Are you optimistic of the future?

In this brief reminder, brother Nouman Ali Khan focuses on the importance for a Muslim of having hope and of being optimistic of the future.

Sometimes your plans and Allah’s plans are the same. … Sometimes.

Sometimes you decide to go somewhere, and Allah decides to let you go also.

Sometimes you decide to go to a college, and Allah gives you admission to this college also.

You decide to graduate early, and Allah allows you to graduate also.

So things go according to your plan. All that means is that your plan and Allah’s plan were the same, for that one thing.

But sometimes, your plan and Allah’s plan are not the same.

Sometimes you want to stay in that job for ten years, but you get fired after six months.

Sometimes you apply to this school and you had the best application, but you still did not get in, and people with worse applications than you get in.

It happens.

Sometimes your plan and Allah’s plan are not the same.

These ayat are recognizing that not everything will go according to my plan.

I will still have to make a plan, I will still have to put in the effort, but at the end of the day it is Allah who will decide whether this plan will come through or not.

This is “… And remember your Lord when you forget…” (18:24)

But then the most powerful part of this ayah, that I wanted to spend extra time on, because this is really one of the most beautiful lessons in the entire Qur’an.

A Statement of Optimism

In my opinion, if the Muslim understands this, their life becomes easy:

“… and say, “Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct.”” (18:24)

These words are a du’aa and perhaps more than a du’aa. They are a statement of optimism. Lets introduce it in that way.

You’re thinking about the future, just because of the use of the word (‘asa) which is in the Arabic language a word or a verb used to express hope.

Allah is teaching us in this Ayah that a Muslim has to have hope in the future.

My iman and my Qur’an make me optimistic about the future.

I don’t care what the news says, I don’t care what happened yesterday, and the day before and the day before.

I will not be among those Muslims who sit on a table and say the situation of the ummah keeps getting worse and worse and worse…

You’re supposed to be full of optimism and hope that Allah will make things better.

Don’t miss this three minute recording of brother Nouman’s inspiring talk.