Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Mostly Muslim

Home
About
Faith & Spirituality
Personal/Life
- Reflections
Society & Culture
- Dealing with Others
- Women
Archive

Home
Muslim
Blood, Sweat, & Tears: When Sacrificing for the Sake of Allah Gets Tiring

Blood, Sweat, & Tears: When Sacrificing for the Sake of Allah Gets Tiring

Last updated on: December 26, 2019 at 9:33 am by Iman

Blood, Sweat, & Tears: When Sacrificing for the Sake of Allah Gets Tiring 2019-12-26T09:33:35-06:00 Iman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

blood sweat tears sacrificing sake Allah tiring

Photo by Free-Photos on Pixabay

I remember how I felt when I first met my spouse, and right after we got married. I think most people remember the feeling of those first few weeks and months. Falling in love, wanting to spend every minute together, and making sacrifices without thinking of them that way.

Every relationship requires sacrifices, but the great thing about the early days of love is that sacrificing is easy for us. For most people who recently entered a relationship, the partner says, “Jump” and they say, “How high?” It’s only after some time has passed and both people have gotten used to each other, that they start to keep a mental score of it or resist having to give or change any more.

It’s like… starting with a bang and then running out of steam. And as strong as a relationship might be, this is when things start to go south—even if just by a little bit. The marriage suffers from a lack of flexibility and compromise, and from one or both people being a little more self-centered than they were before. Maybe it just doesn’t feel realistic to keep giving and sacrificing like before, indefinitely.

For many people, this account also rings true for their spiritual awakening. They find God and are in awe. Life starts to make sense. They have a source of support and stability. They fall in love with God. So when He says, “Give me this,” the person says, “I can give more!” They give everything He asks for and more. Allah asks for 5 prayers a day, the spiritually awakened person offers extra prayers. He asks us to fast in Ramadan, this person fasts extra days as well. You get the point.

They are zooming downhill, flying at high speeds, feeling unstoppable. They are ready to give their all for the One they love. In those moments, they feel they can conquer the world and every challenge is minuscule.

Then the hill starts to plateau. The “high” fades away. The excitement is gone. While everything was an act of love and dedication before, now it’s just routine. But they’re still going steady. They still have a purpose.

Where things really get tough is during the uphill climb that follows this dip. Now, every step forward feels like a bit of a struggle. Even doing the basics is a big deal, let alone making extra sacrifices of time or effort. And suddenly, every little hardship seems like a much bigger deal than before. It’s like the infamous “seven-year itch” in a marriage. The thrill has faded, and the couple has gone from being bored to wanting out.

No drop of blood, sweat, or tears is going to waste. He sees it all. And He loves us even more for it.

But there is no “out” when it comes to the Truth. After an awakening, letting go of the Straight Path is like letting go of reality itself. Because it’s the only Reality—that these sacrifices are leading us to somewhere infinite, somewhere perfect. And that quitting halfway is like getting tired of carrying heavy, valuable gold around and dropping it somewhere along the journey. A waste that doesn’t make sense.

Guidance is a gift. It’s the greatest gift a person can get, and only Allah Himself can bless us with it. In every salah, when we recite Surah al-Fatiha, we say to God, “You alone we worship, and you alone we ask for help.” And then, when this perfect moment has been set up to ask for anything at all, we say, “Guide us to the Straight Path… ameen.” That’s it. That’s the one thing we pray for over and over again, multiple times a day, and multiple times within each prayer.

So when guidance finally does come to us, we shouldn’t just throw it away because it’s heavy or because life got tough. Life was always tough. It’s meant to be that way. But there is an end in sight: Jannah. And it’s worth every sacrifice, and more. No drop of blood, sweat, or tears is going to waste. He sees it all. And He loves us even more for it.

“Then is he who knows that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth like one who is blind? They will only be reminded who are people of understanding—Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break the contract, And those who join that which Allah has ordered to be joined and fear their Lord and are afraid of the evil of [their] account, And those who are patient, seeking the support of their Lord, and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them secretly and publicly and prevent evil with good—those will have the good consequence of [this] home: Gardens of perpetual residence; they will enter them with whoever were righteous among their fathers, their spouses and their descendants. And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, [saying], ‘Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home.’” (Qur’an 13:19-24)

Follow Mostly Muslim on Facebook HERE.

Want your voice to be heard? JOIN OUR TEAM or send your guest submission to [email protected]! Visit the “Contribute to MM” page for more details.

Previous Post

August 2, 2018

What Is the True Meaning and Purpose of Life?

Next Post

August 24, 2018 Finding a Balance Between Loving and Fearing God

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Afterlife Culture Dealing with Others English Faith & Spirituality Inspiration Letters to the Ummah Personal / Life Poetry Ramadan Reality Check Reflections Relationships Religion Society & Culture Uncategorized Urdu Women

Select a Month September 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 March 2016 November 2015 October 2015 June 2015 May 2015 February 2015 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who's sight was restored by Ananias in Damascus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pontius Pilate King Saul Saul of Tarsus Paul of Tarsus