Muslim and Christian reflections on our spiritual health
People of all faiths turn to their religious teachings when faced with various hardships. Many of us seek refuge and solace in the divine words between our hands. Divine Perspectives writers Nauras Abulhaija and Sonia Salfity write about the power of faith, prayer and surrender.
By Nauras Abul Haija
A Muslim Perspective
Such challenging times are a great test of our faiths and a time to seek refuge in God’s mercy. Qur’anic verses and prophetic teachings help us cope with the ongoing genocide in Gaza and give us some solace.
Patience
Losing loved ones and homes, along with suffering physical and emotional trauma day in and day out
in Gaza, no doubt, is taking an unimaginable toll on the people there. Muslims face this with one of Islam’s most rewarding virtues: Patience. We are constantly reminded by Qu’ranic verses and prophetic teachings how to practice patience when suffering.
Patience, a trait shared by prophets, is mentioned in over a hundred verses in the Qu’ran. And the highest rewarded form of patience is in the face of hardships; here are a few examples of the rewards of manifesting resilience, from the Qu’ran: “Now await in patience the command of your God: For you are in our eyes”
(Qu’ran 52:48).
What a better reward any faithful would want than to be in the eyes and care of their God. This is the divine promise for those who patiently await.
This verse is a message and a promise to the people of Palestine and Gaza, who are patiently waiting for liberation and peace, and for this ordeal and suffering to end.
The prophetic tradition and teachings also have many examples that encourage believers to be patient during difficult times and suffering. The Prophet’s journey was not easy; he faced the loss of a home when he was driven out of Mecca, and he lost his beloved wife and the uncle who raised him, so his life is filled with examples of patience. Prophet Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH), says: “Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience” (Sahih Bukhari – Book 24 Hadith 548).
But the loss is inconceivable!
Families wiped out, children orphaned, women widowed, thousands murdered and the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, churches and mosques, is just too much. The losses are immense and the sadness is overwhelming, but God’s words console us by telling us the fate of those departed: “Think not of those slain in God’s way as dead. No, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord” (Qur’an 3:169).
The power of prayer
Believers of all faiths look to their Divine Creator in times of need; they also thank Him in times of prosperity and joy. We must admit that our emotions are always stronger when we fall to our knees in supplication, asking for God’s help and seeking refuge in His mercy.
Whether we are going through the horrors on the ground in occupied Palestine, suffering from afar, grieving for human souls, grieved mothers, injured people and lost land, the one thing that can comfort us is praying for the nightmare to end and for justice
to prevail.
You can contact Nauras Abul Haija at [email protected]
By Sonia Salfity,
A Christian Perspective
atching the horrific humanitarian crisis that the Palestinians are suffering in Gaza has been too heavy on all our hearts. We find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. Add to that the toll it takes to live in a constant state of fear in a volatile world and the need to tread carefully and sensitively on a daily basis.
Despite all of this, the Lord continues to call upon us to rise above any and all circumstances and to keep our eyes fixed on Him in good times and bad. He challenges us to pray for our enemies and even warns us about Spiritual Warfare as part of our human existence.
He reminds us that Satan is our biggest enemy who roams the earth to try to steal, kill and destroy that which the Lord has made. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” Ephesians (6:12).
“We must surrender to Him or risk slipping into a spiritual coma that causes us to spiral downward instead of upward”
Surrendering to God
As difficult as it is to trust God for all outcomes, we must surrender to Him or risk slipping into a spiritual coma that causes us to spiral downward instead of upward. The question becomes how to do this when we’re exposed to non-stop negative news and social
media coverage.
It will do us well to guard our hearts and minds from becoming so consumed with things we can’t control in the first place. We can do better by getting down on our knees, unplugging from social media and news channels and plugging into the power of prayer instead.
If we truly believe that prayer moves mountains, then we ought to strive for the discipline to give up some of the time we spend on media outlets and offer that time up to ask God for help. May we also learn to pray with expectancy and honesty because the Lord desires to hear from us as we cry out to him and ask: “Where are you in all of this?” If an earthly father loves, it is when his hurting kids come to him for comfort. How much more does our compassionate and merciful Heavenly Father expect us to go to Him?
His Holy Spirit becomes our ever-present counsellor as He grieves on our behalf when we are too overwhelmed to even know what to pray for. He fortifies us and turns our weakness into strength when we intentionally choose to put our trust in Him. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savour and my God,”
Psalm (43:5).
“He fortifies us and turns our weakness into strength when we intentionally choose to put our trust in Him”
His greatness
It is appropriate and necessary to lament the depressed conditions that surround us but we must remind ourself of this truth: Our God is bigger than any problem we will ever face. There is nothing that can possibly happen in this world that our Lord is not capable of handling.
May we never stop trusting that God is still sovereign and always will be. Despite the chaos in every direction, the Lord is not shocked by any of it. He is in control and always will be even when the whole world appears to be spinning out of control.
When we surrender our lives to Him, we can trust that He is always there for us and He will redeem everything for the good of all his people. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose,” Romans (8:28)
May the Holy Spirit give us the mind and heart of
Christ as we extend compassion and empathy to all who have suffered so much loss. May we be the kind of people who walk alongside them to help them heal
and find their hope in a God who cares enough to weep with them. May we also remember that our Lord never wastes any pain or suffering as He collects every tear that is shed and redeems it for our good and the good of everyone around us.
You can contact Sonia Salfity at [email protected]
