A reflection on Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:13-14 - how the Qur'an teaches believers to carry remembrance of Allah (SWT) through life's most vulnerable moments.
There are seasons in every family's life, a journey, an illness, the loss of someone dear, when the ordinary routines of Hifz and school feel suspended. Islam does not ask us to set faith aside in these moments; it teaches us to lean into it more.
Remembering Allah (SWT) at the Start of Every Journey
لِتَسْتَوُۥا۟ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِۦ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا ٱسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَتَقُولُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُۥ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ
"That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say, "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will [surely] return."" (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:13-14)
Allah (SWT) teaches believers to say, upon setting out on any journey, that glory be to the One who has subjected this to us, for we could never have accomplished it ourselves, and to Him we will surely return. Even travel, an everyday act, is framed as a reminder of our dependence on Allah (SWT) and our final return to Him.
Vulnerability as an Invitation to Faith
Travel exposes our dependence on Allah (SWT); illness reminds us of our weakness; loss returns the heart to the truth that every soul belongs to its Creator. Islam does not ask believers to hide from these realities but to carry mercy, remembrance, and dignity through all of them.
We try to hold our students and their families gently through these seasons, reminding them that patience and remembrance in hardship are themselves acts of worship. May Allah (SWT) ease every journey, illness, and loss our families face, and grant them the reward of patience. Ameen.