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: Faizah Hamid : Mizi Wahid : Nur Izzaidah Abdull Zubi : Husna Ab Rahman
THE ART OF LETTING GOD (PAPERBACK)
First Print August 2021 Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Mizi Wahid, 1983The Art of Letting God : Surrendering all your broken pieces to Him, one prayer at a time / MIZI WAHID. ISBN 978-967-2459-23-1 1. Mizi Wahid, 1983- --Anecdotes. 2. Motivation (Psychology)--Religious aspects--Islam. 3. Self-actualization (Psychology)--Religious aspects--Islam. 4. Muslims--Conduct of life. 5. Religious life--Islam. I. Title. 158.1088297
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َ ُ َّ َ ْ َ َ ُكاف َعبْ َده ٍ ِ أليس الل ب Is Allah not enough for His servant? (Quran 39:36)
CHAPTER 1
The Greatest Temptation
4 | MIZI WAHID
T
he greatest temptation that most people face in life
aren’t the stuff they usually think them to be. Temptations are not limited to the seduction towards lust, the call for greed, or even the lure towards laziness and mediocrity. In my opinion, the greatest temptation many of us find most challenging to deal with in life - is the temptation to give up. You may have had a list of New Year’s resolution lying on your desk at the stroke of midnight every year, but may not have necessarily lived up to any of them as each month passes you by. After a short sprint of motivation, the burning aspirations that you once had inside you of wanting to become all that you’ve dreamed of becoming, died off almost as quickly as those dreams came.
THE ART OF LETTING GOD | 5
And then you start to lose momentum. Bit by bit. And before you know it, questions of doubt start to pop up in your mind. “Are these goals truly achievable? Am I being realistic? Am I good enough? Am I worthy of such achievements? Or is it simply better for me to just give up?” We’ll all be tempted to quit in different ways. Some of us will be tempted to leave a job that’s hard. Others, to quit on our child who has disappointed us over and over again. Some couples are considering to end their marriage after starting their own family together - calling it quits. Because the spark that once was, is now no longer seen or felt.
When Things Don’t Go Your Way The temptation to give up arises when things don’t go our way. When you’ve been trying diligently to pay off your debts for over a year and yet when you look at the bank statement, it seems as though you’ve not been paying a single cent nothing’s moved. Or you’ve been actively searching for all sorts of alternatives with your spouse in an effort to conceive your first child, but then time and time again you’ve been told, it’s not working. How does a person remain hopeful in moments of major disappointments, when being hopeful has caused them more pain than ever before? 6 | MIZI WAHID
I personally believe that there is a slight but critical difference between hope and expectations. When you have expectations you expect that things (and people) turn out the way you envisioned them to be, nothing less. However, when you choose hope, you pray and wish for the best, but even if things don’t go your way, you’ll be fine. Being hopeful causes you to accept the situation regardless of how the outcome turns out in the end. Yes you’ll feel disappointment. And yes you’re probably still be praying for the best. But for the time being, you embrace the way things have unfolded with open arms and with an open heart. So how does a person actually learn how to deal with this great temptation? Isn’t it easier to just quit? Indeed. I won’t spend too much time arguing with you on that fact. I’d rather focus on your preference; the preference for ease. This book is not written for those who want things easy. You can pray for easy. Moses (peace be upon him) asked God for ease in his affairs. But he also asked for strength, wisdom, patience, ability, and support. And despite asking for easy, he went through a lot of hardship, intense worry and fear. But in the end, he prevailed. Because even when things got difficult for him, he never gave up. He kept on marching and kept on believing.
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But in order for him to ask God for the right kind of help, he first needed to know more about himself. What were his greatest weaknesses? What were his biggest fears? It seemed like every prayer he made had an underlying meaning - at least for all of us to ponder and reflect upon individually. When he asked God to “expand his chest”, was it an indication of fear? Was he asking God to instill courage in his heart? Was it anxiety getting the best of him? Lack of confidence perhaps? When he asked for “ease in his affairs”, was it due to the perception that the task ahead was too intimidating that he was almost certain it will be an overwhelming burden and responsibility? When he asked for “his tongue to be untied”, was it a sign of self-consciousness regarding the speech impediment that he knew he had? Or was it simply an honest assessment about his own disabilities, merely hoping to get some help, so as to preach more effectively? When he asked for “a minister from his own family”, was it due to the fear of facing the Pharaoh all on his own? Was it meant to be a confidence booster? Or so that he may assign some of the tasks to his brother Aaron (peace be upon him)? Whatever the actual reasons may be, we must remember that his prayers were indications of his self-awareness. It is evident that Moses was a man who spent a lot of time thinking
8 | MIZI WAHID
and reflecting about the purpose of life, how much further he was from his goals, and what sort of tools he needed in order to achieve his ultimate mission. So once you’ve managed to get real with yourself and figured out what some of your major weaknesses are, begin by making a sincere and hopeful prayer to God. Remember to always give your best, regardless of how much of a hindrance the obstacle is [like a speech impediment when your main job requires you to preach] , or how strong and intimidating the enemy is [like having to face off with a king as forceful and as authoritative as Pharaoh was], or even how desperate the situation may be [like being in a predicament where the sea is in front of you, and your enemies are moving fast from behind you].
Shake Off Defeat Today, shake off the temptation to get discouraged during the difficult moments. Shake off frustration, shake off discouragement. Remember, all it takes is just one touch of God’s favour to turn things around and to take you years ahead towards your destiny. Keep standing, keep believing, and keep hoping, because the answer is on its way. Divine assistance has been forming and making its way into your life the day you prayed and the moment you began to make concentrated efforts towards your desired goals.
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Here’s an example of what can happen if you don’t give up too soon. Near the end of Prophet Joseph’s story (peace be upon him), his father, Jacob (peace be upon him) encouraged his children to not give up in their search and reclamation efforts of their two youngest brothers. God revealed this: “O my sons, go and find out about Joseph and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah . Indeed, no one
despairs
except
the
of
relief
from Allah
disbelieving
people.”
(Quran 12: 87) The predicament that they were in was that Joseph has been missing for years [presumably decades] since the incident when his older brothers threw and left him in a well all by himself - done entirely out of envy. And as for their youngest brother, Benjamin (peace be upon him), he had just been reprimanded and held back as he was ‘caught stealing’ in the palace - which was in truth a masterstroke ploy set up by Joseph himself, to reunite with his whole family. Their motivation to keep going in spite of the many recent disappointments - inspired by their father’s encouraging words - eventually paid off. In life, it’s always easier to give up: The temptation to throw in the towel in your business that’s struggling. The
10 | MIZI WAHID
enticement of walking out on a marriage that’s failing. The urge to raise the white flag and quit on a job that’s far too challenging. But ‘easy’ will not give us the things and experiences that we will treasure and cherish for the rest of our lives. Greatness doesn’t always come out from easy circumstances and events. One thing we can expect through difficulty and perseverance is that we will grow. And when we do, the struggles, the failures, and the challenges will suddenly, become “easy”.
The Whispers of Anguish and Misery Right now, I’d like you to take a minute to figure out where that voice of despair is coming from. What is it telling you? What reasons/excuses is it coming up with to justify you giving up? And in which area of your life is it telling you to quit? Are you trying to quit a lifelong addiction, but each time you fall back into your old ways, you find yourself feeling frustrated and thinking about giving up? Are you giving your all in trying to achieve your life’s dreams and goals, but the criticism people give you, the lack of moral support, and all of the trials along the way are taking their toll on you?
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Or are you on a journey towards repentance? Is it tempting to give up on the process, especially when friends and family don’t believe in your ability to turn over a new leaf and start fresh? Is it even more tempting to give up when you just can’t get your mind off of your darker days in the past? Friends, we must learn to eliminate the voice of temptation and the desire to quit on ourselves. From now on, let your yearning to obey God outstrip your desire to give up. And please realise that the most challenging of all these temptations that you must resist is unquestionably the temptation to give up on Allah. Refuse, resist, and reject such thoughts the moment they appear. Because for all that it’s worth, and with all the slip-ups you have made in the past, He has never given up on you, not even for a second.
The Best is Yet to Come The reason you woke up this morning was because God wasn’t finished with you yet. He’s got something else for you to do. If you’re a teacher, then you haven’t taught your best lesson yet. If you’re a chef, you haven’t served your best dish yet. If you’re a writer, you haven’t published your best piece yet. If you’re a business owner, you haven’t negotiated your best deal yet.
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Each day, you’re one step closer to living your best day yet. Seize every opportunity. The timing is right, and the conditions are in order. Something amazing is about to happen in your life. Don’t let anybody tell you you’re not good enough. Don’t let them tell you you’re too young, or too old. Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re finished. Every day that you wake up in the morning, it’s a sign - the best is yet to come.
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