When My servants ask you O Prophet about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond with obedience to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided to the Right Way.— Koran, 2:186

Surah Al-Baqurah is the second surah or chapter, of the Holy Koran. Allah in this surah gives us a perfect blueprint on how to live rightly guided lives so as to attain success. Surah Al-Baqurah is also the longest surah of the Holy Koran as it gives in clear detail the laws of Islam and the importance of adhering to them.

This week was an especially challenging one for me. Just about everything went opposite to how it should have gone – from having fraudulent activities on my bank account that already has meagre amounts, to hearing some devastating news concerning loved ones. But through it all, the above aayat, 186 rang in my head: that God is always close to us and He listens to our prayers and He asks us to believe in Him.

So that’s what I did. I prayed and I believed. I prayed for ease and relief from worldly turmoil. My spirit felt so much better after, I felt a sense of ease and peace. I am so grateful that I believe in God. Alhamdulilah (all praise belongs to God). There is a song that says:

I love You, Lord

For Your mercy never fails me

All my days, I've been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

Isn’t that beautiful? Allah says in 30:60: ”So be patient, for the promise of Allah certainly is true. And do not be disturbed by those who have no sure faith.”

One of my favourite Hadiths is narrated by Abu Huraira.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks I am, (ie I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.”

I interpret this to mean that the faith that we have in Allah is the power He will show to us. Allah has shown me throughout my life that all that I believe He is, He is!

So on that note, I draw from the lyrics of the song:

And all my life You have been faithful, and all my life You have been so, so good,

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God!

Alhamdulilah, Subhanallah, Ameen!

Bermuda, please have a joyous week of peace and love. As salaam alaikum.

• Linda Walia Ming is a member of the Bermuda Hijab Dawah Team, a group of Muslim women who reside in Bermuda and have a goal of educating the community about the religion of Islam