Seek help through patience and prayer - al-Khashi'een.

In Surah al Baqarah, Allah 'azzawajal says:

وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ

And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard thing except for the humble ones,

From my humble understanding, the "assistance/help" mentioned here is one that requires the person to also make an effort. In other words, you put in the effort and then seek help in addition to this.

The ayah then goes on to say that this is difficult EXCEPT for those who are humble ("al-khaashi'een"). It doesn't just, however, say that doing the aforementioned is difficult - it says it is too great/too grand (kabeer) except for those who are humble.

With regards to "the humble ones", the term used means those who are humble and submissive, those who lower their eyes and voices (in front of their Lord).

One should consider that people are only labelled with such terms when the corresponding trait is found in the all the time, or atleast the majority of the time. For example, you wouldn't call someone patient if they got angry at every little thing, even though the person may be patient some of the time. You would only do so if this characteristic is reasonably consistently seen in that person.

Furthermore, humility is the opposite of arrogance - which as we discussed in a previous post was the root of the shaytan's evil.
If one is arrogant, he assumes himself as being more than worthy of resolving his own problems without the need for any other. One does not ask others for help. But what's bad is that the person assumes himself above the requirement for help, sometimes even from the help of Allah ta'ala. The person assumes himself as being self-sufficient and capable of that which is out of his grasp. He assumes that everything is within his control, that nobody can turn the tables because "he knows better and has planned ahead".

So the advice of the ayah can only be fulfilled when one is humble and constantly keeps in mind that everything is ultimately under the grasp of Allah ta'ala's will and power.



The above is another humble attempt to reflect upon a small phrase from the Quran - something which we need to encourage more of, firstly within ourselves and then with others. May Allah subhaanahu wa ta'ala make us of those who have the Quran in their hearts, those who have taqwa, those who understand the Quran correctly and those who reflect upon it.

InshaAllah, let's try to incorporate these reminders into our lives. Please remember me in your Duas!