I was in Makkah this Ramadhan, and on my way back from Haram, I called the Abraj tower lifts to get back to our hotel. Usually there's a real scramble and rush to get the lifts. But as the huge lift opened, I rushed to get in but unbeknown to me, another lift also opened on the other side and the few people around me got into that lift.

When the doors were shutting I realised I was the only one that was in this lift, and as this had never happened before, for a few seconds a slight panic creeped in. But I reassured myself, it'll be fine, and anyhow it was too late to get off. I selected our hotel floor (P11) and waited. 3-4 minutes later the lift doors didn't open and I started thinking maybe I've been in here for longer than I'm supposed to be? But there was no one around me to reassure me. Few minutes later the doors didn't open and then I really started panicking, as I couldn't figure out whether the lift had moved or not and where was I?

At that moment I rushed to make dua to Allah, ya rab help me! You relieve me from this! Duas flowed from my lips in genuine fear and hope. I think I even pressed the alarm button but nothing happened. Few minutes passed (which felt like an hour) as I prayed, then a thought occured to me, bang the lift door! I banged it, and alhamdulillah alhamdulillah very slowly the doors opened (I was terrified I was going to be stuck in between a floor) and the lift was still on the ground floor - the lift hadn't even moved! 🙈

Sometimes we feel totally lost and confused. We may face a relationship challenge, a spiritual block, loneliness or a physical illness and not know when and how to move forward. We may be figuratively or even literally stuck in a space like I was, thinking I have no idea how to get out! That's when we should take comfort in Allah's names Al-Haadi (The Guide) and call out to Al-Haadi and have full reliance on Him to guide us through anything, like Prophet Musa AS did.

Imagine a football stadium crowd of people had gathered after much marketing from the President/King to watch the 'play off' between Musa and the hundreds of top magicians and experts from around the country. Musa and his few followers are one small tiny team on one side - a not well dressed team perceived to be weak and treated as lowly and humiliated for hundreds of years, physically and psychologically. On the other team and side, there are well dressed hundreds of experts (magicians) as well as thousands of supporters including the grand Pharonic King and his army. As both teams come face to face for the first time, the followers of Musa, already feeling immensely insecure, cry out:

فَلَمَّا تَرَٓءَا ٱلْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَبُ مُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ

'We are going to be overtaken for sure! (and defeated)' (26:61)

Musa AS replies immediately without any hesitation: ‏قَالَ كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّ مَعِىَ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ

'Absolutely not! My Lord is certainly with me—He will guide me.' (26:62)

And indeed, Allah does! ❤️