Why Didn’t Allah Save Me and Send Me an Angel as a Sign?


Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I’ve been suffering for years and I’ve come to a point where I’m unable to bear it anymore. Everywhere I see that Allah doesn’t burden more than I can bear but for me. it is more than I can bear, so it feels like a lie. I ask Allah for help but He ignores me. I asked Allah to send a sign or an angel within the day to tell me that I would be healed soon so I could keep trusting Him but He didn’t do it. I don’t feel like praying to Him.

I started to feel hate toward Him because He sent miracles to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) but can’t send them to me. If he is all-powerful, why didn’t he save me? Why are religious people telling me to pray to Allah when I suffer when He won’t even hear those who badly need him?

Answer

Thank you for your question. I empathize with your suffering and sadness but you are amplifying your pain by having the wrong understanding of your Lord.

Burden

Allah Most High has told us in the Quran, “God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its bad- ‘Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.’ [Quran, 2:286]

His promise is true, He is the most Just and doesn’t lie. If you search deep within yourself, you will find that it is true, and you will find peace with it, by His grace.

Three ways

Abu Sa`id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Any Muslim who makes a supplication containing nothing which is sinful or which involves breaking ties of relationship will be given for it by God one of three things: He will give him a speedy answer, or store it up for him in the next world, or turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil.’ Those who heard it said they would then make many supplications, and he replied, ‘God is more ready to answer than they were to ask.’” [Ahmad]

This shows us that Allah Most High will send you an answer to your supplications when He deems it best. Although you think that you deserve to be sent miracles, Allah Most High has decided not to and you should trust in Him regarding that. Asking for miracles is contrary to the etiquettes of supplication.

Test

Allah Most High has not promised that life will be a walk through the park for believers. Rather, He said in the Quran, “Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test?” [Quran, 29:2] He also mentioned in the Quran, “He is the One Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving. [Quran, 67:2]

Tests and tribulations are not easy but they are the hallmark of this world. I encourage you to face these tests with patience, submission and trust in Allah. Respond to the suffering with regular prayer and strive for contentment with your lot in life. Allah Most High doesn’t need your prayers, you do. It is better for you and it will keep you on the right path to Allah’s pleasure. Your bitterness will not get you far, I ask you to change your attitude and be positive.

Dua

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي أُعْظِمُ شُكْرَكَ وَأُكْثِرُ ذِكْرَكَ وَأَتَّبِعُ نُصْحَكَ وَأَحْفَظُ وَصِيَّتَك.

Abu Huraira said that a supplication he had learned from God’s messenger and which he would never give up was, “O God, make me thank Thee greatly, keep Thee in my memory often, follow Thy counsel, and keep Thy injunction.” [Tirmidhi]

Please see more details here:

Adab of Dua Series: Introduction and Etiquette

The Many States That Can Change Your Fate – Adab of Du’a 24

Am I Accountable if I Can’t Be Patient in a Test?

How Do You Distinguish Between a Test From Allah and Punishment?

What Should I Expect from Allah? Anxious and Bitter

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied Aqidah, Fiqh, Tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied Fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.