DO YOU KNOW ALLAH LOVES YOU?
Allah Loves You So Love Yourself!
Did you know that Allah loves you? I know, I know... I hear you saying of course He does! One of his 99 names is Al-Wadud (the all-loving) and he mentions this in the Qur’an Right?! Surely this is Islam101?But I am not talking about knowing Allah loves us. I am talking about implementing that knowledge in our lives. Because most of the time we act like we don’t know Allah loves us and at times we even question that love, knowingly or unknowingly.
I remember the first time my mother talked to me about Allah. I remember the excitement I felt! Every day after school I ran home and sat on the stairs and talked with Allah. I told Him everything that happened that day. I complained about my friends and sometimes my parents too. And I couldn’t begin to describe the peace I felt in my heart when I talked with Him. Back then, I had so many things to do, like playing with my friends, doing my homework, visiting my grandparents and dealing with my (lazy) brother. But no matter how busy I was, I always found time to talk to Allah.
But alas, I then grew up … and life happened. And inevitably, bad things, really bad things also happened and I started to lose that special connection I had with Allah. The peace I once felt in my heart wasn’t there anymore. Instead, what I felt deep within was a void and an emptiness that was simply not being filled.
Fast forwarding to a few months ago when I met up with an old friend of mine. As close as we are we couldn’t be more different! As for me, growing up, I hadn't the faintest idea what I wanted to become, or even what I wanted to do after school, but her, she knew exactly what she wanted to do to the tee! To become a doctor, and that’s exactly what she did!
But what was very surprising to hear from her, after all those years was that she didn’t feel happy anymore. She felt lost and didn’t know what to do in life. She never imagined herself being anything other than a doctor but now she couldn’t see herself continuing in this field at all.
With tears running down her cheeks she asked me ‘’ why me? What’s wrong with me? Why do I have these problems in my life? What should I do with myself? Why is this is all happening to me?’’Her feelings were so raw and hard to handle! As she asked me to help her process her thoughts I felt overwhelmed.
At that very moment I reflected on my own situation. I remembered all the times I felt the same as her. The times I felt lost, upset and confused. I then compared these times to those moments of my childhood when I felt a deep sense of happiness and contentment and I realised the difference.
As a child I was always sure of one thing, the one thing that kept me happy no matter what. That is that Allah loves me. This the one thing that I unfortunately began to doubt in the face of hardship. And this was the sole reason for the feeling of sadness and confusion that began to overwhelm me. And as I looked to my friend, in her situation, through all of her tears and all of her self doubt one thing was clear- she was doubting Allah’s love for her.
So here is the thing I wish I had always known …. Allah always loves you!
Look, I don’t know your situation. Maybe you’re feeling lost and confused. Or maybe you’re feeling very angry because you’re thinking Allah could have easily helped you with your situation and lifted you out of your troubles but He didn’t.
But no matter what your situation is, I just want you to know one thing: Allah loves you! And here is why:
1. Allah Loves You Because He Created You!
You are not an accident! Allah created you. He chose the exact place you were born in and how you will live your life. He chose the people you will live with. He has bigger plans for you, plans that you could not even imagine! Your life has a meaning and you have the potential to help and affect the life of so many others because Allah loves you!
2. Allah Loves You Because He Always Forgives You!
We are all sinners. Every day. Big or small. We all sin. But when we ask for His forgiveness with an honest heart, he is always ready to forgive us! You don’t forgive someone you don’t like. So it follows that Allah forgives us only because He loves us!
3. Allah Loves You Because You Are Still Alive!
You lost your job or you failed your exams. You worked hard and now you are feeling like you can’t do anything. You feel as though you can never be a successful person! But as long as you are still alive that means that your role in this Dunya is not over yet! Allah still believes in you and He places in front of you new challanges over and over again. Why? Because He loves you. He wishes for you to face these challenges and trials to develop you and raise your ranks in the world and in the hereafter. You just need to believe in yourself just as He believes in you!
4. Allah Loves You Because He Is Always With You!
Maybe you are in a bad state. And your friends and your family members don’t support your decisions and you’re feeling alone. Remember that you are never alone. And that in the bad and good times Allah is always with you because He loves you!
5. Allah Loves You Because He Brings You The Right People In Your Life
Those special people in your life, the ones you may call your best friends or family that help you in those moments of weakness and tribulations did not come about by a stroke of luck! It was purely from the mercy of Allah that he brought these people to you. For Allah knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what you can or cannot do. And He knows who you need in your life in every specific moment. So He sends those people to you only because He loves you!I can go on to show you more proof that Allah loves you. But if you were to look close enough you would see the proofs for yourself! I know when everything seems like it’s going wrong it's hard to see Allah’s love for you. I know this from my own experience. But it is in those moments that you must try to see the reality. Surrender to Allah’s love! For if you were to only try a little to see, I assure you, that you will definitely find, that Allah loves you!
And when you find His love for you, you will start to believe and love yourself too... inshaAllah!