God's embrace is the only refuge In the storm of life we search for the proverbial 'mountain' for refuge. The stable, constant and tangible anchor of resources or social status or people. Noah's son feared the rickety boat in the middle of waves the size of mountains. It looked so rootless and without solidness to trust in. Yet it was the only refuge. The boat is the embrace of God's compassion. This boat is our refuge in the storm. It is the place of submission and trust in what is not tangible or solid under your feet. It requires faith to go into this boat and forsake the sturdy mountain, but it is in fact the only true shelter.

The son of Nūḥ was raised in the best house in the world, and had as his father and role model one of the most righteous people in all of human history. Yet he ended up rejecting the truth. And the wife of the Pharaoh lived in the worst house in the world, married to the single most evil person in all of human history. Yet, she ended up being one of the best women in history. Stop blaming your circumstances. Stop blaming your society. Stop blaming others. Allah has given you the choice and power so that you, AND ONLY YOU, can decide your fate.

We get so scared sometimes. Afraid of all that can go wrong. All that can be lost. But in our debilitating fear, we lose focus. We see the sickness, but not the cure. The storm, but not the shelter. Yes, there are armies and Red Seas. Yes, there are flames. But remember, the sickness, the storm, the fire, the armies and the Sea, are all creations in the hands of the Sovereign. He saved Ayyoub (AS) from the sickness, Nuh (AS) from the storm, Ibrahim (AS) from the flames, and Musa (AS) from the armies and the Sea. It wasn't that they didn't face these hardships. They did. They were surrounded by them. But Allah kept them safe, even while in the belly of the calamity. Our focus is wrong. We fea

I was thinking of how Noah (a) called his son to save himself. Even though his son could see the world around him in turmoil, he chose to ignore the call that would save him. Instead, he tried to seek refuge somewhere else.

This scenario reminds me of the call to prayer...

When the time comes, do we respond more like Noah (a), or more like his son...? Do we respond to the call, or do we drown in the dunya instead?