On the Faith of Elders
“One day, I met an elderly man from our neighborhood who noticed a bit of sadness in my expression and asked me about it. I told him that I was 25 years old but had no gainful employment, had grown bored of waiting, and moreover being idle was killing me. He smiled to me a nd said in colloquial Moroccan “My son, you are simply waiting in line. Wait your turn to receive what is yours and don’t be hasty.”
In the language of religious belief this means: “Our provisions (rizq) are guaranteed, but we try to hurry things up, failing to wait for Allah’s wisdom in how it is apportioned or for His plan in how it is distributed. This is because haste is in our nature, it is our share of this matter, for “…Man was indeed hasty” {al-Isrāʾ: 11} Therefore, one should not be worried about one’s provision, or anxious if it is delayed.
By and by, my turn did come and I took what was mine. I received my portion of what Allah had destined for me. It was in fact more than what I wanted or dreamt of: the provision of knowledge, of employment, of children, even the provision of being loved by Allah’s creation – may Allah preserve it. And Allah gave us provision to be thankful, with our tongue and in our states. Ameen.”
-Shaykh Adnan Zuhar (الشيخ عدنان زهار)
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