We all want flawless peace.

We want that immunity from pain and heartbreak, and we seek to feel understood and secure in our own skin. We want our love to be reciprocated and our loved ones to be safe and sound.

Yet we turn to the mindless crescendo deafening our hearts and intoxicating our senses from our earphones.  We watch that which blinds us from the truth of reality, while making us desperately covet fantasies spun by our nafs (base desires).

We scroll blindly through social media, feeling increasingly dissatisfied and coveting what others have almost obsessively.

When we look up, we don’t see the blessings all around; instead, we fixate, with the critical eyes of a consumer waiting for every desire to be satisfied, on the ‘shortcomings’ of our lives.

SubhanAllah, it’s no wonder that peace eludes us. We look for it in the wrong places, and we rely on that which is inherently imperfect.

These flawed beings, objects, or pastimes are ultimately destructive to our serenity because they are not meant to be our source of Salaam -the beautiful, impenetrable refuge where storms cannot shatter us.

As-Salaam is the One Who is free from all flaws and faults. So, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ is Perfect, without a second thought, in His Names, in Himself, His Attributes, and His Actions.

As-Salaam also conveys that Allah is the Source of Salaam (which is often translated as ‘peace‘ but is so much more).  

We worship the Flawless, the Provider of Salaam, and the One Who Protects His servants from flaws in this world and the Hereafter.

How do we relate these two beautiful meanings in our conception of Allah and in how we live our life stories?

This is a secret I will soon reveal.

But first-

Have you ever encountered or seen a picture of people who have destruction all around them, who you know have suffered or are suffering great loss or immense burdens, but who smile at you with a warming radiance that seems almost otherworldly?

A smile that instantly sets your heart at rest when seconds ago it was breaking for them.

That light they have is not of this world – it’s from Allah.

Can we too gain that healing, beautifying light? Absolutely, bi’idhnillah.

Now, how do I know this?

Because we’ve got the best of examples before us, the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ was an avalanche of adversity, he lost love after love, and what’s worse, he had to watch his beloved companions suffer and perish before his eyes because of the message that he brought from Allah, because of his mission that changed the course of all their lives.

However, our Messenger ﷺ was not one to let his grief and sorrow get in the way of his world-altering mission.  On the contrary, even though he suffered more than any of the brilliant people striving around him, he rose above his pain and adversity and became a source of comfort and inspiration to us and them.

It is As-Salaam who gave His beautiful Messenger ﷺ this unique ability to be steadfast in the sandstorm and share his calming fragrance like a rose in the arid desert.

And while his ﷺ standard of excellence is beyond us, what makes you think our generous Lord will not gift His sincere, striving, believing slaves with soul-deep tranquility that graces this turbulent life?

So, the ‘secret’ life hack behind Allah’s Name As-Salaam is that we live our lives with the unshakable conviction that whatever Allah Wills has a Perfect Divine Wisdom and whatever He decrees has a Maslaha- a positive reason why it happens.

Why?

Because every attribute and action of As-Salaam is free from flaws or deficiencies, which means that they are free from randomness, oppression, injustice, or any form of evil for evil’s sake. Rather, the evil we see is allowed to happen because of a Wisdom perceived by Allah; it is not something He loves or is pleased with.

This should translate into our lives and our hearts as…peace. As we mentioned, true peace is only experienced when we seek it from the Source of Peace, and our ultimate goal should be to attain our Eternal Home in Darus-Salaam (The Abode of Salaam); Jannah.

And the meaning of Salam goes beyond the word ‘peace.’  For instance, when we greet our brothers and sisters with “As-Salaamu Alaikum”, we are asking Allah for His protection for that individual from all forms of flaws, sadness, problems, anxieties, and trials that could befall them in this life and the next.

Therefore, we must live our lives fully and beautifully under the merciful guidelines and follow the best of examples of Allah’s Book and His Messenger to attain that overflowing, light-filled, confidence-boosting security, tranquility, contentment, and reassurance that can only come from As-Salaam.

Knowing Allah

As Muslims, we should not approach our faith as addicts to that delicious yet short-lived spiritual high. We should be men and women of action, chasing beneficial knowledge to change ourselves with it and draw closer to Allah’s Pleasure.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺsaid,

“Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.”

[Sahih Muslim 2699]

As we saw in the introduction, just one Name of Allah (As-Salaam) is filled with so much hope, comfort, empowerment, and perspective for us as believers.

There is no brand of knowledge as vital, profound, and transformative as learning Who your Lord is. The scholars say [see references] that it is the basis and foundation of every other knowledge, and the basis of the slave of Allah to know of his happiness, to perfect his affairs, and to work for his other life.

Here’s a beautiful quote shared by Sister Youssra Kamel Kandil:

“The more you get to know Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ the more you will love Him. And the more you love Him, it’s easier for you to obey Him. And the more you obey Him, the more joyous and blessed your life will be in this world and the Hereafter.”

Therefore, let’s be real with ourselves, brothers and sisters, and not expect Salaam in our lives if we don’t put in the work!

Remembering Allah

In general, two things tend to distort our sense of reality.

The first is when we are not where we think we’re supposed to be, in whatever aspect of life.

The second is when we judge everything by comparing our mundane lives with the highlight reel of other people’s lives, made extremely easily through social media.

A believer has good expectations of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ and strives for His good opinion.

Nothing else should matter. As long as we are striving towards pleasing Allah, we are on the right track even if the world seems to be progressing faster than us.

This is a worldview that is admittedly easier said than put into practice, but, as always, Allah has given us an incredible tool to achieve this powerful and empowering shift in mindset.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us:

“The best dhikr is ‘La ilaha illallah, and the best du’a is ‘Alhamdulillah.”

[Sunan Tirmidhi 3383]

While all adkhaar have amazing benefits, I wanted to draw your attention to the above, as it represents two invaluable perspectives that will help us cultivate contentment with the decree of As-Salaam.

First, it draws our attention that our lives should revolve around our purpose - namely, worshipping Allah in all the diverse and beautiful ways He has set out for us.

And secondly, it reminds us to look at the world through a lens of shukr (gratitude) and hamd (praise of Allah) because whatever befalls a believer is good.

In whatever happens, however painful or difficult, we need to train ourselves to genuinely search around for greater meaning, hope, and positivity.

And if this is too hard, we need to be certain that there is perfect Wisdom behind every situation, leading to undoubted goodness because all Allah’s actions are Flawless.

Trusting Allah

Once we spend time getting to know Allah and engaging with Him whenever we can through constant dhikr and du’a, placing all our affairs in His Hands and breathing a sigh of relief will become more and more effortless.

Not only in good times but painful or disorientating moments, we should be able to say, “HasbiAllahu Wa Ni’mal Wakeel” – “Sufficient for me is Allah, He is the Best Disposer of Affairs.”

Here, we are saying, “Here I am, O Allah, between Your Hands. I trust in Your Plan for Me, Ya Rabb.”

Ibn Al Taimiyyah رحيم الله embodies this liberating level of trust in Allah when he was faced with a situation that would make even the bravest heart quail.  He was locked up in jail for his faith and was faced with the threat of imminent death or prolonged separation from everything he loved.

This type of torture is not new to Muslims, even today. May Allah grant our Ummah freedom, justice, and aafiyah (every type of ease), Allahumma Aameen.

But what was this noble scholar’s response during this harrowing experience?

He said رحيم الله,

“What can my enemies do to me? My paradise and my garden are in my heart wherever I go. They are with me and never leave me. If I am imprisoned, it is seclusion for worship. If I am killed, it is martyrdom. If they expel me from my land, it is tourism (to spread the Word of Allah).”

[Al-Waabil Al-Sayyib 1/48]

What a response! Those who worship and trust As-Salam, the Flawless One, are unfazed by their external situation; they carry a place of Salam within them- their happy place born from yaqeen (certainty) in Allah.

The dunya is unpredictable by nature; there are inevitable ups and downs, highs that raise us to cloud nine, and lows that bring us crashing to earth. But when we trust in the One worthy of our complete submission and reliance- we remain grounded with hearts that bloom with light and hope.

Here is a beautiful remembrance, which if you recite seven times every morning (Fajr time) and evening (Asr time), Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎ promises to give you whatever you desire in this world and the next:

حسبى الله لا إله إلا هو عليه توكلت وهو رب العرش العظيم

HasbiAllah laa illaha illa huwa ‘alaihi tawakkaltu wa huwa rabb al-‘arsh il-‘azeem.

“Sufficient for me is Allah, there is no God besides Him; in Him I have put my trust and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.”

[Sunan Abi Dawud- Graded Marfoo’]

Stay tuned for the next article, In Shaa Allah, where we will explore some beautiful stories, both familiar and (I daresay) unfamiliar, where we can glean gems of how to approach our relationship with As-Salaam with profound and unshakable reliance.

References:

Explanation of the Beautiful Names of Allah by Muhammad Tim Humble –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHhadArDjRs

Explanation of the Beautiful Names of Allah (Part 30) As-Salaam by Muhammad Tim Humble-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew1bF-nvsgc