Returning to your Rabb Before you Return to your Rabb: Stories from the Youth of the Ummah

Returning to your Rabb Before you Return to your Rabb: Stories from the Youth of the Ummah

Written By: Ifrah Ismail

I remember vividly the first time I recognized a miracle of Allah Azzawajal. One summer, I left the oven stove on for too long after cooking. While holding plastic tongs, my hand grazed the burner. I expected to feel a searing burn, but I didn't. I saw melted plastic on the tongs and burnt skin cells on my hand. They looked like white flakes, but I felt no pain. It was hard to believe that my hand had touched a 200-degree stove and come out unscathed.

That defining moment is not what called me to find Islam for myself. Instead, it was an amalgamation of similar events from my teen years. I believe my relationship with my Rabb (Master; Lord) changed through dua (supplication). I listened to a podcast episode on how to make powerful dua in 2019. I followed its tips sparingly that year but started seriously making dua the following year, during COVID. The episode mentioned just sitting down and talking. We spend so much time doing everything in our lives, but how often do we spend even 30 minutes talking to our Creator? In every salah (prayer), we say, "You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help." But how often are we humbling ourselves, raising our hands to the heavens, and asking for that help? I was no longer a stranger to my Creator, which forever altered my approach towards ibadah (worship). Every act of worship was done with intent and khashya (reverence). Every single dua I made that year was answered, from the ones I thought truly impossible to the ones I seemingly forgot. I sit here humbly on my bed; the very place I made those duas to living and breathing those answered prayers. To give you perspective, from the seemingly small - I got my first job and and was able to to relive one of my favourite days - to the supposedly large - I received over 20,000 dollars in scholarships and awards and got to move out. The only way I can describe it is that you're being called to truth.

Regardless of being born Muslim, we all seem to find Islam for ourselves. Other Muslims thought the same. For some, it was as simple as pondering the Quran and doing tadabbur (contemplation). For others, it was as simple as asking meaningful questions and making sincere dua. A biomedical student from the University of Ottawa answered this question beautifully; "As a kid, you learn about things to a certain degree. Islam taught me the truth more than anything else, or more so than anywhere else." When asked about a moment that moved his soul, he mentioned, "When I was a kid, I was told you could make dua to Allah SWT and have whatever you wanted if you ask. Rushing to make sincere dua for a toy car, I remember my dua wasn't answered, but then I learned about the three ways Allah SWT can answer your dua: it's accepted, it's replaced with something better in the akhirah (afterlife) or Allah SWT will prevent an equal amount of evil from reaching it. It made me feel a lot better about my unanswered dua and made me appreciate how wonderful and merciful Allah Subhana wa ta'ala is." 

In retrospect, I think all Muslims have come to the realization that Islam is the truth, whether that be over time or by making mistakes along the way. A third-year psychology student speaks  about her experience of finding Islam in the hearts of others, "In high school and at the beginning of university, I was lost and didn't have a sense of style or purpose. Religion wasn't a big part of my life until a friend introduced me to a group of Muslim girls in a psych group chat. They added me to other group chats and prayed regularly, which made me feel ashamed for not praying. However, they never forced me, and through their actions and genuine character, I learned a lot about Islam. It helped me fill the emptiness I had been feeling."  Understanding your deen (religion) is a vital component to making your way back to Allah SWT. Seeking clarifications around misconceptions, asking questions, or learning new information are all attempts people make to strengthen their relationship with their Rabb. Often, when non-Muslims ask about Islam, they receive answers about peace, which may not fully represent what Islam is. For example, one might say that Islam is a religion of peace or one with many rights, but these statements aren't entirely factual. Yes, all those things are correct, but in essence, linguistically and principally, Islam means submission to God, tawhid, the recognition of the oneness of Allah Azzawajal.

In turn, everything goes back to God. A third-year public policy student highlights this concept when answering a question about his relationship with the Quran and Sunnah (Prophetic tradition), "The whole concept of content comes from Allah SWT and you can't find that anywhere else. This idea that the hearts only find rest in the remembrance of Allah SWT and that this world is temporary." And when reflecting on defining moments where he realized Islam was the truth, he elaborates, "Again, I went to a funeral one time, and he was around my age, and Subhan'Allah, this happened multiple times…and you're looking at the guys who are still digging up the grave, and it's like a little eye-opening experience, and I heard a saying that the shawl they put on you when you die doesn't have pockets." 
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Ordinarily, there is no right time to return to your Rabb; there's only the present. I hope you gained a sense of community and learned that people turn back from multiple avenues. And there is no sequence of events that need to unfold in a particular manner before reconnecting with your Rabb. Be grateful for all the blessings and appreciate the small miracles. In the end, it’s just you, your deeds, and your Rabb, after all.