When Life doesn't Go as Planned.

A deep reflection on Surah Al-Kahf.

Read here for free.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: The Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said, "Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf on Friday, a light will shine for him between this Friday and the next."

We've always been told that it is a Sunnah to recite Surah Al Kahf every blessed Friday, but do we really ponder upon the meanings and depths of wisdom this Surah holds within itself?

Often, we're so busy thinking about work, lunch or planning for the weekend that we end up reciting it without giving much thought, but despite all that there will be days in your life where you will need it more than you think!

And it's in those very days, those moments of reflections where you truly begin to realise that it will hit straight into your heart and reach the depths of your soul.

There's a true story in Surah Al-Kahf where Khidr (AS) destroys a boat that actually belonged to a group of poor fishermen that he and Prophet Musa (AS) had boarded alongside to travel. As the Surah relates in the Quran,

So they set out, but after they had boarded a ship, the man made a hole in it. Moses protested, "Have you done this to drown its people? You have certainly done a terrible thing!" (Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 71)

Imagine that you are a poor person with just a boat to survive. And that boat is destroyed. It makes you wonder, why me ? As you begin to ask Allah , 'I am in need of this, how can you destroy my boat? My only means of surviving?'

Why not take and destroy the boats of those who are ungrateful to You ya Rabb? Those who disobey You day and night! Did I not worship you enough? Did I not pray or fast enough for Your sake?

However, the real wisdom behind destroying it was because of an evil king. "As for the ship, it belonged to some poor people, working at sea. So I intended to damage it, for there was a ˹tyrant˺ king ahead of them who seizes every ˹good˺ ship by force." (Surah AL-Kahf, Verse 79)

By allowing it to have a defect, Allah actually saved it from being taken under territory by the king. Had it been in it's perfect condition, the group of people who owned it would have been robbed out of the only possession they had!

SubhanAllah!

You can imagine how angry the fishermen must have been discovering it has been damaged, only to later see the king confiscating every little ship but theirs!

Immediately, their anger would have turned into thanks that 'Alhumdullilah, Allah protected our boat'.

Had it been taken they would have no means of sustenance anymore!

But a broken boat? - Well, that can surely be fixed once again!

Likewise, you may feel that your boat is broken but what if that break is meant to build it back even stronger ?

Allah made it happen for nothing on this earth happens without His permission!

It might not make sense to you right now. You cannot see the evil king, just like the fishermen couldn't. You cannot see what Allah protected you from just yet. All you can see is your dreams, your hard work, shattered into pieces right infront of you.

For every job opportunity lost, know that it could be that Allah saved you from receiving humility from a cruel boss, or perhaps the bad company of colleagues that would have taken you away from Allah, maybe it would have forced you to stay away from your family for a month or two, or the burden of responsibilities that would have come onto your shoulders that you would have otherwise, been not able to bear.

Losing someone dear is never easy but Allah takes them back because their destined time was over. It could be their presence in your life was keeping you attached to this world, or their departure was meant to teach you patience, gratitude bringing you close to Allah. Or who knows maybe they would have suffered more if they had been living today!

If the one you wanted to marry was taken away from you, know that it's because Allah knew while you were in the dark as to what could have happened down the line, maybe you would have ended up in divorce, or perhaps you wouldn't be able to have children and live a harmonious life together, or it could be simply that you weren't compatible and maybe that person was just not meant for you.

For all those grades that you didn't achieve, know that Allah knew that this would propel you to be grateful for whatever you've been given. Had it been that you always received A*s you might have never tasted the sweetness of hard work and the value of being content with what Allah sends your way.

A passing grade is definitely better than failing altogether!

There's more to everything than just a destroyed boat in your sight.

Remind yourself that even after you made Duaa, even after all the effort you did, despite all of that you still didn't get what you wished for then never forget Allah's love for you; seventy times greater than a mother's!

Just like the child doesn't understand why his mother won't let him play with a sharp knife, knowing it will cause more harm than good she keeps it away from him.

Allah loves you more than that very mother and He knows what's best for you more than your own self could ever realize!

In the end dear reader, have firm belief and trust that Allah's plan is better than ours, always. What may seem like a loss today for you could be a road to some hidden blessing, guiding you towards something far better for whatever you lose Allah always replaces it with something better. So have faith, and know that what is meant for you will never miss you, and what misses you was never meant for you.