Have you ever met someone and immediately felt, deep in your heart, that they were a beloved of Allah? No, it was not someone who was born Muslim, raised in the rhythm of ‘ibadah, fasting by day and praying qiyaam by night. Rather, it was a new revert who had reached rock bottom, swimming in the depths of depression, alone and broken.

Just before her reversion she had been engulfed in grief after losing two of her closest friends and her father back to back. The losses came so quickly that the weight of them crushed her spirit, and in an attempt to escape the darkness within her she had turned to the bottle heavily. It was such a painful phase in her life that she would often wear dark shades simply to hide her swollen eyes from all the crying she had been doing. The world around her kept moving, but inside she felt completely lost.

Then one night, as she lay in her bed doing nothing, a thought came to her mind. Why don’t I become Muslim? Doesn’t Islam mean peace? And simply for this reason she decided to embrace Islam.

Yet even after becoming Muslim the peace did not come immediately. A series of misfortunes followed, but the first one that shook her to the core was a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The two Muslim women who had initially held her hand during the beginning of her journey slowly withdrew their support because she was not married, even though she was a new Muslim, even though she had to undergo surgery, even though she was literally on the verge of losing her life, and even though she had no one else beside her.

She struggled with fasting, was mocked for her nail business even though she only did it reluctantly for income, received side-eyes for her attempt at modest dressing of a scarf and baggy jeans, and was explicitly told she wasn’t truly Muslim by someone she had prayed with. Even during the aftermath of her ruptured ectopic pregnancy, she faced the fear, the pain, and the uncertainty almost entirely alone.

Yet through all of this, Allah’s gentleness was visible in ways that were almost impossible to ignore. Literal miracles unfolded before our eyes as Allah straightened her affairs, comforted her, and rescued her through one hardship after another.

But even before the provisions began appearing in her life, Allah had already given her something far greater. Slowly, quietly, He began to mend the heart that had been shattered by grief. The same girl who had once hidden her swollen eyes behind dark glasses began to find moments of calm in her prayers and relief in speaking to Allah. It was As-Salaam, the Source of Peace, who gently healed her from the inside, restoring her heart and granting her resilience. The peace she had hoped for when she first thought about Islam did not come all at once, but Allah granted her something just as powerful along the way: strength to rise again after every hardship, and the courage to keep turning back to Him even when life felt overwhelming.

When she eventually moved into a new home, she named it House of Salaam. She once told me that it was in this home that she began to feel truly supported and steadied after the darkness she had endured. The sense of calm and inner strength she found there marked a turning point in her journey.

And soon after that, the help around her life began to unfold in ways that were almost unbelievable.

Even when she decided to return to school despite having absolutely nothing, Allah brought forth a stranger who paid ninety six thousand for her school fees in one go. Subhanallah. Later, when she needed a laptop for her studies, the stranger literally asked her to choose whichever one she wanted. When she chose a lesser one, the stranger encouraged her to take a better one and paid for it fully. Then someone else bought her a desk. Another got her the spectacles she needed for reading. Someone covered her rent for two months. Another surprised her with a new phone. And the help just kept coming. Allahumma bareek.

Tell me if that isn’t Allah. Tell me if that isn’t Al Wahhab, the Infinitely Giving, the Giver of Gifts, who brings forth just the right people, the right circumstances to give you just the right kind of help at the right time.

She would often share stories of crying to Allah like a child, pouring her heart out in the quiet moments of the night, and then watching Allah do what seemed impossible for her. Even when her steps in Islam were still slow, even when she felt she had not yet reached where she wanted to be, the mercy of Allah would appear in the most unexpected ways around her. It was as though Allah was gently reminding her that every sincere step towards Him, no matter how small, was seen and appreciated.

This always reminds me of a post I have read many, many times, yet it still strikes me with awe every time I come across it. It says, “I was reading Suratul An‘am and came across a verse that translates to ‘Your Lord has made mercy obligatory upon Himself.’ I put my Qur’an down and took a deep breath. A higher Being who has made it compulsory upon Himself to be merciful to me?”

Subhanallah. There is a narration that captures this mercy most vividly.

‘Umar b. Khattab reported that there were brought some prisoners to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) amongst whom there was also a woman, who was searching (for someone) and when she found a child amongst the prisoners, she took hold of it, pressed it against her chest and provided it suck. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:

Do you think this woman would ever afford to throw her child in the Fire? We said: By Allah, so far as it lies in her power, she would never throw the child in Fire. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Allah is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child.”

Subhanallah! How profound it is that the King of Kings can be gracious, loving and forbearing towards us, the weakest of creatures, often faulty and often deficient in our worship. The more you grow in faith, the more you realise that no one can love you or show mercy to you more than Allah.

When this Ramadhan began the sister texted me and told me that she had looked back at the du‘as she made during the previous Ramadhan. One by one she realised that almost all of them had been answered except for one. Even the things that once seemed impossible had come to her through unexpected means.

Later she texted me again sounding excited. I assumed perhaps the final du‘a had finally been answered, but instead she said that she was simply practising for the moment when it would come true. Her certainty in Allah’s promise was so calm and sincere that it filled my own heart with hope.

Subhanallah, this girl has been through depths of darkness that most people would struggle to survive. I have witnessed many of those moments myself, and again and again I find myself in awe of how Allah tests her because He tests those He loves, yet at the same time He opens doors for her in ways that no human being could have arranged.

And perhaps that is why, the very first time I met her, something in my heart quietly felt that she was a beloved of Allah.

Her journey has been such a humbling reminder never to disregard another Muslim based on what they do or do not do, because wallahy it is only Allah who knows what the souls conceal. This reminder is especially important when it comes to reverts. Many of us grew up knowing what is permissible and what is not, and perhaps that familiarity makes certain aspects of faith easier for us. But someone who has come to Islam later in life is often rebuilding their entire world from the ground up, and the least we can do is stand beside them with compassion, grace and support rather than judgment. Let’s not forget that the Prophet ﷺ and his sahabas were not bombarded with rulings of permissibility and prohibitions at one go. Rather, by Allah’s infinite mercy and wisdom, He gradually sent down guidance on what is right and wrong. As such, we should expect gradual learning and growth by reverts too.

And perhaps stories like hers are meant to remind us of something we often forget, that Allah’s mercy is not reserved for the perfect, but for the sincere. For those who stumble yet continue walking towards Him, even when their steps are slow.

Perhaps this is also a reminder for those of us who feel overwhelmed this Ramadhan. For those who feel they have not done enough, those who feel exhausted yet unfulfilled, and those who feel a quiet sadness as the blessed days begin to slip away. We should remember that He is Ar Rahman and Ar Raheem, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, and that we will never be deprived of reward while we have a Lord who has made mercy obligatory upon Himself.

All that is required of us is sincerity, intention, and effort, even if our steps are slow.

May Allah grant this sister stability in her life, firmness upon His guidance, and a heart that continues to find peace in Him. May He make her path easier, protect her from the trials that overwhelm the soul, and grant her strength, resilience, and steadfastness in her faith. May He accept her du‘as and worship.

And Ya Allah, in these last blessed days of Ramadhan and in the nights of Laylatul Qadr, grant us and all those striving sincerity in our hearts, barakah in our efforts, and the ability to benefit fully from every moment. Make us among those whose deeds are accepted, whose hearts are softened by Your mercy, and whose lives are illuminated by Your guidance. May we emerge from this Ramadhan renewed, forgiven, and closer to You, and may Your mercy encompass all who seek You sincerely, ameen!

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Today’s episode of Imam Omar Suleiman’s Ramadhan series touched on Al Wahhab and His other names of ‘Giving’ that resonate with this write-up. I just had to come back here and share it, for it is such a beautiful, wholesome episode. Don’t miss out! https://youtu.be/lYKgYOZ0Uqo?si=oNzTSrAx2uFk8LQo