Where Will You Turn?

When the going gets rough, where will you turn?
When inside the chest you have a sensation that burns
And a myriad of enemies attack you so stern
And all depends on what’s lost or what’s earned.

Don’t let them bring you down to the ground
When temporary pleasures will never surmount
The afflictions and trials that pile all around
And all you can muster is a faint bit of sound.

Broken to the point that you ask in awe
“When will arrive the help of Allah?”
Unquestionably, the unquestionable of the ordained laws
Is that Allah’s help is near, so pure and so raw.

With all of your might you must break free from plight
Seek forgiveness and continue to fight
When you’re trapped in a hole and you’re stuck too tight
The best refuge is sought in the eye of the night.

When The Master of All comes close and nigh
And burdens force you to expel a soft sigh
Then you will abandon all pretense and lies
The truth is you need help, be quick to decide!

Look into your palms and beg for relief
The solution is closer than you might see or think
Break the mold around you with strong-willed belief
And be patient, for that is an adequate release.

It seems so hard, doesn’t it at times?
But it becomes easier for those who are defined
Who know to their Lord they will return refined
And to Him they belong, the One who is Sublime.

Brush it off of your back, it’s not that hard after all
If you turn to your Lord when trouble befalls
And trust your belief that He’ll answer your call
Then wait for the Merciful to pick you up from your fall.

If you’ve remained patient, you’ve truly won
You will arrive unscathed, bright as the sun
Trust in your Lord, He will never leave you shunned
Except to heal you, believer of the One!

I speak to you truly, oh believers in pain
When the going gets rough, it’s not done in vain
In fact it’s a trial, to purify those stains
And clean your heart until it’s white and plain.

He wants to perfect you, so brush off the dust,
And don’t let yourself rest unless you truly must
Until you are dead, you must fight your lusts
Continue the struggle, and in Him put your Trust!

How is Allah’s Mercy, so vast and immense,
For every deed rewards are dispensed,
Each of your trials is worth the expense
And your sins are erased in full recompense

When you’re done working, to prayer you turn.
When the anxieties in your heart no longer burn
And the attacks from your enemies become overturned
It’s not about pain, but what you have earned.

So where will you turn, when you fall on your knees?
Look up and bow down in humble defeat
When calamity strikes and you’ve tired your feet
Turn away from hypocrisy and back to belief.

—

When you are suffering the most, where will you turn?

Struggles are a part of life. They can be painful, but they can also be the very things that bring us closer to Allah. I can attest to this myself, not everything in this life is rainbows and roses. Since my late teens, I’ve undergone a variety of struggles in various aspects of my life. I struggled with social anxiety, relational problems, being emotionally sensitive, doing poorly in college, being unfocused and so much more. Each of these struggles prevented me from being the best version of myself.

Going through them, I felt weak and frustrated. I was despondent for a long time.

Then a few years ago, my life made a complete 180-degree turn. After lot of trial and error, my doctors gave me a treatment that helped me for the better. I started excelling in school, rebuilding broken relationships with my closest friends and family, having much less social anxiety, thinking more logically, and most importantly, I realized during my low points and difficult challenges that Allah wasn’t forsaking me. He was testing me, He was preparing me for bigger and better things. I recalled that Allah tells us that He tests those whom He loves, and that my going through this meant that He knew I could handle it, and that I would be made better by it in the end.

When I started keeping this in mind, I started doing better in every avenue in my life. I still struggle with minor anxiety and small tribulations every now and then, but I have much more hope for myself and others because I have trust in Allah. I go to Allah for help when I am struggling, and thank Him when I am prospering.

When you are going through struggles in life, it’s not easy. Just remember that you aren’t the only one, and you don’t have to face it alone.