A verse in the Book of Allah caused me to stop and reflect for quite some time, and it deserves for me to stop at it:

“And it is He Who sends down the rain after they have despaired, and spreads abroad His Mercy. And He is the Guardian, the Praiseworthy.”}

So, in my mind, I imagined how the people would panic over their families, livestock, and land due to the severe drought occurring in the midst of the oppressive, scorching heat.

They had hope in Allah and turned to supplication until they had no hope left, and were sure that they would perish. Suddenly, the rain surprises them as it falls freely and vastly from the sky into the valleys of the Earth as a sign of the Mercy of Allah, so that the land would come back to live along with these lives and souls after they had lost all hope!

And how beautiful is it that the verse is capped with the Names of Allah, al-Wali (the Guardian) al-Hamid (the Praiseworthy), as He is the sole Guardian of His slaves, who is sufficient for them and has Himself taken on their affairs at all times! Because of this, He alone is deserving of praise at all times…

Every guardian other than Him forgets, makes mistakes, falls short, or is heedless…

As for al-Wali al-Hamid, my Lord does not forget or make mistakes. Glory be to Him, He does not become tired or sleep. He is the Living, the Self-sustaining. Therefore, everyone who takes Him as a guardian will find Him – without a doubt – the best Guardian and Assister. He spreads His Mercy to His allies all the time and everywhere, even in the most uncomfortable of places and the most pressing of times… And my imagination continues with the caravan of the righteous of the past traversing through time…

So, I remember Ibrahim, the intimate friend of Allah, as he is surrounded by his people from all sides, accusing him of smashing their gods and using this to frighten him. So, he answers them with the firmness of one who expects the best of his Lord and Guardian, with more firmness than a mountain {“Do you dispute with me concerning Allah while He has guided me, and I fear not those whom you associate with Allah in worship? Nothing can happen to me except when my Lord Wills something. My Lord comprehends in His Knowledge all things.

Will you not then remember? And how should I fear those whom you associate in worship with Allah while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah things for which He has not sent down to you any authority. So, which of the two groups is more deserving of security? If you only knew.”}

Which of the two groups is more deserving of security and assuming the best of his guardian- he whose guardian is the Controller of the Heavens and Earth, having in His Hand the entire Universe? Or he whose guardians dispute and are divided partners who cannot harm or benefit themselves or others? The answer comes loud and clear:

{“It is those who believe and do not mix their belief with wrongdoing (polytheism).

For them, there is security, and they are the guided.”}17

So, security and tranquility, which are from the results of expecting the best of Allah, are all from the fruits of Tawhid.And I then imagine his people while they are carrying him in their arms and throwing himinto the middle of the fire, and he does nothing with his firm heart and confidence in his Guardian except to say “Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of my affairs.”

I then think of his blessed wife, who he left with their child in a valley without vegetation without even turning to look back while she was calling him: “O Ibrahim! O Ibrahim! Who did you leave us with in this place?” She then realizes after her amazement at his continuing to walk away without turning back to look at her, and she says: “Did Allah command you to do this?” He replied: “Yes.” So, she replied, with the best expectation of her Guardian:

“Therefore, He will not abandon us.” So, may Allah bless such a husband and wife!

And I remember in this noble caravan Nuh in the depths of time as he stands alone facing his people, challenging them while he is alone and strange. However, the one who reflects on his words comes to know the strength of his confidence in his Guardian and his good expectation regarding His assistance:

{“And recite to them the news of Nuh, when he said to his people: “O my people, if my stay and my reminding you of the signs of Allah is hard on you, I put my trust in 16 al-An’am; 80-81 17 al-An’am; 82

Allah. So, devise your plot, you and your partners, and let not your plot be in doubt for you. Then, pass your sentence on me and give me no respite.””} After him, Hud faced the most powerful tyrants on Earth, whom Allah had described as possessing power. He stood in their faces and said with confidence: {“I call Allah to witness and bear you witness that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners in worship with Him. So, plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature except that He has grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Path.”} And I think of the noble group of youths who expected the best of their Guardian and opposed those they were close to and far from in order to please Him. So, they left the closest of people to them in order to flee to their Guardian and away from polytheism and sin, and in order to please Him, they exchanged their comfortable lives for a small cave. So, Allah expanded it for them out of the Mercy that He poured forth on them:

{“…Seek refuge in the cave, and your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make for your affair easy for you.”}

And I reflect on His Saying: {“…will open a way for you from His Mercy…”}, and I come to know that Allah’s Mercy is so vast that just some of it – an amount known to Allah – was enough to make that cave, this prison, or this cell into a garden from the gardens of Paradise.