The Muslimah Musings

Pleasing Allah

Author's note

Hello and As-salamu alaykum everyone! Thank you all for bothering to read, vote, and comment on my book. Just so you know, this is not really a story, it's more like pieces of advice for things that happen in life. I'm so sorry if that's not what you expected as this is my first book, yet I hope you like it.

Khayra

The Prophet, Muhammad (SAW) said; "Whoever seeks Allah's pleasure at the expense of men's displeasure, will win Allah's Pleasure and Allah will cause men to be pleased with him. But whoever seeks men's pleasure at the expense of Allah's Displeasure, will win Allah's Displeasure and Allah will cause men to be displeased with him."

Ever since I heard this hadith (sayings of the Prophet [SAW]), it has been ingrained in my brain. I couldn't forget it because it answered the questions I had about life. I never forgot it because it answered my questions of why people are never pleased with me no matter what I do.

I remember that there was a time in my life when the only thing that mattered was people being pleased with me. Because of this, I lived so many different lives in different places. At school, I was very intelligent and when my teachers noticed this, I was determined to do anything to maintain my good grades so that I could please my teachers. With my friends, I wanted to be cool, wanted to belong, and I was determined to do anything that they wanted me to do so that they could be pleased with me. Anytime I attended my Islamic lessons on weekends, I was a different person altogether. I would read my Qur'an eloquently and perfectly, I would do all of my assignments, I would endeavour to answer all the questions asked in class, I would dress very decently and modestly -I even wore a niqab(face cover) once, just to get my ustadh (Islamic teacher) to be pleased with him. At home, with my parents, I was just an innocent little girl. I'll do everything that they wanted me to do -even if I still disobey them sometimes, but it was always at the back of my mind to please them, so that they could be happy with me. At that time, people being pleased with me was my happiness.

It's no longer a wonder anymore why I wasn't happy, because that hadith made me understand what I was doing wrong. I can't even really remember a time, at that time, when I did something for only Allah. That's why that epic time, when I 'reverted' to Islam, I tried to look for another balance to stand on since people wouldn't be pleased with me no matter what I do, and I found it in Islam -by pleasing Allah.

One thing that still surprises me is the fact that the time I decided to do things for myself, be myself, and work to please Allah, was the time that all the things I've always wanted started to come to me. I changed my school because I couldn't face my former friends with who I've become and till now, they still don't know who I am. In my new environment, people started to like me for who I am, I started to have genuine friends, the opposite sex started to respect me, and I just started to wear the hijab. It was a much-needed change, just having only one side of me, one face, to show everyone.

So, in short, if we want people's pleasure, pleasing Allah first helps, because even till now, there are still people that still don't like me for what I do and whether they respect for that or not, I don't care anymore. Because for the first time in a very long time, I'm happy with whom I've become and I believe that no amount of people's pleasure and acceptance is equal to the little I have for myself.