The different solutions for being able to face hardship and get out of it are many in Islam.
Many people claim they have tried every possible route available to them, but forget that Islam unlocks a whole new world of roads and paths.
Whenever we experience physical pain that we cannot explain, we become relentless in our search for a cure. We visit one doctor after another, seek second and third opinions, undergo scans, take blood tests, and try different medications. We refuse to believe there is no solution. Deep down, we are convinced that somewhere there must be an answer and that we simply have not found it yet.
But when the pain is emotional, spiritual, or psychological, we often approach it very differently.
We look for comfort in changing our environment, changing our routine, changing our career, changing the people around us, or distracting ourselves with endless entertainment. Some seek therapy, others bury themselves in work, and others simply wait, hoping time will heal what they are carrying inside. None of these means are wrong. In fact, Islam encourages us to take the worldly means available to us. But after exhausting everything the world has to offer, many people eventually arrive at the same conclusion:
"I've tried everything."
Have you?
Or have you only tried everything except what Allah, the Creator of your heart, your mind, and your soul, has prescribed?
One of the greatest misconceptions today is believing that Islam only teaches us how to worship Allah. In reality, Islam also teaches us how to navigate life itself. Allah has not left us wandering aimlessly through our hardships. He has shown us causes that attract His mercy, actions that increase His blessings, and deeds that become doors to relief. Just as medicine is a means for physical healing, these acts of worship are means for spiritual, emotional, and worldly healing by Allah's permission.
The question is not whether Allah's remedies work.
The question is whether we have truly taken them as seriously as we take every other solution.
Seeking Provision Without Seeking Forgiveness
One of the most common worries people carry is the worry of provision. Some complain that their income never seems enough. Others feel that blessings have disappeared from their lives despite working harder than ever before. They search for higher-paying jobs, attend courses, build businesses, and spend years trying to improve their financial situation.
Yet how many of us consistently use one of the greatest means of provision that Allah Himself mentioned in the Qur'an?
Allah says:
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا
"And I said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send rain from the sky upon you in showers, and give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.'"
Surah Nuh (71:10–12)
Notice that Allah did not simply tell us that istighfār erases sins. He connected it to blessings in this life as well. Increased provision, abundant blessings, and unexpected goodness are all mentioned alongside sincere repentance.
So before saying, "Nothing has changed," perhaps we should ask ourselves another question:
Have I truly made istighfar part of my daily life, or have I expected extraordinary results from occasional words spoken without consistency?
Looking for a Way Out Without Taqwa
Perhaps your struggle is not financial at all.
Perhaps you simply feel trapped.
No matter how hard you try, every opportunity seems to disappear. Every plan falls apart. Every door closes just as you thought it was about to open.
Allah has already addressed this feeling.
وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
"And whoever fears Allah—He will make for him a way out. And He will provide for him from where he does not expect."
Surah At-Talaq (65:2–3)
Allah did not merely promise provision. He promised a way out.
How many times do we desperately search for solutions while forgetting one of the greatest keys that Allah Himself attached to relief?
Taqwa.
Choosing Allah over our desires. Leaving the sin no one else knows about. Being honest when lying would be easier. Lowering our gaze. Guarding our tongue. Fulfilling our obligations even when no one is watching.
Sometimes the door we are desperately trying to force open only opens through increasing our taqwa.
Wanting Closeness to Allah While Cutting Family Ties
Many people long to feel close to Allah. They wonder why their du'ā' feels empty, why the sweetness of salah seems absent, and why they no longer feel the peace they once experienced.
Yet they overlook one of the greatest relationships that Allah commanded us to preserve.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«الرَّحِمُ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْعَرْشِ تَقُولُ: مَنْ وَصَلَنِي وَصَلَهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ قَطَعَنِي قَطَعَهُ اللَّهُ»
"The ties of kinship are suspended from the Throne, saying: 'Whoever maintains me, Allah will maintain him, and whoever cuts me off, Allah will cut him off.'"
Sahih al-Bukhari (5989); Sahih Muslim (2555)
Maintaining family ties is far more than being polite at family gatherings. It is an act of worship. It is a cause for Allah's support. It is a means of drawing nearer to Him.
Perhaps repairing one relationship could become the reason Allah repairs countless others in your life.
Searching for Peace While Neglecting the One Who Gives Peace
There is another complaint we hear so often today:
"I don't know why I'm unhappy."
"Nothing is wrong, but I still feel empty."
"I have everything I thought I wanted, but I don't feel content."
Allah does not leave us guessing. He tells us exactly what happens when the heart distances itself from Him.
وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى
"And whoever turns away from My remembrance—indeed, he will have a depressed and difficult life, and We will raise him on the Day of Resurrection blind."
Surah Taha (20:124)
Then Allah immediately gives us the cure.
أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
"Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts find rest."
Surah Ar-Ra'd (13:28)
Think about that for a moment.
We spend hours feeding our minds with information. We spend hours feeding our bodies with food. But how much time do we spend feeding our hearts?
The heart was created to remember Allah. It should not surprise us that it struggles when deprived of the very thing it was created for. Dhikr is not merely something to recite after salah—it is nourishment for the soul.
Waiting for Allah's Help While Ignoring Someone Else's Need
Sometimes we become so consumed by our own hardships that we fail to notice those around us. We convince ourselves that we will begin helping others once our own lives become easier.
Yet the Prophet ﷺ taught us something remarkable.
Sometimes Allah relieves your hardship through you relieving someone else's.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُهُ، مَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ، وَمَنْ فَرَّجَ عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ كُرْبَةً، فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِهَا كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِمًا سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ»
"A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He neither wrongs him nor abandons him. Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim of one of the hardships of this world, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."
Sahih al-Bukhari (2442); Sahih Muslim (2580)
Never underestimate what a small act of kindness can do. A sincere du'ā' for someone else. Helping a struggling family. Paying for someone's groceries. Listening to someone who feels forgotten.
The very door of relief you have been praying for may open because you became the means of relief for another believer.
So... Have You Really Tried Everything?
Perhaps the most astonishing statement of all is when someone says, "I tried everything Islam teaches, and my life is still difficult."
If we are completely honest with ourselves, most of us have not.
We may have made istighfar for a few days before stopping. We may have increased our dhikr for a week before becoming distracted. We may have repaired one relationship but neglected another. We may have expected immediate answers to du'ā' without giving ourselves time to grow through the process.
Imagine a doctor prescribing medicine that must be taken every day for three months. Would any of us swallow one tablet, wake up the next morning still feeling sick, and conclude that the medicine was useless?
Of course not.
We trust the doctor enough to complete the prescription. We understand that healing often takes time.
So why do we expect Allah's remedies to transform our lives overnight?
The One who created our hearts knows exactly what they need. His wisdom is perfect, and His promises are true. Sometimes He changes our circumstances immediately. Sometimes He changes our hearts before He changes our circumstances. Sometimes He removes a calamity we never even knew was coming. Sometimes He delays an answer because what He has prepared is far greater than what we are asking for.
But never think that obedience is wasted. Never think that every sincere istighfar disappears into the air. Never think that every moment of dhikr goes unnoticed. Never think that every hidden act of taqwa, every repaired family tie, every act of charity, or every sincere du'ā' is forgotten.
Allah never forgets.
So continue taking the means. Seek forgiveness abundantly. Increase your remembrance of Allah. Grow in taqwa. Maintain your family ties. Relieve the hardships of others. And then be patient.
Because just as we patiently wait for medicine to heal the body, we must patiently persist with the remedies that Allah prescribed for the heart.
And by Allah... then by Allah... then by Allah... they work.
