I went to the hospital yesterday — nothing serious, just routine checks.
I bumped into two ladies I hadn’t seen in maybe 20 years.
We went to boarding school together, the three of us.
First, I saw F. We were roommates at one point all those years ago, but we completely lost touch. Because, life.
I hugged her and hugged her again.
We said our hi’s and hello’s, and before it got too awkward, we said bye.
About 15 minutes later, I saw H. I wasn’t close to her at all while we were in school. She was a ‘senior’, so, yeah.
I remember her being among the sweet ones. I didn’t like most of the other ‘seniors’. I got in trouble with them a lot. I was yelled at and punished by them a lot. Haha. Story for another day.
We said our hi’s and hello’s, and before it got too awkward, we said bye.
It was nice to see F, and then H, but I was busy with hospital things and had to go. They were busy too and went on to do what they had to do.
I left the hospital soon after, and that was it.
When I got home, I felt happy and recharged somehow.
There was a joy that seeing F and H brought to my heart. I couldn’t stop thinking about them, couldn’t stop thinking about Jannah, and what it would be like to reunite with loved ones.
I asked myself again and again: how can I not work hard for Jannah? How can I not work hard and ask Allah to be pleased with me? How can I not ask Him to have mercy on me?
I am a very people’s person. I love people deeply. I hold memories close to my heart. I talk to Allah about people I love, and about people I am no longer in touch with.
Now, imagine reuniting with people you love the most, in Jannah. Imagine reuniting with the people who have left footprints on your heart. Imagine reuniting with people who passed away, who you were forced to do life without.
There’s so much I have to tell my friend who passed away when I was 19. And the other friend who passed when I was 27. And all four of my grandparents. And my uncle, Baa. And Sh. Muhammad al Shareef. And, and, and… may Allah have mercy on all of them.
May Allah forgive them and grant them Jannah.
Imagine reuniting with your parents, children, spouse, siblings… with no ounce of ill-feeling in your heart towards them.
Allah says,
“We will remove whatever bitterness they had in their hearts. Rivers will flow under their feet. And they will say, ‘Praise be to Allah for guiding us to this. We would have never been guided if Allah had not guided us. The messengers of our Lord had certainly come with the truth.’ It will be announced to them, ‘This is Paradise awarded to you for what you used to do.’” [Qur’an 7:43]
Imagine meeting and sitting with and being in the company of the Prophet ﷺ! What would you say to him? (You won’t be too shy to talk, don’t worry, because, Jannah!)
Imagine meeting all the prophets who came before him ﷺ, his companions, the men and women that were around him… may Allah be pleased with all of them.
Imagine being gifted and blessed and honoured to see your Creator and my Creator… what more could a human being ever want? What else would anyone ever seek???
We’re hustling so hard to make ends meet in dunya — we want to be sorted, we want to feel settled, happy, comfortable.
We want to succeed.
But what does Allah tell us about success?
Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment. [Qur’an 3:185]
Ya Allah, Ya Rahmaan, Ya Ghafoor, Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum… forgive us, have mercy on us, and make us among those You admit into Your mercy.
Meeting F and H at the hospital was a 1-minute thing with each of them.
But when we reunite with our loved ones in Jannah, our hugs won’t have to be cut short. Things won’t get awkward if it’s too long.
How can you and I not work hard for Jannah? How can you and I not work hard and ask Allah to help us, to have mercy on us, to be pleased with us?
This dunya is temporary. So temporary, it hurts.
But Jannah? Jannah is eternal. It’s where every pain we’ve endured, every tear we’ve shed, every hardship we’ve faced will be replaced with joy, comfort, and peace.
“Those mindful ˹of Allah˺ will have Gardens with their Lord under which rivers flow, to stay there forever, and pure spouses, along with Allah’s pleasure. And Allah is All-Seeing of ˹His˺ servants.” [Qur’an 3:15]
“Golden trays and cups will be passed around to them. There will be whatever the souls desire and the eyes delight in. And you will be there forever.” [Qur’an 43:71]
“Allah has promised the believers, both men and women, Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever, and splendid homes in the Gardens of Eternity, and—above all—the pleasure of Allah. That is ˹truly˺ the ultimate triumph.” [Qur’an 9:72]
Think about it…
No fatigue, no annoying aunties, no gossip, no backbiting.
No stress or anxiety, no pain, no loss, no heartbreak.
SubhanAllah…
Imagine walking through the gates of Jannah, being greeted by angels who say,
"Peace be upon you for your perseverance. How excellent is the ultimate abode!”
[Qur’an 13:24]
One thing I must add is, we need to also remember the reality of Jahannam.
As much as we work hard and seek Allahs’s pleasure and ask Him for Jannah, we must work hard, stay away from sins, and ask Allah to save us from the fire of Jahannam.
The terror of Jahannam is beyond our comprehension. Allah says,
“Indeed, Hell is lying in ambush, as a home for the oppressors, where they will remain for ages. They will not taste any coolness or drink there except boiling water and burning fluid— an appropriate reward.” [Qur’an 78:21-26]
*shivers*
How can we allow ourselves to give up, to get distracted, to lose focus? I know it happens… But if we’ve slipped, what do we do? How do we fix things?
How do we pick ourselves up again?
Well, “Fall down seven times, get up eight” applies here.
We will mess up. We will sin. We will lose focus. But we need to keep getting back up. Again, and again, and again.
Our focus must remain on our Lord — on remembering Him, worshipping Him, and seeking His countenance.
Remember Allah:
“Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort.” [Qur’an 13:28]Hold on tightly to the first 10 ayahs of Suratul Mu’minoon. I’m not sharing the ayahs here because I want you to pick up your mushaf and read what Allah says in those ayahs.
He has basically given us a recipe for success.
One specific point is repeated twice — your challenge is to find it and comment or reply telling me what it is!
To F and H, I pray we meet in Jannah. I have a feeling we won’t shut up. I have a feeling catching up will take a long, long time, and there won’t be a teeny bit of awkwardness. Though, before then, I pray I get to see you again in dunya 🌸 seeing you yesterday was heart-filling.
Love + Du'a,
Maryam
💝
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