Is Difficulty a Sign That One Should Desist

Question: If one keeps trying to do something and continually fails, does that mean that Allah is telling you not to do it?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

If one keeps trying to do something and continually fails, it does not necessarily mean that Allah is telling you not to do it.

If it is an obligation, then one just has to keep asking Allah for help, and pick oneself up and try again. One should look hard at which permissible, offensive or even recommended actions are stopping one from doing something obligatory. For example, you keep missing Fajr because you are out with your friends at night, or reciting too much Qur’an at night. These obstacles need to be avoided.

If it is a sunna, the same applies. Look to see why you can’t do it. Sometimes, honestly, people just put too much on their plate. They keep failing at doing a certain sunna because they are just doing too much. Either they need to remove other less important things from their life, or just accept the fact they can’t do everything.

Salman al-Farisi said, ‘Be careful of going to extremes, adhere to moderation, and be consistent’ (Tabarani).

Please see:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/how-can-i-find-balance-in-religious-practice/

If it is something permissible, but it is important and one sees it as something that Allah wants one to do, then the same applies. If it is not, then if it doesn’t work out, then you can understand that it wasn’t meant to be. As they say, one of the signs of Divine success is that things come easily.

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language