Dealing with Difficulty #15 Health Matters

Welcome to this episode of dealing with difficulty.

Health is a gift from Allah

He's definitely made some of us healthier than

others. Some have struggles from the point of

birth.

May Allah grant them goodness, and may Allah

make it easy for them and their parents.

My brothers and sisters, we take health for

granted. And this is why one of the

things that the Prophet Muhammad

has told us about is

the 2 gifts that people take for granted.

He says,

There are 2 gifts of Allah Subhanahu Wa

Ta'ala that many people are deceived regarding. Many

people take for granted. What are they? Good

health and your spare time.

People are lazy. They don't use their spare

time in a productive way. And then when

it's not there, they need the time to

do something productive, but they no longer have

it.

Similarly, with health, when we have health and

we don't do what we're supposed to be

doing, beginning with our fulfillment of the obligations

unto us, like prayer and fasting and so

on, then a day comes when the health

is no longer and we realize the importance

of those things we were supposed to do,

starting with our obligations, but going on to

that,

which may not be an obligation, but something

beneficial.

So this is why

when a person

goes through sickness,

what we need to realize is Allah rewards

you for every moment of Sabr that you

bear. Allah will reward you for every moment

of patience that you bore

Each moment

that you did not curse or swear, and

you just took it in your stride. You

prayed to Allah

Almighty, pray for cure, but you were patient.

Allah says,

this is my worship for him is a

reward with me. That's Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.

It is said that a person who's terminally

ill,

the patience that they bear will be enough

to get them into Jannah by the will

of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because if they

see or when they see the reward of

their patience

on the day of judgment and the surrendering

to the decree of Allah for them,

they will

they will have they will hope that they

were sick or ill for a longer time

so that they could have had a bigger

reward because the reward is multiplied.

When you fall ill, you need to make

sure you

seek help

and seek medication. It's part of your duty

unto Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala as a believer.

Your health is an Amana, meaning it's a

trust

entrusted to you by Allah. You have a

cough, you have a flu, you have something

light. You may want to try out home

remedies, but do something about it.

Similarly, before that, don't do something that's going

to miss your health. I went out on

a cold night without a little jacket, and

I thought I was very brave. I came

back very ill and sick. We went to

swim in the cold water in the middle

of winter and we didn't have jackets and

we didn't you know that what you did

caused the problem. So in that case, Allah

holds you accountable.

Allah holds you accountable.

He expects you to take heed put on

your little jackets if it's cold and use

your common sense

in order to save yourself from throwing yourself

into

destruction with your own hands.

Don't throw yourselves with your own hands into

destruction.

That's Allah's instruction.

But if you do happen to then get

ill and sick, make sure you do something

about it. Be it something as simple as

maybe just a nasal nasal drip or something

like a headache.

Try to do something about it and Allah

will reward you because every time you try

and heal yourself

with something you and the intention is for

me to look after this trust

known as the body that I've been entrusted

with. Allah will reward you. And then if

it is something more serious, you would need

to visit the doctor. Visiting the doctor

is not defying the decree of Allah, but

rather it's part of the plan of Allah.

Allah did something to you that required that

you went to seek help from a person

who is a professional in that particular field.

So you came out

and you sought the help of a doctor.

He told you we need to operate on

you. May Allah make it easy.

Take it in your stride. You might want

to go for a second opinion. You might

want to see if there is alternative remedies.

And if not, you will need to make

a decision to go for that procedure.

Ask Allah's help and Allah Almighty will open

your doors. I know that many people cannot

afford medication

to that level. We have to keep trying

and do whatever we can to the best

of our ability and Allah will open our

doors. Don't lose hope because of a sickness

that you've been affected with. You need to

try your best. So if you do end

up going for a procedure, look after yourself.

Make sure the aftercare is proper as per

the instructions of the doctor and even better

than that. If the doctor tells you you

need a week's rest,

you can try and rest for even longer

than that if you can and go easy.

Take it easy.

Similarly, ask Allah for good health. I've learned

one thing when you appreciate

the healthy days,

Allah prolongs them and Allah gives you good

health. How many of us have actually said,

Oh, Allah, I thank you for giving me

good health all these years, and I ask

you to continue to give me good health

so I can worship you and do a

lot of good. That's a beautiful dua that

helps you dealing with the difficulty even before

it strikes.

Amazing because you are thanking Allah.

If you are going to be thankful, Allah

says, we will grant you more and increase

in the goodness.

So be thankful to Allah Subhanahu wa'ta'ala.

Use your health when you have it in

a good way.

However, like I said, once we're dealing with

recovery,

don't lose hope in the mercy of Allah.

We've known of people who've been told that

they have a terminal illness,

but

by the will and mercy of Allah Subhanahu

wa'ta'ala, they've been cured. So don't lose hope

in the mercy of Allah. No matter what.

Even if we end up dying,

even if we end up dying as a

result of a sickness that we've had that

was terminal or non terminal.

If we end up returning to Allah Subhanahu

WA Ta'ala, having had the hope and praying

to Allah for cure and we were not

cured, Allah will reward us for the hope

Because having hope in the mercy of Allah

is an act of worship

and having hope at a time where where

there is hopelessness

all around us is a massive act of

worship that many people don't talk about. It's

actually so great that it will help us

deal with the difficulty

and prepare for the day of ease. The

ease will come either by the cure or

either by us returning to Allah. So if

we return to Allah, it was a good

thing because Allah is going to reward us

for the hope, for the dua, for the

supplications,

for the conviction we had even on our

deathbed that a miracle can happen. Allah is

able to grant us a miracle. The fact

that we had that conviction conviction is an

act of worship.

The Yaqeen that you have

conviction

and the hope that you have in Allah.

Those are acts of worship.

So the person who has the greatest conviction

and the greatest hope, Allah gives them contentment

to begin with. And then Allah rewards them

in a unique

way because they went through something that others

were not chosen to go through.

We've spoken about bearing patience, but we've also

spoken about having hope and being convinced and

calling out to Allah

believing that I'm going to be cured

and

Allah will do what he wills.

He may grant you the cure, or he

may give you something better than the cure.

For indeed,

the eternal abode of Jannatul Firdaus and Paradise

is way better than the cure you would

have on earth. At some point, you are

going to return to Allah anyway.

So whenever that is and Allah has chosen

it. If Allah has chosen for you to

return to Allah in a condition that he's

pleased with you and you get paradise,

surely that's far better

than having been cured for a few more

years and then heading into the wrong direction

and not paradise.

May Allah grant us paradise and may he

grant us the cure. Ameen.

So learn to pray for others. Learn to

visit others. Inquire about others. Feel the pain

when someone else is unwell and reach out

to them in whatever way you can contribute

towards the costs of

medical expenses

for others who cannot afford it

to your ability.

Whatever you can do, let's get it done.

Inshallah.

You hear that someone else is struggling to

pay a bill. You can help with a

dollar,

$5 help and Allah Almighty will bless you

with good health. Similarly, don't take the gifts

of Allah and the favours of Allah for

granted.

Ponder over the favours of Allah and utilise

them, insha Allah, in the best possible way.

Allah will grant you the best of this

world and the next. May Allah grant cure

to all those who are sick and ill

and help us deal with the difficulty of

sickness.

And may Allah Almighty reward all those taking

Amin.

Amin.