Day 307
Graceful Withdrawal
23 Jumada al-Awwal 1448
الْقَابِضُ
Al-Qābiḍ — The Constrictor
وَاللَّهُ يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
Who is it that will lend unto Allah a goodly loan, so that He may give it increase manifold? Allah straiteneth and enlargeth. Unto Him ye will return
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:245)
Intention
Today, I will step back from one situation that needs space, not my involvement.
Reflection
Al-Qābiḍ integrated: knowing when to step back is wisdom, not weakness. The integrated life includes knowing when not to speak, when not to help, when not to intervene. Some situations need space, not solutions. Al-Qābiḍ withdraws strategically, and so should you.
On this verse
Both withholding and granting are His — and both are acts of wisdom.
Du'a
اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ
O Allah, none can withhold what You give and none can give what You withhold, and no possessor of greatness benefits from his greatness against You.
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 844, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 593
Said after every prayer — accepting both His giving and His withholding.
Hadith
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The hearts of the children of Adam are all between two fingers of the Most Merciful, like a single heart. He directs them however He wills.'
— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2654