"Amidst Adversity, There can be Solidarity" -An Essay from a UVPian

Bismillah With the aim of involving all our UVP Youth Members in contributing their literary pieces, essays and insights about UVPN and our advocacy, we have received an email/essay from a fellow UVPN Student. Here is her story of how she wanted to make change to her community and finally made it through UVPN. Alhamdulillah!

Amidst Adversity, There can be Solidarity
By: Hasmiene Diocolano Ibrahim

    I was sitting in the bench early in the morning while waiting for my friends to arrive; we have this usual meeting to discuss important matters for our bulk school requirements. I have heard unintentionally from the other edge, a cluster of students exchanging stories about the remarkable experiences they had during flood times. The fact is that, flood seems so normal in the city. When it rains, even not heavy, we can expect for it to turn up. After some time, I grasp several apprehensions.

    With all of those customary occurrences in and out of the university, nothing is more notable than June 2011 flood in Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat, and nearby areas. The week long flood have already displaced an estimated 500,000 – 650,000 persons, damaged vast properties and so with their livelihood. These might seem so tremendous. Are these really this way? At a first glance, no doubt, it could be deemed as it is. However, we have to bear in our mind the concept of  Divine Will (Qadaa)  and Predestination (Qadar).These are basic principles of faith that we have to internalize deeply as a Muslim believer. Why did I include this? We have inculcated that Allah (SWT) made this to happen for a purpose or purposes. We might not automatically realize it, but surely, there is. As mentioned in our Holy Book (Qur’an 36:82) “Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, “Be!”- and it is !”. Whatever Allah decrees will happen inevitably comes to pass by His Power. 

Further, the Prophet (SAW) said “Allah wrote the decrees of His creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and He said: His Throne is above the water.” Hence, no rooms for questions and contentions because Allah (SWT) have carefully taken into account various facets of our lives.

    We could attest on this. Many individuals across different areas have cast their means to assist multifold victims of flood. Here we could manifest how mankinds fulfill its duty as a trustee of Allah (SWT). As His vicegerent, we must be prudent to accomplish our responsibilities in this world. We are accountable to what we have. Our knowledge, properties, and all the treasures that we cherished, we owe all of this to Him. We must not be arrogant on believing that what we achieve is just the product of our own efforts and nothing more. We have to go back to the basic principle that Allah (SWT) has the full control of all the dealings of the humanity. If not through His will, we can’t rejoice what we have. What I would like to emphasize, that though these floods caused a lot to us, it is still worthy. This is where we have witness how solidarity amidst diversity reign among humankind.

    As a students like us or a professional for this matter, how can we do the same? This is what truly inspired me on involving and committing into an organization that strikes all the limits just for the sake of seeking Allah’s bliss. United Voices for Peace Network (UVPN) is a group of youth that adheres on the Qur’anic verse “ Let there arise out of you a band of people, inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong: These are the ones who attain felicity” (3:104). This association had gone through numerous endeavors to reach its noble obligations. To sight, in spite our hectic schedules, we have managed to initiate relief operations. Through this, we have extent aid to suffice their basic needs such as clothing and food. Every time we do this, I learned a lot. Learning that can’t totally be taught in the four corners of our classroom. Greatly indeed that the world provides entrenched lessons that deserve to be yearn. This can make us apprehend that all trials that came along in our lives, there is more important thing to consider, a lot of blessings to appreciate than to entertain our anxieties that gradually craft us senseless.

    If you have not yet experienced this, remember the Hadith stated from Bukhari, the Prophet (SAW) said “...on the Day of Judgment there will be no shade except for Allah’s shade. And from amongst these groups, one will be the youth who spent their live youth in the worship of Allah”. As the sun sets and clock ticks, our lives also decrease. To Allah (SWT) we shall return and He would ask us how we made his endowment fruitful.

    Conclusively, instead of bombarding our lives with all the challenges of life, consider the other side of the coin. Find ways on how can we revert things from negative to positive. There we can be grateful how Allah (SWT) caresses for us.

====================================================================
Hasmiene Diocolano Ibrahim is a student from Notre Dame University.

She says that involvement with various community services to the Muslim Ummah  is more than any amount of any material things in this world; Nothing can equate to the fulfillment one feels inside after each and every activity done.