Have you ever lost something that felt like your whole world just fell apart?
Maybe it was a job you prayed so hard for but didn’t get. Maybe it was a relationship you were so sure would end in “happily ever after,” but somehow, it ended in silence and heartbreak. Or perhaps, you had a business you poured everything into time, energy, even your last kobo and it still failed.
It hurts. And sometimes, it makes you question everything.
“Why would Allah take this from me when I needed it the most?”
But here’s the beautiful thing about our Lord: He never takes without giving something better.
“He will give you better than what has been taken from you…”
We’ve seen this truth play out time and time again.
Ask the sister who thought she’d never get married because her first proposal failed after months of planning. Today, she’s married to a man who not only respects her but uplifts her deen, and she can’t help but thank Allah that the first one didn’t work out.
Or think about those waiting endlessly for NYSC camp call-up number. Imagine preparing mentally and emotionally for Batch C 2024, only to find your name didn’t appear. Disappointment sets in, you start doubting your academic journey, and the pressure from family and friends doesn’t help. But then, in Batch A 2025, you’re posted to a better state, given a safer PPA (Place of Primary Assignment), or meet people who turn out to be the reason Allah delayed your journey in the first place. That “disappointment” becomes a divine redirection.
Sometimes what is taken from us is actually what was standing in the way of something better. Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّۭ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
“Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you; and perhaps you love something which is bad for you. Allah knows, while you know not.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:216)
It’s like when a child wants to eat sweets all day, but the parent says no and gives vegetables instead. The child may not understand now, but the parent knows better. Likewise, Allah is Al-‘Aleem (The All-Knowing) He knows what would have harmed you, delayed you, distracted you, or broken you beyond repair.
Your job is not to understand everything. Your job is to trust.
When you lose something, cry if you must. Grieve if you need to. But don’t let the loss convince you that Allah has abandoned you. He hasn’t. He’s just rearranging your life to make room for something better.
Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But trust me, one day you’ll look back and say, “Alhamdulillah it didn’t work out the way I wanted.”
Because what He gave instead? Was exactly what you needed.