through difficulties, problems, issues ...why are
they better for us at times?
the prophet sallallaahu salem says the affairs of a true believer are amazing
because when goodness comes in his or her direction, he or she is thankful. it's
better for him and when difficulty and hardship comes in his or her direction
he or she bears patience. that is better. how many of us in all honesty we don't
really pray properly? we don't really obey the instructions of Allah in a
proper way. we're weak and we say I'm weak. I'm a human. you know, I remember one
man was telling me that every time I remind a friend of mine about the wrong
that he's doing, he keeps on saying make dua for me, make dua for
me brother stop your alcohol, make dua for me. brother stop
the drugs, make dua for me. brother, stop the pornography,
make dua for me. Wow, together with dua you need to do something as well.
yes dua is powerful, continue making dua especially like for our children, for
those whom we don't have sometimes absolute control over,
one of the most powerful elements and aspects is dua.
you want something make dua. but I want to tell you when Allah exposes you to
something that you need to make a dua for, He's showing you who is the
boss. he's showing you who is in charge and he brings you to him like I was
saying many of us, we're not ideal. but don't you agree that after we've had a
big problem in our lives we become better in terms of
our relationship with Allah. you have a problem, you have a
difficulty, you have a sickness and suddenly you go to the Masjid for the
first time in so many weeks and then you become regular and then you raise
your hands and you say, oh Allah I'm crying to You, help me, I seek forgiveness for
the evil I've done, wow! Subhanallah, what happened? had it not been for that
difficulty in your life you perhaps would not have called out to your maker..
so don't you see how it was a gift for you? Allah says, oh I love you look at
this worshiper of mine. the hadith says Allah becomes
so happy with the repentance of any one of his
worshippers. so you made Allah happy but Allah
brought you in, Allah roped you in through difficulty.