Powerless. Lately, I’ve been feeling powerless. This Ramadan, there have been moments when I’d lie defeated on my prayer mat, asking for Allah (SWT)’s help. Moments in which I feel like the people who overpowered me will succeed in their evil plans… and moments in which I fear being overtaken once again.
I think about a time centuries ago. In a garden, there is a man with bloodied feet and wounds all over his body. He (SAW) has been driven out from a city he (SAW) came to with great hopes, just as I have. He (SAW) has borne taunts, insults, and humiliation, just as I have. He (SAW) was brutally rejected by people that he (SAW) wanted the best for, just as I have been. And while the magnitude of his pain and the toughness of his trial are way beyond mine, He (SAW) calls out to the same Rabb: the Rabb of the weak. To His Rabb. To my Rabb.
This Ramadan, Allah (SWT) gifted me with an understanding of Laylatul Qadr from an angle completely unique to how I had seen it in previous years. I had previously seen Qadr as the Divine Decree, but this year, I learned how Qadr also means Power. Laylatul Qadr holds the power of making our most impossible-seeming duas our sweet reality. However powerless we may feel, He holds power over everything. And perhaps in the moments that we are the most powerless, do we make the most powerful duas.
While you strive to make the most out of Laylatul Qadr, make a special dua for our brothers and sisters in Palestine who have been overpowered and driven out of their homes. Allah (SWT) holds complete power over their oppressors, and your sincere dua may lead to restoring the Palestinian power in the land.
Also, remember that true power does not come from dominating and oppressing others. Rather, it comes from holding the hand of the overpowered and being there for them. Perhaps in the times you extend your hand to the weak, you will be strengthened in your time of weakness, as He holds your hand, and His handhold is the strongest.
Read our latest posts: Ramadan Reflections: Masajid for Everyone, Ramadan Reflections: Minimalism, Ramadan Reflections: Allah (SWT)’s Innumerable Blessings, Ramadan Reflections: Changing Perspectives with Gratitude
