In the hustle and bustle of the twenty-first century, hope often gives way to despair. Not because we no longer have reason to hope, but because we are so preoccupied and busy with affairs of this world that we do not give hope the chance to blossom. Hope in Allah motivates us to perform good deeds and to abandon our base materialistic desires for the sake of righteousness. God is merciful, what we see around us every day is only one per cent of His mercy. Allah Says:
تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
“They arise from their beds and they supplicate their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend from what We have provided them.” (Surah As-Sajda 32:16)
One deed of the heart is to have constant hope in the kindness, generosity, and favours of Allah. One should be optimistic and never lose hope in the bounty of Allah, God has supplied us with an unending supply of hope. And when we begin to feel the pangs of hopelessness, we need to remember that God gave us every reason to rely on Him and to hope for His forgiveness and His mercy. Allah Says:
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ
“Verily, they would hasten to good deeds and supplicate to Us in hope and fear, and they were humbly submissive to Us.” (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:90)
The life of this world is filled with tests, trials, and tribulations but these must be faced with patience and hope. Hope that God will guide you to the best outcome. Hope will guide you through the darkness, but despair will only lengthen the journey. We should expect things to turn out for the best and we can look forward to tomorrow with confidence. God has promised us that following His guidance will lead us to the best outcome.
The following are some Quranic verses that reflect the Islamic view about “Hope.”
- Hope is that Allah Loves you and will never wrong you
- Hope is for those who strive and exert great efforts
- Hope is that Allah assures all mankind to repent
- Hope is that Allah does not oppress anyone
- Hope to obtain something through petitions
- Hope is the desire that is difficult to obtain
- Hope find stability in our stormy present
- Hope is better to trust in Allah Almighty
- Hope supports when you feel deserted
- Hope is a steadfast anchor of the soul
- Hope includes complete trust in God
- Hope is the inspiration of all desire
- Hope leads to the greatest goal
- Hope is the true value of desires
- Hope is the action of the Holy Spirit
- Hope is faith in Allah and the hereafter
- Hope is a reset button to save your life
- Hope originates from God through faith
- Never stop hope drawing towards Allah
- Hope emerging beauty an empty canvas
- Hope is the basis of a moral life is based
- Hope voluntarily perform the love of God
- Hope is that Allah Cares more than we would
- Hope is that success comes to those who believe
- Hope is that be patient and know the end will be good
الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا
“Wealth and children are the only adornments of the worldly life, but enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for one’s hope.” (Surah Al-Kahf 18:46)
God has told us on numerous occasions to call on Him for help, and Prophet Muhammad reminds us that relief is no more than a supplication away. He even gave his companions advice on how to dispel feelings of anxiety and despair. Our burdens today are no greater than burdens in the past, and the cure is still the same. Turn to God, beg His forgiveness and hope for relief. Allah Says:
وَمَن يَقْنَطُ مِن رَّحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَ
“Who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?” (Surah Al-Hijr 15:56)
And to encourage us to look forward with hope, He reminds us consistently that we should never despair of His mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. The Quran and the traditions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad abound with references to how much God wants to be Merciful and how much He wants to forgive us. Allah Says:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
“O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Verily, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:53)
Hope is necessary for those who are heading towards Allah The Almighty, because if a devout worshiper loses hope, then he is heading for ruin. A sincere Muslim hopes that Allah The Almighty will forgive his sins and that He will enable him to rectify a fault in himself. He hopes that Allah The Almighty will accept his good deeds and hopes to draw closer to Allah The Almighty.
Allah Almighty says in The Holy Quran:
- “…So be not of the despairing.” (Quran 15:55)
- “Call upon Him with fear and hope.” (Quran 7:56)
- “…After a difficulty, Allah will soon grant relief.” (Quran 65:7)
- “God is with you and will never deprive you of your (good) deeds.” (Quran 47:35)
- “Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope.” (Quran 32:16)
- “…And whosoever fears Allah…He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.” (Quran 65:2-3)
- “So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord – let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.” (Quran 18:110)
- “Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.” (Baqarah 155-157)
- “Wealth and sons are allurements of the life of this world: But the things that endure good deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.” (Surah Al-Kahf 46)
- “And do ye get for yourselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein (for ever)?” (Surah Ash-Shura 129)
- “As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them.” (Quran 19:96)
- “Do not lose heart nor fall into despair! You shall triumph if you are believers.” (Quran 3:139)
Allah promises us that after every difficulty is a relief. We must never lose hope that our situation will improve. Allah commands us to never lose hope in His mercy and forgiveness. Even if we have committed many sins, Allah forgives all sins except that of associating partners with Him. God and His Messengers have urged us to be hopeful. They have given us guidance and encouragement. Allah Says:
وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“Fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:281)
Losing hope in Allah’s mercy is likened to disbelieving in Allah. The path to paradise involves trials and difficulties. But never lose hope! It is just a test. The believer calls on Allah in fear and hope: fear of His displeasure, and hope in His mercy and approval of us. Let us be hopeful about meeting our Lord with our worship of Him alone. Waking up to pray to Allah when we are tired is a sure sign of our hope in Allah’s reward. Allah says:
فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَارْجُوا الْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
“Shuaib said: O my people, worship Allah and hope for the Last Day and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” (Surah Al-Ankabut 29:36)
Therefore, we should have a healthy balance of fear and hope in our worship of Allah. The idea of balance in worship is expressed eloquently in Ibn Al-Qayyaim’s metaphor of the bird on its journey to Allah. Make the effort to do good deeds, right your wrongs with others, and fulfil your responsibilities to Allah. May Allah grant us what we hope for and protect us from what we fear.
