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Life is often compared to a long-distance run—steady in intention but filled with unpredictable terrain.

Sometimes, you're running on solid ground, and everything feels smooth.

Other times, the path changes: you're running through mud that clings to your feet or sand that robs you of traction.

The same applies to the spiritual journey.

It’s not always a straight, effortless sprint; it’s a series of challenges designed to build resilience and deepen your connection with Allah.

Knowing Allah Through All His Names

Allah has 99 beautiful names, each reflecting His attributes.

Some names are of beauty—like Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful) and Al-Lateef (The Subtle, The Kind)—and others reflect majesty, like Al-Qahhar (The All-Subduer) and Al-Muntaqim (The Avenger).

To truly know Allah, we must experience life through all these attributes.

Sometimes, life feels expansive under His mercy and kindness; other times, it contracts under His tests and challenges.

Understanding Allah's majesty means accepting moments when He withholds, tests, or even leads us through difficulty.

These moments of spiritual contraction, where we feel slowed down or even knocked to the ground, are not failures.

They are opportunities for growth.

The key, like a runner who stumbles, is to get back up and keep moving.

Don’t Judge Your Progress

One of the greatest traps on the spiritual path is self-judgment.

You might think, “I’m not spiritual anymore. I’ve failed.” 

But spirituality isn’t about feeling good all the time. In fact, the most profound spiritual breakthroughs often come in moments of the greatest difficulty.

The story of a righteous man illustrates this beautifully.

At the end of his life, bedridden and in extreme pain, his loved ones wept at his suffering.

Yet he reassured them, saying, “You don’t know my state. I am now in a spiritual state unlike anything I ever experienced before. It’s as if the angels themselves are tending to me.”

This shows us that even in pain, or perhaps because of it, one can attain closeness to Allah beyond imagination.

Embrace the Names of Difficulty

In moments when you falter—whether it’s for days, months, or even years—don’t despair.

These are intervals when Allah manifests Himself through attributes like Ad-Darr (The One Who Causes Harm) or Al-Mudhill (The One Who Humbles).

These names remind us of His absolute power and the lessons embedded in life’s challenges.

They are as much a part of His divine plan as His names of mercy and grace.

It’s in these moments that Allah is molding you, teaching you to rely on Him in every state.

As long as you keep returning to Allah, your faltering is not failure but growth.