Once upon a time, there was this guy

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Assalamu alaykum dear friend!

So. This guy. We’ll call him Yahya.

He was a family friend. 

He was (is?) a few years older than me.

Our parents had known each other from way back.

Fast forward to when I was a teenager, Yahya and I thought we were going to get married one day. #Lolz.

It didn’t work out 😅 alhamdulillah!!

Fast forward another few years, I got married to my best friend and husband (who some of you have come to know through my writing as Mr. A).

That was when Yahya’s mum gave me the most beautiful wedding gift.

The gift from his mum was a beautiful, royal blue rug. Turkish style. High quality. Very tush-looking. Soft and lush type.

You’ll know it’s not anyone’s level when you see it, lol.

The kinda rug you’d want in your home, basically.

I loved it (not because it was from Yahya’s mum, of course, but because it was super cute and super high quality).

The thing about maybe 80% of my wedding gifts is… I never got to use them because I left my home country the day after I got married, on a 7-hour flight to a whole other continent.

I wasn’t about to cargo stuff over to this other continent because 1) hello stress; 2) hello small space; and 3) I had most of what I needed already so our home was furnished and comfortable. Alhamdulillah.

Anyway. That rug.

I wanted it in my home someday. It was heavy and weirdly shaped (when folded) so it was tricky to travel with it hassle-free.

Fast forward to 8 years after our wedding (and after another big move to a whole other continent), my rug came home to me.

When we moved to this new continent, I had a “guest room” in the basement that needed a rug, and I wasn’t ready to buy a new rug… so my beautiful rug from Yahya’s mum ended up there.

That room is the one room I hardly ever use, but alhamdulillah the rug serves a purpose there.

Now… guess who’s planning to move far away (again) and simply can’t take the rug along? Yup.

I’ve had the rug for only two years, and it’s already time to say goodbye.

Hopefully it’s a temporary goodbye, but who knows?

I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m telling you about Yahya, his mum, and the rug 😅

Please hang in there. There’s a 3-part lesson I want to unpack.

Lesson 1: If it’s meant for you, Allah will make it find its way to you.

I didn’t have to have Yahya in my life to get something beautiful from his mum 😌

I didn’t have to be a special character in his mum’s life to get something beautiful from her.

It was meant for me, alhamdulillah — and despite my (dramatic) goodbye to her son; despite my globe trotting adventures… Allah made the rug find it’s way to me through his mum.

Your attachment and connection and hope should be in Allah alone, and not in things and people and places.

Lesson 2: Your rizq is written. Relax.

I didn’t think I’d only use the rug for 2 out of my 10 years of being married so far, but perhaps that’s what Allah wanted for me.

Maybe I’ll reunite with the rug again, maybe I won’t. And that’s ok.

Even though it was my gift and I loved it, and even though it was in my house, I wasn’t the one who used it day to day.

Maybe that’s the extent of what was written for me, maybe not. And that’s ok.

There will be times when the one thing you waited so long for will come so close, right in front of your eyes…

You’ll try to grab it and hold on to it, but it won’t stay in your hands.

And that’s ok, especially if you’ve done your part and done it well.

Which brings me to the next lesson.

Lesson 3: Do your part

I could have done things differently to have my rug with me from day 1, but it was never that deep.

In your case, if the thing you want so badly is that deep, my gentle and loving question to you is… Have you done your part? Have you done enough?

Sometimes we get sad because “but the rizq isn’t coming”… well *hugs* but what have you done to get it?

I didn’t make it a point to get the rug earlier because, again, it wasn’t that deep.

I didn’t make it a point to keep the rug in my bedroom, or take the rug on my globe trotting adventures.

But that’s because the rug, to me, is not worth fighting for like that.

This “do your part” reminder applies to the most important things to you.

If something matters, don’t sit and wait for it to show up one day.

Figure out what’s in your control, get up, and do the thing!

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say, "if only I had done such and such" rather say "Qaddara Allahu wa ma sha'a fa'ala (Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does)." For (saying) 'If' opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan.'"
[Sunan Ibn Majah 79]

Don’t sit and wait.

Don’t sit and wait.

Don’t sit and wait.

Make the phone call. Hit the ‘publish’ button. Ask the question. Say “I’m Sorry” first. Start the business. Sign up for the class. Register the domain name. Start the conversation.

Get up and do the thing!

Your future self will be so proud of you.

If you’re not sure HOW to get up and do the thing — maybe you’re worried, scared, lack clarity, or maybe you’re not confident enough (yet)… you’re not alone dear friend! I’ve been there so many times too.

I don’t know if these feelings ever pass completely, but what I do know is it’s POSSIBLE to give yourself permission to get up and do the thing, despite the inner voices. Gaaah!

If you’re feeling the pull to figure things out for yourself in your deen, relationships, health, and wealth, I think you’ll benefit from my free audio-email course: Design Your Life with Du’a.

In this free audio-email course, I gently guide you towards getting up and doing the thing through Heartfelt Du’a and Ihsan-Level Action.

And oh, you’re so welcome :)

Love + Du’a,
Maryam