Allah helps those who are devoted to Him. True devotion to the Quran, it is given clearly that the only purpose of the creation of humans is to worship Allah. Unfortunately, we forget that and we are indulged in worldly pleasures and forget Allah. We need to understand what is our responsibility. We just keep praying and asking for our problems to be solved. Allah says:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
“And said your Lord, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who (are) proud to worship Me will enter Hell (in) humiliation.” (Surah Ghafir 40:60)
We forget that we need Allah’s help and strength to guide us. When we get too caught up with Dunya (this life) we often think we can do it on our own without His help. We have to know that nothing changes without the strength and power of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). Allah says:
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.” (Surat Al-Nahl, 16:97)
Understanding the issue of God’s tests takes a while to figure out, but the main rule is true. If you read about the lives of all of God’s Prophets, you will find that they all went through very difficult hardships. It is one of God’s consistent and universal laws that when God loves someone, He will test him/her with trials in this world. Allah says:
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
“Those who believed and find satisfaction their hearts in the remembrance (of) Allah. No doubt, in the remembrance of Allah find satisfaction the hearts.” (Surah Al-Rad, 13:28)
Praying for others is a recommended deed in Islam, and is guaranteed to be answered. When you pray for someone else, you also get a similar benefit. But that does not mean you should not pray for yourself, you should do both.
Here are some tips to achieve closeness to Allah 
:
- We forget that we need Allah’s help and strength to guide us
- We remember Allah in achieving closeness to Him
- We follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
- We need to seek refuge in Allah in everything
- We say Alhamdulillah so Allah will give you more
- We say Astaghfirullah a lot to erase our sins
- We need to get any poisons out of your life
- We should read more about the Prophet
- We need to ask Him for His help
- We set goals and have visions
- We stay connected to the Quran
- We must learn to fall in love with our Creator
- We look outside the window and say Subhan-Allah
- We know Allah [SWT] through His Beautiful Names
- We should be productive, seek knowledge and take action
- We seek refuge in Allah , He will make everything easier
Here are some ways to get Allah’s Help:
Asking for Forgiveness: Even before asking Allah for help, we need to cleanse our hearts of debris. . . Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers. [Quran, 71:10-12]
Helping yourself: Make sure that you have done everything possible. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. [Quran, 19:25]
Obeying Allah and Avoiding Haram: We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to fulfil Allah’s commands and avoid everything forbidden by Him. The Prophet mentioned the story of a dishevelled traveller asking for help:
Prayer: First of all pray the obligatory prayers on time and with concentration. Be aware of what you’re saying in prayer. Make prayer from the heart so that your eyes start watering. Allah has said in the above ayah that seeking help will be a colossal difficulty except for those who have khushu’, i.e. consciousness of Allah.
Point to ponder: Allah has said in the Quran that He answers whoever calls upon Him, and He is All-Hearing and All-Seeing. He knows our heart’s deepest secrets, He knows us better than we know ourselves. He said,
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“And when ask you My servants about Me, then indeed I am near. I respond (to the) invocation (of) the supplicant when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me and let them believe in Me, so that they may (be) led aright.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:186)
Patience is linked with hope and trust in Allah. When something bad happens, we can force ourselves to be patient by reminding ourselves that with hardship comes ease and that after a period of hardship Allah gives relief. We can only be truly patient when we realize that everything is from Allah, and that is how everything is illuminated. It is the opposite of darkness and impatience. Impatience is darkness because it frustrates us, we can behave rashly and we do not see the wisdom in the delay.
أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا
“Establish the prayer, at the decline (of) the sun till (the) darkness (of) the night and Quran at dawn, indeed, the Quran (at) the dawn is ever witnessed.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:78)
If we are thankful to God for the good things that happen, this is good for us. If we are patient when bad things happen to us, this is also good for us. And God always chooses what is best for people.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
- “And Allah loves the steadfast.” (Quran 3:146)
- “And Allah loves the doers of good.” (Quran 3:134)
- “Indeed, Allah loves the righteous [who fear Him].” (Quran 9:04)
- “Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him] on.” (Quran 3:159)
- “Indeed Allah loves those who are constantly repentant.” (Holy Quran 2:222)
- “…indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.” (Quran, 39:10)
- “Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who keep aloof from what is vain, And who are givers of the poor-rate. . .” (Quran 23:1-3)
- “Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Quran 3:31)
- “O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” (Quran, 2:153)
Allah loves the repentant slave, who constantly turns back to Him, knowing He is the All-Forgiving, Most-Forgiving, the Acceptor of Repentance, the Pardoner. No matter how often one repeats a sin, and no matter how grave the sin is, one should constantly turn back to Allah. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek towards Him the means and strive hard in His way, so that you may succeed.” (Surah Al-Maidah 5:35)
We need to ask Him for His help, even if it is to get closer to Him or become better at worshipping Him. We need to seek refuge in Allah in everything. It could be negative thoughts we have, our lack of productivity or even our lack of faith. We need to ask Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) to help us and guide us to the Straight Path. Allah says:
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
“Certainly, is for you in (the) Messenger (of) Allah an excellent example for (one) who has hope (in) Allah and the Day the Last, and remembers Allah much.” (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21)
God does test those people whom He loves most. Prophets, those nearest to God, always had very difficult lives. But don’t look at everything painful or difficult as a test, and don’t look at happy, easy things in life as a blessing. Allah may test you with ease as much as he tests you with hardship. Be patient and think of how God intends to bless you through your hardship, and in that way, even the most difficult situation can be a gift from God if you have the right attitude. Allah says:
وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ الْغَافِلِينَ
“Remember your Lord in yourselves with humility and in private without announcing it in the mornings and evenings, and do not be among the heedless.” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:205)
Remembrance of Allah is the foundation of all good deeds. Whoever succeeds in it is blessed with the close friendship of Allah. That is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to make remembrance of Allah at all times. When a man complained, “The laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow,” the Prophet told him, “Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of Allah.” May Allah guide us to the path that takes us closer to Him. Ameen.
