A Mu’min (Believer) has to always harbour good thoughts of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala. Allah has bestowed upon us countless of bounties in the past and present and He continues to favour us, so we should not be pessimistic regarding our future, lest we are considered ungrateful. When a Believer places His trust in Allah, hoping and anticipating good, then Allah Ta’ala in return does good to Him.

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Quraan :

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا • وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ 

And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Surah At-Taalaq (65:2/3)

When a person does not have good thoughts regarding Allah Ta’ala he will not be able to engender the type of love he ought to have for Allah Ta’ala. When this love is not found, then a person slowly drifts away from Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala and he becomes overpowered by Shaytaan and succumbs to sins.

Shaytaan will continuously play back the reels of our past and make us feel miserable, but, when a righteous believer inculcates Husne Dhan Billah (has a good expectation of Allah), then Allah Ta’ala creates unlimited avenues for him to seek His forgiveness and gain proximity to Him. Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala looks for a thousand excuses to forgive us, and never looks for a thousand excuses to punish us!

Once we have made sincere Taubah and we do not return to our past sins and try our level best to inculcate ‘Taqwa’ (Allah consciousness) in our lives and obey Allah Ta’ala and Rasulullah Sallallahu AlayhI Wa Sallam, Allah Ta’ala’s mercy will envelop us and we will InshaAllah, find ourselves in a good condition in the hereafter. 

It is mentioned in a Hadith of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, reported by Hazrat Ibn Mas’ud Radiallahu Anhu : 

وعن ابن مسعود، رضي الله عنه ، قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، 
“الجنة أقرب إلى أحدكم من شراك نعله، والنار مثل ذلك‏”‏ ‏(‏رواه البخاري‏‏‏)‏‏‏

“Jannah is nearer to you than your shoelace, and so is the (Hell) Fire” ~ Al-Bukhari

Just like how a shoelace is tied firmly and is close to a shoe, Jannah is close to us and not unattainable or a far fetched goal. One should always be hopeful and never lose sight of the promises of Allah Ta’ala (The Most Kind and Most Merciful) ) who has mentioned to us that, in the Aakhirah (in Jannah) there will be no depression and no oppression. In Surah Yaseen, Allah Ta’ala has mentioned :  سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ  Peace! – a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful! ~ [36:58], that  He, Himself, will make Salaam to the Jannati’s who will be in total peace, tranquility, serenity and enjoyment. 

In a similar way, Jahannum is also close to us … so to attain this friendship of Allah Ta’ala and get the enjoyment of the Aakhirah, one will have to make Mujahadah and exert a force against one’s Nafs, suppress one’s desires and resist the strong temptations of the Dunya when sins present themselves. Striving in the wrong path and expending all our energies in Haraam is not Mujahadah ON the Nafs, but that Mujahadah is for entertainment OF the Nafs. We will make mistakes and be faced with temptations, trials, pain and suffering, but these are all the hurdles of this ‘temporary life’. Having good thoughts of Allah Ta’ala, engenders the love of Allah Ta’ala in our hearts and creates this strong bond with Allah. 

Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, said that Allah the Almighty said, in a Hadith Qudsi:

يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي، فَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلأٍ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلأٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ بِشِبْرٍ تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ ذِرَاعًا تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا، وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً

‘I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.’ “

The fact that Allah Ta’ala gives us the opportunity to obey and worship Him through Salaah, Zikrullah, Tilawat etc … is a proof of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala’s Mercy and kindness upon us. We should always make Shukr to Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala and be grateful servants and not of those who are constantly complaining. 

Therefore, inculcating Husne Dhan Billah, a hopeful attitude, together with having good thoughts of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala is a distinguishing quality of a Mu’min, which will make the road towards Him very easy InshaAllah.

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