Hope can come with love and support from family

In my recent conversations with Bermudians across the island, it didn’t matter if they were young or old, black or white, no matter what spectrum of the population they were a part of, I heard the same lament, and they all shared the same anxiety; they all shared a common concern. 

What could be so concerning that it captured the minds of such a wide cross section of people?  

Well, if you would study what is happening around us globally, directly affecting our shores as well, the matter being of common concern because of its definite connection for all members of the family of mankind, which is all of us, whether we acknowledge it or not –– we are ALL connected.  

The common concern that not only Bermudians have but all countries is the future –– what will the future hold for us now, and later. 

Bleak

Whether it is of concern for a non-nuclear future or a financially bleak future –– we are all in this together.

From my conversations, most people feel that the future looks rather bleak. 

There seems no real guarantee of hope for the masses going forward. 

The financial picture is grey and hence, job prospects are almost non-existent. 

After all, most grads are unable to get jobs, let alone get jobs in their chosen field. 

I feel the young people’s pain and pray that the future will start looking better for them as they are so ready to become a part of the working world. 

Who would have thought, that we would have come to this, especially after all the enterprise and successes of the new age. 

We seemed to have soared too high and now we are falling too low and at an alarmingly fast pace. 

We seem to be nose-diving into bleakness.

Is there any hope for the future? I would say ‘absolutely’. 

But hope may not come in the form of jobs, or money or any of those worldly things; it may simply come from what you do to assure hope in your own life. 

That hope and peace comes from the love and support I get from my family and friends. 

It also comes from my belief and faith in Allah, Lord of all the worlds, Knower of all things, and whose promises are absolutely true! 

Islam gives me the tools to get through difficulties and hardships. Islam promises us that Allah, God, is Merciful and wants the best for us. There is a hadith that relates of how it so hurts God to see us, his creation hurting.  

What we must do for a better future is to hold on to our faith and be patient. 

We know that God says he will test us, if we say we believe, but with faith and patience, we are promised hope and relief. 

In surah 2:155 Allah says “And We shall surely test you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return’.”

So let us hope for a better future for Bermuda and the world, by never despairing of God’s mercy by us having faith, making duaa (prayer) and serving God through helping one another; indeed as Allah promises the future will be brighter. 

Remember Allah’s words “Fear not. Indeed, I am with you [both]; I hear and I see.” [20:46]Ameen.