Finding hope in adversity

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh My dear brothers and sisters around the world. So right now, we're facing turbulent times as a result of the COVID 19 crisis right now.

We're facing times of uncertainty. So behind Allah, we're facing times where people are dying, where people have been afflicted by this virus. in increasing numbers day by day, people are dying. So Hanna, now it's all very easy to get stuck in these feelings and thoughts of negativity at times like this. And we have no control over the situation. But we do have control over our reaction to it, and the way we respond as a result of it. So I want to give you a message of hope in helping you to find the benefits and the blessings in the situation, the higher in the situation.

Now, this will have impacted on you in some way or another, whether it has been impacted or afflicted you directly or within your family or community. Otherwise, it will have impacted you in terms of having to perhaps stay away from work, having your children home from school. Either way, it will infect have affected you somehow resources are depleted right now, we are restricted to our homes to some extent or another.

So going out just to get the basic essentials, becomes a challenge now. So if we can control that aspect of it that we can, then we can find some benefits and blessings in the situation. So there's never really been any opportunity for you to be at home with your family like this. Everybody is supposed to be at home, not just you, not just your children, not just the elders, everyone, everyone is now at home. Use this as a chance to build relations in your family. Read commands together, pray together, do you record together, do these things together, learn about Islam together, study Islam together, watch lectures together, do all these kinds of things together.

These are opportunities that you otherwise wouldn't have if this crisis had not occurred.

Also use it as an as a chance to appreciate your good health when you have it. To appreciate your freedom. When you have it right now these things are restricted Insha Allah, they'll pass. But right now, this situation gives you the chance to develop a sense of empathy to those people that don't have these things. And having a sense of empathy is a great blessing in terms of helping people giving charity and being kind to people in the future beyond this situation.

It also gives you an opportunity to learn new skills as well. Because now you have to reorganize your deen. Now perhaps you have children to educate a home, perhaps you have to work from home, perhaps you have to do all these things that you would otherwise go out and do from home. You have to reorganize yourself, you have to learn these new skills, perhaps it might be learning new technology skills, learning teaching skills. So all these things are new skills that you have to learn right now. So again, this is another opportunity that you would not have if you were not placed in the situation. So use it to your advantage, not only will it be beneficial to you right

now. But even when the crisis passes, Inshallah, these are skills that you can apply beyond this, you'll have developed positive and strong relations within your family, you'll have developed skills that allow you to organize yourself more effectively, and appreciate the things that you might otherwise not appreciate.

So as you can see, there are many benefits in this situation, which on the surface seems so negative. So if we take a moment to really embrace the positives and the situation, it will help us to feel more positive.

In times like this, it'll give us more motivation to carry on in times of uncertainty, where otherwise we might be feeling quite stressed out stressed, stressed, anxious, even depressed about the situation. But if we can focus on the positives, this can help to change our feelings and our motivations in this current, difficult situation.

So I end this message by asking Allah to make it easy for those who are suffering as a result of this crisis, to help people to find a way out of this situation, to help them to embrace the situation with with positivity, with thankfulness with gratitude, and that the moment will pass insha Allah and that this situation will become easier for everybody around the world.