Hope: The Light That Leads Us to Al-Karim

Ramadan is the month where we rediscover the vastness of Allah’s mercy. It is a time when the heart softens, the soul awakens, and we are reminded of what truly matters. Al-Karim—The Most Generous—gives us this blessed month not just as a season of worship, but as a season of hope. He is the One who gives without limit, who provides even when we do not ask, and who opens doors for us when we least expect it. Ramadan itself is a manifestation of His generosity—He grants us this sacred time as an opportunity to return to Him, to seek His mercy, and to renew our hope. Because hope is what brings the sweetness to this dunya. It is what keeps us alive when so much around us, and sometimes within us, feels like it is dying.

Hope in Allah is not passive—it is meant to be lived. The one who has tawakkul (trust in Allah) knows that true reliance is followed by action. “Whoever expects to meet his Lord—let him do righteous work and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.” (Qur’an 18:110). This expectation, this longing, is the very essence of hope. To do, to move, to act, believing that one day, insha’Allah, you will have done enough to meet your Beloved.

We hope for our sins to be forgiven. We hope that our salah, our fasting, our du’as—our efforts, however small—will be accepted. We hope for healing when our loved ones are sick, for relief when our hearts are burdened, and for guidance when we feel lost. And we hope for the genocide in Palestine to come to an end, for the suffering of our brothers and sisters to cease, for the oppressed to taste justice, and for the people of Palestine to live in peace. But hope is not just a feeling—it is a call to action. It is boycotting, protesting, speaking out, giving, and refusing to be silent. It is doing what we can with whatever is in our hands while knowing that ultimate victory belongs to Allah.

And yet, we forget. We forget the times when hope carried us through, when Allah answered in ways we never imagined. Time moves so fast—the days feel long, but the years slip away. And quite often, despair creeps in because we fail to remember the hope that once saved us.

This is why hope must be renewed. It must be active, just as our trust in Allah must be active. We say to Him: Ya Allah, I hand over the keys to my life to You. Whatever You will, I know it is best for me. And then, we carry on. Because hope is the other wing of that bird. Ibn al-Qayyim beautifully said that a believer is like a bird flying toward Allah—love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. If either wing breaks, the bird cannot reach its destination.

And so, as Ramadan nears its end, we are left with a simple truth: We are all hoping to reach it again, just as we once hoped to reach it this year. But we hope not just because we long for another Ramadan, but because we place our trust in Al-Karim—The Most Generous—who never leaves a sincere effort unrewarded. He is the One who grants us the ability to hope, who reassures our hearts, and who reminds us that as long as we turn to Him, no situation is hopeless.

“When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Qur’an 2:117)

And so, we hope.