Today, while scrolling through my computer, I came across something that I had written a while ago, and decided to share it with all of you. It is very different from my normal posts, but I hope you enjoy!

Slowly, lifting my head up to regain my composure, I decided to attempt the questions, once again. After completing each question that I retried, the next question would become that much easier. I wasn’t trying to comprehend the question, yet the answers were becoming so apparent. I sat there in mere shock at what was happening. I continued to do a few more questions, and once again, the answers began to make there way onto the paper. I stopped, face pale, wondering what was happening. ‘It’s Allah!’ I thought. I could hear the second hand finger of the clock, tick away. Suddenly, my thoughts were disturbed by the teacher’s announcement, “15 minutes remaining folks!”. I grabbed my pencil and went through the exam one last time. One question in particular stood out to me. I had spent 10 minutes on the answer the first time around, so why did the answer look so...wrong? I decided to scribble out what I had and change it to the simplest and most random answer I could think of '20(0.5)=10', and time was up. Upon giving my exam to the teacher, I sat at my desk, heart pounding, arm aching. “Why did you do all this math?” he said, pointing to the question I had just changed. “Uhm, I didn’t know what I was doing, but here’s my new answer” I said, pointing to the '20(0.5)=10'. He reached for the pen in his pocket, placed the exam on my desk, and checked it off, a big huge checkmark. I was relieved! At least now I knew I had gotten 3 marks out of the 100.

On the bus ride home, I pondered on what had happened while writing that exam. Was it actually Allah? I was praying for weeks to do well on that exam. I had even asked Him to stand by me while I wrote that exam. Was my prayer coming true? 

That night went by the same. The events of the day, replaying in my head. From what I can remember, as I slept, I heard words being said to me. I wasn’t completely asleep, nor was I entirely awake. My first instinct told me to grab my phone, which I opened to the Notepad App, typing out the words that I had just heard. Tucking the phone under my pillow, I went back to sleep. 

The next morning, I made my way downstairs to watch the Friday Sermon. Around 20 minutes in to it, I suddenly remembered that I had written something on my phone, but what the words were, I couldn’t remember. Upon opening the note that was written on my phone, I read:

3:36AM: God weakens those, who’s eyes weaken Him. God strengthens those, whose eyes strengthen Him.

I could feel the cold leather of the couch I was seated on send goosebumps up my spine. What could these words possibly mean? I rushed to my laptop, opening up, www.alislam.org. I proceeded to type the words in the Holy Qur’an Search Bar. Unfortunately no results matched. Unsure of what to do, I typed the event onto my Social Media in hopes that my Muslim friends might know what it meant. 

A few hours later, my phone vibrated. It was a reply! I excitedly clicked on the notification, and was redirected to a reply stating that it could be a Hadith-e-Qudsi. I wasn’t too sure what that was, so I did some more research. I came upon a site that defined it as follows: Hadith-e-Qudsi is a term which signifies that the meaning of the Hadith is from Allah, and the words are related from the Messenger(saw) of Allah, unlike the Qur’an where the meaning and the words are both from Allah. “Hmm...” I thought, maybe they’re right. I decided to read through the list of Hadith, maybe I would be lucky enough to find something similar to what I had heard. I came accross the following, which sounded pretty similar to me:

Book 97: Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah said, 'I am to my slave as he thinks of Me, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him). (See Hadith No. 502)

But, I still wasn’t too sure. I decided to see Hadith No. 502 as was recommended:

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 502:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. 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.' "

“That’s it!” I thought. How did it take me so long to figure this out? I am certain that this was sent to clear away any doubts in my mind. I had prayed that Allah would help me out throughout that exam, yet I doubted Him. How could I doubt Him? I remembered Him, so He remembered Me! I remembered Him while doing that exam (‘in a group of people’),  I ‘walked towards Him’, when I completely gave up on trying to understand the concepts during the final moments of that exam. So could He have ran towards me? It was all becoming clear to me now. It was as if the fog in my mind had cleared away. I still can’t believe it, even as I write this. My heart’s still pounding, and my hands are still shaking. Alhamdulillah (Praise to God) is all I can say.