Will my Needs Never be Met if I Keep Complaining About My Afflictions to Someone Other Than Allah? – Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

After complaining about various afflictions to someone, and considering the hadith that promises provision to those who beseech Allah rather than people, does this mean I will never be satisfied with those matters? What if I now pray to Allah for relief or repent for my complaints?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question and for seeking guidance.

If you complain about something to someone and not Allah Most High, it does not mean your needs will not be met. It is natural and normal to take support from others and share life’s ups and downs and tests so they can give guidance and advice like you have done seeking guidance from us – Allah reward you for your good opinion.

However, when seeking advice from others, keep your main focus on Allah and ask Him to redirect you unto Him by being with them.

Devil Attacks Believers Who Are Alone

The believer is a mirror of another believer, as mentioned in a hadith, so when we are in difficulty, we find a group of believers to allow us to redirect ourselves.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) reported by Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, Satan is a wolf amongst humanity like the wolf who seizes the sheep wandering and straying from the flock. Beware of the winding mountain paths. You must stay with the wider community.” [Musnad Ahmad]

Be with the group, and beware of remaining alone, for the Shaitan is close to the one who is alone and is distant from two people. Whoever seeks the fragrance of Paradise, let them hold fast to the group.

Be Patient and Thankful at the Same Time

The believer sees everything as being from Allah. He holds to patience (sabr), remaining firm on what is pleasing to Allah, and should always be accompanied by thankfulness (shukr), as the believer sees everything as a blessing–an opportunity to draw closer to Allah and for eternal reward.

This makes every moment of the believer’s life beautiful and blessed, as the verses above make clear.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related

• Questions & Answers – Why We Suffer Series – SeekersGuidance
• Dealing With Tribulations: A Comprehensive Reader – SeekersGuidance
• The Believer Is the Mirror of the Believer – SeekersGuidance
• The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – YouTube
• The Book Of Wisdoms [Kitab al-Hikam with Ikmal al-Shiyam] – White Thread Press
• Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart: Hamza Yusuf: 9780985565909: Amazon.com: Books (Book)

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?

I pray this helps answer your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.