Husn Al-Dhan Billah

As-salam alaikum my beautiful sis!

I hope this meets you in the best of iman and health in sha Allah.

Husn Al-Dhan Billah - to think positively and well of Allah. A three-word phrase with an immeasurable impact on a believing slave. A concept I believe every Muslim should strive to implement more in sha Allah.

I used to be someone that struggled to “let myself be” with others. Almost like I was always on edge, waiting for something to tip off. I say used to, not because I am no longer that person, but because I am becoming someone that is willing to let herself be, to connect truly and fully with others in sha Allah. In my short years on this earth, I’ve learnt that this is no way to live - not allowing yourself to just be. If you’ve lived your life like this, you know how exhausting and truly damaging it is. At some point in your life it may have served to protect you, but at another point in your life, it only serves to break you. It’s exhausting always feeling the need to be on guard, feeling like you need to alter yourself to fit spaces that were never made for you to begin with. The truth is that to connect with the people written for you, you have to be your true self. Your true self is the person you are when you’ve broken the walls you’ve built around her down. Your true self is also the one who is willing to take the risk into the unknown, to walk with faith, and not fear. The secret in doing that lies in having good thoughts about Allah. Trusting that even if you were to fall, Allah will always be there to catch you, every single time.

I think the most profound thing with this, is that Allah made me realise my state of being was just a reflection of how I saw Allah. I’ll link this beautifully at the end in sha Allah, but when you’re always in defense mode around people, it’s because you don’t have good thoughts about that person, and in reality, it’s because the way you view Allah is flawed. It is much more complex than this in certain situations, as trauma also plays a role in people’s lives. But when you don’t have good thoughts about someone, you harbour and entertain thoughts that they’re going to harm you, and so your brain comes up with ways it can best protect you. Let me give you a quick analogy. You’re in the car with a loved one one day, and on this day, they decide to take a different route that’s unfamiliar to you, due to reasons best known to them. Do you panic and start to get worried? Or do you still trust that you will get to your destination safely? When you have good thoughts about a person, you automatically trust them, even if you don’t realise it at first. Allah is far above any analogy, but having good thoughts about Allah means that you always trust Him. It doesn’t mean you won’t get scared, anxious, and uneasy, but that when you do, you are reassured by your belief and trust in Allah, that He will never do anything to harm you. What is the proof of this? Surah Al-Anbya (21:68-70). When the idolaters concluded to burn Ibrahim (AS) as vengeance for him (AS) destroying their idols, Allah ordered for the fire to be cool and safe for Ibrahim (AS). Allah says, “they had sought to harm him, but We made them the worst losers.” Allah doesn’t let harm come to those He loves, but sis, do you believe that Allah will never harm you?

It’s important for us to have good thoughts about Allah, because you can’t build a relationship with someone if you subconsciously believe that they are out to harm you. It’s draining, the relationship can never go deeper, neither will it feel authentic, and in some cases, some people may even start to feel resentment - may Allah protect us from this, ameen. Allah is unique, and there is none like Him. Building good thoughts about Allah comes from learning about Allah. When you meet someone for the first time and you want to learn about them, do you ask others about them and not even ask the person at all? Learning about Allah has to have its roots in seeking out Allah, and that is done by going to Him directly; constantly asking Allah to teach us about Him and paying close attention to His signs. Allah who is Al-'Alim, The All-Knowing One, is best knowing of who He is, and He knows how best to reveal the parts of Himself that He wills to reveal, in the way in which you would understand it best. When you learn about Allah, you would fall in love with Him. Allah who is Majestic and Perfect in every sense, took care of us when we were heedless and astray. What then when we are trying to obey Him? Learn about Allah, fall in love with Allah, the good thoughts about Allah will naturally follow in sha Allah.

Remember when I said I’ll link how my state of being was in reality a defect in how I viewed Allah? Yes? Okay, let’s get into it in sha Allah. In essence, I didn’t have good thoughts about Allah. I didn’t trust that Allah wanted good for me, so I put the pressure on myself to pick the best people for me, and that led me down a road of instability, because newsflash, we actually don’t know what’s good for us. I would relate with people on the basis of a scarcity mindset, “if I’m not friends with this person, I don’t know what I’ll do, because I don’t believe I can find better”. Do you see the flaw in that thinking? How can we not find better? When Allah is Ar-Razzaq, The Total Provider. When you alter yourself, it’s because deep down you don’t believe that Allah is Ar-Razzaq. You don’t believe that Allah wants good for you, and so somehow, you’ve convinced yourself that these “coping mechanisms” you’ve built are the best means of protecting yourself. Allah is your Protector sis, relax.

When people come into our lives, we have to understand that it’s not just by chance. Everything has been written, everything has a purpose. If, for instance, you believe everybody in your life has something against you, in reality, you believe that Allah only wants bad for you, because who else sent them to you? That’s not to say we shouldn’t practise discernment and use our intellect in our interactions, you would know when truly someone isn’t meant for you. Sometimes, these people are also sent to us as a test. But, I’m talking about automatically fitting everyone into a box of bad friends. Building and harbouring this mindset that “I can only trust myself, others can’t be trusted”. Sometimes, people have been sent as an answer to our du’as. When we don’t let things flow, we force. And when we force, we self-sabotage, we miss out on the blessings Allah has written for us. If we’re always on defense mode, it’s because we believe that we need to protect ourselves from something. Almost like we believe Allah is deficient in protecting us, and a'udhubillah, we know that Allah is not deficient in anything. But do you see how the implications of our beliefs is much deeper than its surface level? I try to remind myself that nothing can harm me expect that which Allah has decreed for me. And Allah will never harm me, because Allah will not harm the one He loves. So, any “harm” that happens is truly only good for me. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t play our part when necessary, and that we should neglect our role and expect Allah to do everything for us. Rather, it means that we should take action from a more trusting mindset, and from a positive place of thinking good of Allah.

So, how can husn al-dhan billah change your life? It means that you stop seeing everything as working against you, but rather, to working for you. It means that your tawakkul is much stronger, you believe that everything that Allah does is good, and so, you’re less anxious of what is to come. You see and you believe that Allah is always on your side, rooting for you. It also means you make du’a with more conviction, with certainty. You make du’a with the certainty that Allah is able to do for you what you think He can do for you. You make du’a just like Zakariyya (AS) did, when he said with certainty, “I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord!” (Qur’an 19:4).

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: '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.' "

Allah is just as you think He is to you. Having good thoughts about Allah put my mind at ease. The more I practised this, the more I started letting myself be. By Allah, it’s the best way to live, because you see Allah’s Hand (not literally) in everything, and you view life through a lens of His Love and Mercy. Only then will you start to realise, that no one can ever love you like Allah.

With love,

Latifah.

Founder, Tifah & Co.