A SHORT REFLECTION

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.  He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.   It seemed to stop making any progress.  It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could. and it could go no further.

The man decided to help the butterfly.  He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily.  But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, whic would contract in time.  Neither happened!  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.  It was never able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Allah's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.  If Allah allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.  We would not be as strong as what we could have been.  We could never "fly"!

I asked for strength...

And Allah gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom...

And Allah gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity...

And Allah gave me brain and brawn to work.

I asked for courage...

And Allah gave me danger to overcome.

I asked for love...

And Allah gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favours...

And Allah gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted...

I received everything I needed!

"Fataba rakallahuahsanul khaliqin"

"So blessed be Allah, the best to Create!"

  Translation of Sahih Muslim Volume 1, Book 2, Number 22:

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:

Allah's Apostle said, "While I was sleeping I saw (in a dream) some people wearing shirts of which some were reaching up to the breasts only while others were even shorter than that. Umar bin Al-Khattab was shown wearing a shirt that he was dragging." The people asked, "How did you interpret it? (What is its interpretation) O Allah's Apostle?" He (the Prophet ) replied, "It is the Religion."

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