The quotes that are provided on a daily basis (see Today’s Quote in the sidebar on the right) are quite the food for thought sometimes. Today’s was by Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin). She says, “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” Now that’s an amazing quote; it’s only problem being that it is way too wordy.
he Quran says, “(Things get harder)until the point when the messengers struggle with despair and begin to believe that they have been rejected, then our victory comes to them and those are saved that We wish to be saved” (Yusuf 110). The Arabic is packed and concise. The “punch” that it packs is difficult (for me) to put into words:
حتى إذا استيئس الرسل وظنوا أنهم قد كذبوا جاءهم نصرنا فنجي من نشاء
In a similar vein, the prophet peace be upon him says in the hadeeth of ibn Abbas in one narration by Imam Tirmidhi, “Know that victory comes with patience and perseverence, that release comes with overwhelming difficulty and overbearing feelings of siege, and that after difficulty comes ease.”
Finally, an Arab poet simply stated:
ضاقت فلما استحكمت حلقاتها فرجت وكنت أظنها لا تفرج
It kept getting tighter until when all its encirclements became firm and interlocked then it opened up and the circle was borken, and I had thought that it would never be broken.
Awesome post :)
Here is the Arabic script for the line of poetry:
ضاقت فلما استحكمت حلقاتها فرجت وكنت أظنها لا تفرج
Syed Qutb also says: The darkest of the night are the moments before dawn
Jazak Allahu Khayran for the post. It is beautiful :)
ِJazaakumullahu khayran. As soon as I got home I sat at my laptop and did the Arabic for both the verse from Sura Hud and the line of poetry. This was before I saw the comments from Hafsa and Ayman. Jazaakumullahu khayran both of you.
This blog could not have come at a better time.
Keeping the hope alive :)
Jazak Allahu Khairun.
This is a rule in the universe that we all theoretically believe in, and I think all of us have gone through certain experiences where they really felt there is absolutely nowhere to go, and things can’t get worse, but of all of sudden, things change!
I have seen this constantly in my recent trip to hajj, and that is one amazing thing about this ritual; that it truly builds a strong sense of tawakkul (true dependence on Allah SWT).
Good post Dr. H, and one thing to note, the verse is from surat Yusuf, not surat Hud:).
Basil
Jazaakallahu khayran once again for the correction :). You make a good editor.
Isn’t it amazing that everytime we go into hardship we can’t just mechanicly think that it will get better, although it will? There are studies that show that at times of great hardship and stress our thinking becomes very impaired… what is amazing when we add faith in Allah and great dependency on him, this great stress humans are able to elevate beyond their “default” abilities and get a great source of strength and relaxation they can never imagine about before?