Struggling to Keep Faith in Allah’s Plan
Salamu alaykum. I live in Sydney, and my whole life has been about big dreams and wanting a better future for my family-just my mum, my brother, and me. My parents divorced when I was eight, but Dad’s still around; he’s not absent. Soon after the split, my own cousins started mocking us about it, making fun of their auntie and me. We’ve always been stuck in rental places while my relatives own huge homes and businesses built on riba. Then there are my so-called ‘friends.’ One’s brother insulted my mum with a really vulgar word, calling her promiscuous-I plan to handle that when I’m able. Another rich friend keeps saying money can’t buy happiness, but when I asked if he’s grateful his parents bought him a $13,000 car, he said no, because he ‘did the research’ himself. That hurt so much because my mum ended up in the hospital from stress over work, and she’s just fading away. I know people say Allah tests those He loves most, but I don’t even pray or read the Qur’an. I could debate others and show them Islam, but honestly, the only thing that gives me a spark is wanting them to feel the pain of realizing they’ve been lied to their whole lives. Once, I told my cousin I wanted to start a peptides business, and he agreed to help with a supplier, but at the last second he lectured me about not earning that way-meanwhile, his house has a cinema room with star lights. I do believe Allah SWT exists, and I believe what I know of Islam, but I know who I am, and I doubt I’ll enter Jannah. So why is my family struggling while these ‘friends’ and ‘relatives’ thrive? It feels so unfair that some uncles openly took riba, then went for Hajj and repented, and now they’re filthy rich and respected. I envy them. Maybe I’m too nosy about others’ lives, as my mum tells me. I don’t truly wish bad on my cousins, since we’re close, but I keep asking why we couldn’t have what they have. I tried studying IT, then switched to barbering, but after two bad apprenticeships, I lost my passion. Then I waited half a year for a heavy diesel mechanic apprenticeship through my uncle, but the manager refused because my cousin had quit earlier and left a bad name-so I got rejected, and that’s supposedly ‘fair.’ I’ll own up to my flaws: I can be lazy and I have a foul mouth. Even with my laziness, I’ve pushed hard for some sense of equality. But life isn’t fair. Elders remind us the Prophets struggled so much, and I feel for them; they’re our role models. But I’m no Prophet destined for Jannah. I just needed to pour this out because I couldn’t sleep. May Allah guide us all. Feel free to be harsh in your advice-I don’t need anything sugarcoated.