Question:
Assalamualaikum Respected Elders,
All my life I have been thin, and no matter what I eat, or did to gain weight in terms of physical activity etc has helped me gain any weight. People have always made negative comments on my build and this has resulted in severe lack of confidence and self-esteem in my capabilities.
After so many years, I now feel seriously broken heart-ed as I have prayed, and prayed and it seems my prayers go unanswered. I have also prayed for many other things in life, and non of them seem to have come to fruition.
Is there some Tawassul available to me that I can use?
Please provide advice for a soul that is ‘shattered’ as well as deeply broken hearted.
Jazakallah,
Answer:
Alaykum as-Salam,
Some made fun of Hadrat Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be well-pleased with him) for being too thin also, but the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) said that he would be heavier than Mount Uhud on the Day of Judgment.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim in an astonishing recent suhba explained the superiority of gratitude (shukr) to patience (sabr): see this suhba here
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham in his recent trip to Indonesia often mentioned the story of the man without hands and without feet who expressed shukr to Allah for creating him “better than others” and Sayyiduna Musa (upon him peace) was astonished and asked him: In what sense? He replied: He made me Muslim.
So similarly try to seek the Prophet’s approval and dua by making salawat on him at least 300x daily, and show thankfulness to Allah Most High for creating you better than others.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
