Throw the Baby: Trusting in Allah

One of the pillars of imaan (belief in Allah) is to believe in the Divine Decree – the good and bad of it. This means that we as Muslims are supposed to have complete belief and unwavering certainty in the Plan of Allah and His Decrees for us, whether they may appear good or not so good.

The believer who is aware of this knows that nothing Allah plans is completely evil. There is always some good in His Plan for us. Unfortunately, when we are in a predicament or a hardship, we feel that nothing is going our way and we begin to have bad thoughts about Allah. We feel that our world is crashing down around us and we will never have relief from our pain and difficulties.

I am here to remind you that things are not always as they seem.

Humans are creatures of logic. When we think something is logically correct, we may not see the bigger picture because it doesn’t “make sense” to us. When Allah’s Plan doesn’t make sense to us, we may begin to have doubts and feel distress because we don’t understand why something is happening to us. We know that Allah swt wants good for us, but we must remember that He may put us through serious hardships so that we may get the best. Everything Allah Plans happens for a reason. You may not understand why the opposite of what you want is happening, but soon you will see that thing happened to help you grow.

Throughout the Qur’an, we see glimpses of the perfect wisdom of Allah in His Plan and Decree. One amazing example is the story of Prophet Musa’s `alayhi sallatu wa sallam (may Allah send His peace and blessings on him) mother. She was put through a great trial but she prevailed because she put her trust in Allah first.

Allah subhanahu wa ta`la tells us her story:

“When We inspired to your mother what We inspired, [Saying], ‘Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.” (Qur’an, 20:38-39)

Umm Musa wanted to protect her infant son, but she was told to do something that seemed to be the complete opposite of protecting him. Allah (swt) not only told her to throw her baby in the river, but that the one person she was trying to hide him from would be the one to find him! Allah (swt) comforted her,

“…Do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, We will return him to you and will make him [one] of the messengers.” (Qur’an, 28:7)

Putting baby Musa (as) directly into the hands of Pharoah seems like a disaster, but Allah ‘azza wa jal promises his mother that He will return Musa (as) to her with a higher position, so she did what she was told.  She threw her baby into the river with trust in Allah’s plan.

Allah tells us how she felt afterward:

“And the heart of Moses’ mother became empty [of all else]. She was about to disclose [the matter concerning] him had We not bound fast her heart that she would be of the believers.” (Qur’an, 28:10)

We learn from this that it is natural to feel upset about your situation. Umm Musa was so overwhelmed that she nearly revealed the identity of Musa (as), but Allah (swt) gave her strength during this time because He intended good for her.

Umm Musa then sent his sister to watch him. Allah tells us,

“And she said to his sister, “Follow him”; so she watched him from a distance while they perceived not. And We had prevented from him [all] wet nurses before, so she said, “Shall I direct you to a household that will be responsible for him for you while they are to him [for his upbringing] sincere?” (Qur’an, 28:11-12)

Finally, we see the plan of Allah come to fruition:

“So We restored him to his mother that she might be content and not grieve and that she would know that the promise of Allah is true. But most of the people do not know. “ (Qur’an, 28:13)

Allahu ‘Akbar, God is greater. Read again what Allah says at the end of this ayah:

“…But most of the people – do not know.”

What don’t they know? They don’t know that Allah is more aware of their situation than they are. They don’t know that His Plan is the best plan. They don’t know that when He promises, His promise is true. And most of the people forget that Allah is always protecting them.

Allah (swt) not only returned Musa (as) to his mother, but He provided her with the opportunity of feeding her own son! Allah protected Musa by means we would never think of: raising him up in the palace of Fir’awn, the Pharoah. She trusted completely in Allah, and He (swt) did not disappoint her.

What do we learn from the example of Musa’s (as) mother? We learn that Allah will take care of you, but you must take the first step to Him. By doing the unthinkable – throwing her child in a river – Umm Musa was given more than she could have ever hoped for.

Taking the first step towards Allah is always the most difficult, but when you do take it, Allah will take care of the rest for you. She was overcome with emotions after she threw Musa into the river, so Allah gave her the strength to endure it because she trusted in Him. When you trust in Allah, He will give you the strength and perseverance to remain patient.

While we may never be put to trial the way Umm Musa was, we learn from her story that when we trust in Allah – even if you feel overwhelmed – Allah will bless you for it and He will guide you. Oftentimes we know what is the right thing to do, we know how to take that first step to Allah but we are scared. Umm Musa was also scared, but she threw her baby.

So don’t be afraid. Throw the baby.