DAILYREFLECTION
Do people think they will be left to say, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tested?
The Qur’an tells us that there are moments when Allah intentionally makes things hard.
Not because He does not love us, but because He wants to see who truly believes in the unseen. When everything is going well, victory is visible. Results are visible. You can “see” the help of Allah. When everything collapses, you cannot see it anymore. That is when faith is tested..”
One of the phrases Allah uses is to purify those who believe. Scholars explain that this word is used when purifying gold.
You do not clean gold the way you clean clothes or rice. Dust on the surface is easy to wash. The impurity in gold sits deep inside. You cannot simply rinse it off. The only way to purify it is to place it under extreme heat until it melts. Only then does the hidden rock or metal burn away and rise out. What remains is pure.
Allah is saying to the believers:
There are things inside you that you do not see. Attachments. Hidden pride. Dependence on people. Illusions about your own strength. The only way to bring them out is to turn up the heat.
On the outside, the situation looks like disaster. Inside, something precious is being separated from something harmful. Without that “furnace,” you might live your whole life thinking the lump was already pure.
This is where sabr comes in.
Sabr is not “do nothing and suffer.” It is holding your direction when everything around you changes. You are walking toward Allah. The wind picks up. You keep walking. It starts raining. You keep walking. It gets very cold, very hot, very lonely. You keep walking.
The weather changes. Your Qiblah does not.
Hardship does not mean Allah has abandoned you. It often means He is:
Showing you what you really rely on
Burning away what you did not know was there
Asking you, “Can you still trust My promise when you cannot see the outcome yet”
You are allowed to feel pain, confusion, even fear. What matters is what you do with those feelings. Do you let them harden you against Allah, or do you carry them back to Him
Reflect On This
How can we bring our fear and confusion back to Allah instead of away from Him today?
Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.
SADAQASECTION
Should We Launch This Morning Program
Would you be interested in a health and mobility program?
WATERMELONWATCH
Arjwan Al-Dahini, a Palestinian child, who doctors say suffers from severe acute malnutrition, is held by her mother during a medical examination at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian doctors graduated in a ceremony held amid the ruins of Al Shifa Hospital, underscoring how badly Gaza’s medical system has been battered. The moment also carried hope: new clinicians are still stepping forward to serve their communities despite collapse and loss.
Gaza no longer meets the IPC threshold for “famine,” after improved food flows since the October 10 ceasefire, but acute hunger and malnutrition remain widespread and fragile to any disruption. The same assessment points to a real, lifesaving shift: sustained access is reducing the number of people in catastrophic food conditions when it holds.
OCHA reports that killings and injuries have continued even after the ceasefire, while recovery remains constrained by damage and shortages. Yet aid is still moving and scaling: UN partners report thousands of pallets offloaded at crossings in recent days, with food making up the largest share, a pipeline that helps keep families fed and shelters supplied.
QURANCORNER
وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ
“And from the evil of those who blow on knots”
Wa min sharri an-naffāthāti fī al-‘uqad
Refers to witches or sorcerers who used to tie knots and blow on them while reciting spells (a practice of black magic).
The verse condemns such practices and teaches the believer to seek refuge from their harm.
Emphasizes that magic is real and has been warned against in Islam, but its effects are only by Allah’s will.