(Article) Who do you call on in time of great distress?

Muslimah Calling in Distress

Muslim women seeking Allah’s help in distress

And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” 

When we are in trouble or depressed or when we hit rock bottom our impulsive reaction as a human being is to panic, and to get worried and to despair and immediately slip into a state of helplessness and hopelessness. We lose our ability to think straight, to rationalize and to add to it we start visualizing all possible negative consequences of the situation. The fear and anxiety is so overwhelming that we almost see the worst playing out in front of us like a scene straight out of the movies. Our natural instincts start kicking in and we quickly transition into damage control or firefighting mode and suddenly start thinking about how we could escape from the current crisis and get our life back in order. All our senses get alerted and a myriad of emotions start playing out leaving us with very less clarity. For a moment we become extremely myopic and self-centered and start focusing on only how we could save ourselves or get ourselves out of this really uncomfortable disposition. We slowly get into a state of desperation and look for help from immediate family and friends. We frantically reach out to whoever or whatever could help us or we presume would help us. But in this moment of weakness, chaos and sometimes loneliness until the first responders arrive we forget to reach out to THE ONE, whom we should have cried out to in the first place, The Helper (An-Naseer), The Merciful (Ar-Raheem) and the only true Protector (Al-Haafidh).  We all do it of course when it’s a life threatening situation, in which case even an atheist is left with no choice but to call upon the Lord!

As a believer and as a loyal follower of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) our true and obvious response to any calamity or setback should be “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajooon -To Allah (SWT) we belong and to Him is our return”. This profound statement assures and reminds each of us, that everything that we ever owned was never really ours to begin with and that all of it, including us and our complete lives, always belonged to Allah (SWT).

Recollect the times when we got in trouble as a child, or got hurt or felt discouraged or restless, and would call out to our mothers and look for prompt attention and care from them. When we grew up, even as adults we longed for someone to just hold us lovingly and to comfort us. We not only craved for love and support from someone close but also wanted that someone to acknowledge how we feel. So the next time we are hit by an affliction or suffer a loss, we have to prepare ourselves to believe that we are not in control of our situations let alone life and that Allah the Almighty, alone controls our destiny.  Whether our first distress call would go out to Allah (SWT) or to a close relative or friend solely depends on our faith and connection with Allah (SWT).

Every time the reality of life paralyzes us we need to constantly remind ourselves that we believe and trust in Allah (SWT) alone as He is the best Disposer of affairs and to Him alone we submit ourselves and call to. And of course our first response in every crisis should be to bow down in Sujood and beseech Allah (SWT) for only He knows what we are going through.

So fall down into prostration and pour down your hearts in front of Him, drown out those fears and insecurities with tears and seek only his help cause even if the whole world were to come to your rescue, it woulf not be possible without His will.

Lastly, we all need to cultivate coping mechanisms to help us navigate through the emotional upheavals in our lives and what better way to cope than to put our forehead to the ground and to feel humbled, only to be elevated by the Lord of the Worlds, as is mentioned in the Quran, [Surat Al-Haj, verse 77], “O you who believe, bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed.”

29 thoughts on “(Article) Who do you call on in time of great distress?”

  1. Raj says:
    Reply

    My take home message from this ariticle is
    “we have to prepare ourselves to believe that we are not in control of our situations let alone life and that Allah the Almighty, alone controls our destiny”
    Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. The Oryx Land Blogger-Sahar says:
    Reply

    Always the Rabb (SWT). Most of the time I do not share my distress and emotions to anyone around me. I feel better after asking Allah for peace of mind. I feel better that only Allah knows my stress and he has instilled in me the power to hide away my emotions in such a manner that people around me think that I am always happy. Alhamdulillah for being born as a Muslim which is a privilege denied to many!

    Liked by 1 person

    • EvolvingMuslimah says:
      Reply

      Indeed sister we affirm that at least seventeen times a day in our prayers- إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ. Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. And Alhamdulillah for being born as a Muslim.

      Like

  5. Zehera. Owais says:
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    To him we belong, to him shall we return. Allah(SWT) is our savior. His ways are the best ways, though we are impatient he does everything on the right time.
    Lovely reminder..

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Nazima says:
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    Jazakallah khair for the lovely reminder. It is one of those things that is so obvious and that we should know but as humans, we forget time and time again. May we all be of those that call on to our creator and depend on only Him in times of need and in times of happiness.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. marinafarook says:
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    ah, the coping methods. easier said then done. but i truly believe in one thing, practice makes better. when i was younger it was difficult to understand, but now that i am older i understand the peace in coping and being patient.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Muslim Mummy says:
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    ‘…. what better way to cope than to put our forehead to the ground and to feel humbled…’

    Very true…there is no better way! JazakAllah Khair for the reminder

    Liked by 1 person

  13. BritDeshiMummy says:
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    Beautiful reminder, it can be hard to think straight in times of trouble but we must remember to have faith. Allah is with us every step of the way 💖

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Sarah says:
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    Allah azzawajal responds in ways we can’t imagine, or anticipate. Allah is the greatest healer of broken, shattered hearts and souls. Mashaallah a beautiful reminder to how we should always stay firm and stronger and not let any situation take over.. Look up to Allah and success will follow. Thank you for the lovely reminder.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Amina says:
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    Very insightful reminders, Masha Allah!

    His names and attributes are so beautiful and excellent; and always a humbling means of connecting with our Lord.

    Indeed from Him we come and to Him is our final return – such a beautiful mindset to nurture.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Chelsea MuslimahHealthy says:
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    Yes I’ve been really trying to work on this. I’m great at thinking about all of the possible negative outcomes in any bad situation haha so I’ve really been working on putting my complete trust in Allah (swt) and knowing that my outcome is with Him and He will give me what is best. It’s much easier said that done but totally worth the effort!

    Liked by 1 person

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