Whatever the reason, a woman suddenly found herself in front of a fait accompli. Her husband said that she was as his mother, which meant he would never sleep with her any more. She knew her husband meant what he said. She knew that was a common practise in her community. So what did she do? Well, she didn't resign herself to it. She didn't solicit the services of a witch. She simply decided to speak up against this practise which she deemed unjust. How? Well, she didn't run to the village center and start screaming. She went to God's Messenger (pbuh) and spoke to him about her problem. And this is what happened next:

"Allah hath heard the saying of her that disputeth with thee (Muhammad) concerning her husband, and complaineth unto Allah. And Allah heareth your colloquy. Lo! Allah is Nearer, Knower. Such of you as put away your wives (by saying they are as their mothers) They are not their mothers; none are their mothers except those who gave them birth; they indeed utter an ill word and a lie. And lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (Al-Mujadila : 1-2)

Not only did that good woman solve her own problem, but she also saved so many other women who had been suffering from the same practise. Moreover, she taught us how to solve our own problems wherever and whenever we may be. She taught us to seek solutions in God's Message. In her lifetime, she could go and speak to the Prophet (pbuh). That is no more possible. But the Prophet (pbuh) said : "I have left for you something that if you cling to it you will never err after [my death] – [that is,] Allah's book [the Koran] and my Sunna." And here is the Koran. It's available in cheap books. It's available free on the Web.

"Lo! this Quran guideth unto that which is straightest, and giveth tidings unto the believers who do good works that theirs will be a great reward." (Al-Isra : 9) This Koran is a "clear indication for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy for a folk whose faith is sure." (Al-Jathiya : 20) God reveals "of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for believers" (Al-Isra : 82) So why not turn to the Koran even as an act of last resort--all the more so as "No calamity befalleth save by Allah's leave. And whosoever believeth in Allah, He guideth his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things." (At-Tagaboun : 11)

How could we ever find a solution to our problem(s) if we turn away from God who says to us: "Allah would explain to you and guide you by the examples of those who were before you, and would turn to you in mercy. Allah is Knower, Wise. And Allah would turn to you in mercy; but those who follow vain desires would have you go tremendously astray. Allah would make the burden light for you, for man was created weak." (An-Nisaa : 26-28)

God said to Moses and his brother "Go, both of you, unto Pharaoh. Lo! he hath transgressed (the bounds). And speak unto him a gentle word, that peradventure he may heed or fear. They said: Our Lord! Lo! we fear that he may be beforehand with us or that he may play the tyrant. He said: Fear not. Lo! I am with you twain, Hearing and Seeing." (Ta-ha : 43-46) And God was not only with Moses and his brother. "Hast thou not seen that Allah knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth? There is no secret conference of three but He is their fourth, nor of five but He is their sixth, nor of less than that or more but He is with them wheresoever they may be; and afterward, on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Lo! Allah is Knower of all things." (Al-Mujadila : 7) How could we find solutions far away from God who "is Knower of all things"?

But what should we expect of God? Well, He taught us in those verses above! God could have destroyed Pharaoh, but He instead chose to send Moses to him that he may guide him on a right path. He said : "And speak unto him a gentle word, that peradventure he may heed or fear." God gives us the ability to act and choose and decide for ourselves and does not do everything in our place. "And if Allah willed He could have punished them (without you) but (thus it is ordained) that He may try some of you by means of others." (Muhammad : 4) So while seeking God's help and guidance we will always have to make use of our minds and own (available) means to try and solve our problems. What God gave us in the Koran is great already. For it is evident that to solve a problem you have to understand it first, and the Koran does help us understand our problems if we read it carefully.

Let's read this, for example: "They will ask thee of Dhul-Qarneyn. Say: I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him. Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave unto every thing a road. And he followed a road Till, when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout: We said: O Dhul-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness. He said: As for him who doeth wrong, we shall punish him, and then he will be brought back unto his Lord, who will punish him with awful punishment! But as for him who believeth and doeth right, good will be his reward, and We shall speak unto him a mild command. Then he followed a road Till, when he reached the rising place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed no helper therefrom. So (it was). And We knew all concerning him. Then he followed a road Till, when he came between the two mountains, he found upon their hither side a folk that scarce could understand a saying. They said: O Dhul-Qarneyn! Lo! Gog and Magog are spoiling the land. So may we pay thee tribute on condition that thou set a barrier between us and them? He said: That wherein my Lord hath established me better (than your tribute). Do but help me with strength (of men), I will set between you and them a bank. Give me pieces of iron till, when he had levelled up (the gap) between the cliffs, he said: Blow! till, when he had made it a fire, he said: Bring me molten copper to pour thereon. And (Gog and Magog) were not able to surmount, nor could they pierce (it). He said: This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord cometh to pass, He will lay it low, for the promise of my Lord is true." (Al-Kahf : 83-98)

This is a wonderful example of how God does respect man's freedom of choice. "We said: O Dhul-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness. He said: As for him who doeth wrong, we shall punish him, and then he will be brought back unto his Lord, who will punish him with awful punishment! But as for him who believeth and doeth right, good will be his reward, and We shall speak unto him a mild command. " And God accepted that (wise) reply. But Dhul-Qarneyn did not accept the offer from the people who feared Gog and Magog. "He said: That wherein my Lord hath established me better (than your tribute)." And what did he do next to help those people? Well, he didn't sit down and burst into prayer. He didn't wait for God to tell him what to do. He started work immediately. He solicited everybody to contribute to his project. He used his mind to design the project, but he also used the physical strength of the men who couldn't use their minds properly. And when the project was realized (thanks to everybody's contributions), "He said: This is a mercy from my Lord"!

Dhul-Qarneyn did not ascribe his achievement to his own intellectual powers because he was of those who understood what Abraham (pbuh) meant by saying to his people: "Allah hath created you and what ye make?" (As-Saffat : 96) He was not of those who would say :"I have been given it only on account of knowledge I possess." (Al-Qasas : 78) And that's the fruit of the trust that there has always been between God and those who believe in Him and respect His Word. Haven't you read this verse which says: "So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can"? Who on earth can ever tell me whether or not I have kept my duty to Allah (swt) as best I could? It's, therefore, a matter of trust. If I trust God, God will trust me. And what does God want of me, after all, if not to act lawfully for my own good? Listen to what God says to you and me: "So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful." (At-Tagaboun : 16)

See? God wants you and me to be successful! That's all. That's why He warns us. That's why He guides us.

"O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Your wealth and your children are only a temptation, whereas Allah! with Him is an immense reward." (At-Tagaboun : 14-15) "O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers." (Al-Munafiqun : 9)

We all love the world. Who would not like to live happily with a loving spouse and lovely children in a splendid home?

"Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring, and stored up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land." But "That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode. Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who keep from evil, with their Lord, are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, and pure companions, and contentment from Allah. Allah is Seer of His bondmen" (Al-i'Imran : 14-15) "Lo! We have placed all that is in the earth as an ornament thereof that we may try them: which of them is best in conduct." (Al-Kahf : 7) "Nay, but ye do love the fleeting Now And neglect the Hereafter." (Al-Qiyamat : 20-21) And that's the mistake we shouldn't make.

"Say: Shall We inform you who will be the greatest losers by their works? Those whose effort goeth astray in the life of the world, and yet they reckon that they do good work. Those are they who disbelieve in the revelations of their Lord and in the meeting with Him. Therefor their works are vain, and on the Day of Resurrection We assign no weight to them." (Al-Kahf : 103-105) Would it be worth it to win the World's respect and lose God's esteem? Would it be wise to let "Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you Until ye come to the graves"? (At-Takathur : 1-2)

And then "Whoso desireth the reward of the world, (let him know that) with Allah is the reward of the world and the Hereafter. Allah is ever Hearer, Seer." (An-Nisaa : 134) "But seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah hath given thee and neglect not thy portion of the world, and be thou kind even as Allah hath been kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not corrupters" (Al-Qasas : 77)

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