There is a "game" that I love to play whenever I am facing any difficulty and it is inspired by one of my favourite Ayats in the Quran: "So indeed, with every difficulty, there is ease. Certainly, with every difficulty, there is ease." (Quran 94:5-6)

I call it The 'Find Your Ease' Challenge, and the main objective is to go on a treasure hunt and find all of the eases that Allah SWT is blessing me with, together with the difficulty. This forces me to switch my mindset from "struggle-stricken" to "solution-driven" and it has helped me tremendously in staying afloat during difficult situations.

For example, readers can see from my previous posts in this blog that what happened to me in the last three months hit me hard both mentally and personally.

I got sick and fell while riding a motorcycle, my father got sick and in October my mother almost died!

It was painful and uncomfortable... And I played the game.

Immediately my mind switched from the pain to focusing on my blessings instead. "My ease is thank God I was educated as a woman who is getting stronger, patient and tough. My ease is, Allah sent someone to come and help ease the pain in my heart that I can't tell anyone else, even if it's just one sentence and for a short time. My ease is knowing many people who love me without any conditions. My ease is knowing Allah SWT will never test me beyond my means. My ease is knowing there is an end to this procedure (!!!). My ease is remembering Rasulullah SAW's promise that "no fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, but that Allah expiates some of his sins', my ease is that..." and while I'm busy playing this "game", the suffering ends soon!

You see, our struggles are obvious and so it is easy to focus on them. But the ease is a mystery and so it is our job to find it. Honestly, I used to wonder, "But why can't Allah make it easier for us? What can't He make the ease clear and glaring for us? Why can't the ease just fall on our lap?!" and the answer to my questions came from the Ayah right after it, from the same Surat itself:

"So once you have fulfilled your duty, strive in devotion.

Turning to your Lord alone with hope." (94:7-8)

Allah SWT is teaching us that whenever we are in a difficulty, STRIVE. Do not stay idle. Do not give up and do nothing, but get up and do something! And I now realised that it is only in taking action, that you get courage. That you get hope. That you get better!

And when you've tried your best and put in the work, turn to Him with hope. How beautiful it is that Allah SWT is teaching us, step by step, how to overcome a difficulty?

1) Allah SWT says with every difficulty there is ease, and He repeats it twice because the ease is always more than the difficulty.

2) Allah SWT then say work on that difficulty. Strive. Take action. Put in an effort.

3) And when we've done all that, turn to Him alone, with hope!

We should then repeat this process over and over again until we are out of the tunnel. Fortunately for us, the light doesn't come after the end of the tunnel. For the believer, the Light of Allah SWT is already with us, even when we are still in the tunnel.

Everyone always says, "everybody struggles." But the truth is... everybody has ease too. Allah SWT has promised us in the Quran that the ease is with every difficulty, not after. He uses the word مع, i.e. with, in the Ayat and so there is no way that Allah SWT places us in a certain circumstance without sending us ease along with it. 

So may we always find our ease, dear.

If we can't, may we polish our hearts so that we can see His blessings better. May we remove the lens of the Dunia from our eyes and replace it with the lens of Akhirah so that we can see the purpose behind our tests. Most of all, may we get rid of the anger and frustration that might have tainted our hearts, and replace it with love and trust for Allah SWT instead.

Because when we have love and trust for Him, all we see is ease. 

And there is always ease.

And there is always light.

And there is always hope. :)

Love and prayers always,

Sena.

Tasikmalaya, 6 November 2021