Mufti Menk – Looking Back At The Calamities

			My brothers, my sisters,
		

			in the past year, we've seen a lot
		

			of turbulence, turmoil, and loss.
		

			People have gone through hardship, difficulty, calamity, sickness,
		

			loss of life, and so much more. We
		

			take a look at the earthquake that just
		

			happened.
		

			So many lost their lives.
		

			Many have lost their properties.
		

			Many have lost their
		

			loved ones. People have lost limbs, and they're
		

			injured. Thousands are actually injured.
		

			People have lost so much.
		

			Their lives have been turned upside down. You
		

			look at the floods earlier.
		

			People lost their lives also in a similar
		

			fashion.
		

			Their lives were turned upside down in a
		

			flash. In a moment,
		

			they got up, and,
		

			it was never going to be the same
		

			again.
		

			Similarly,
		

			over the last few years, we've seen people
		

			losing
		

			what they were accustomed to. What we were
		

			used to was taken away from us in
		

			many cases.
		

			Some have
		

			been restored to what they were by Allah
		

			Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, but
		

			in the case of many,
		

			people are still looking for jobs.
		

			They are still short of income.
		

			People are struggling in their relationships
		

			where they've probably been through or are going
		

			through divorce. They've been threatened, maybe they have
		

			access or no access to their children at
		

			times.
		

			They have problems with their siblings, their parents.
		

			People have issues with their communities,
		

			and the list is endless.
		

			In fact, it is increasing as time passes.
		

			So much of hardship and turmoil, but
		

			Allah Almighty
		

			grants us opportunities
		

			to reconnect with him, to rekindle that flame,
		

			to relive the hope, and to continue in
		

			it by the will of Allah Subhanahu Wa
		

			Ta'ala.