“…We raise in degrees whom We will, but over every possessor of knowledge, there is one [more] knowing.” [12: 76]

There will always be someone who knows more than you, who understands things faster and is better at academics. There will always be someone who is wealthier than you, who gets what they want, earns more, and probably spends more. There will always be someone more beautiful or handsome, who attracts compliments and looks better than you in a dress or suit. There will always be someone better than you. But there can never be someone exactly like you, and that’s the part we don’t notice – because we are too busy trying to be like others.

You forget that even though Allah raised some people over you, He has also raised *you* over others in your own way. But you don’t see that you have the most beautiful smile that warms others, or that you come from a loving home. You don’t see that even though you’re not rich, you’ve managed to get that thing you’ve always wanted, or perhaps it was gifted to you. You may see yourself as ‘unattractive’, but you’re married to someone who would deny that with a passion. You may deem yourself a failure because of a grade, but you’re succeeding in life itself – and that’s more important.

Allah will gift people with different things, He will raise them but there will always be someone higher in that rank. Thus we encircle the world, each of us intertwined above and below others – but all of us imperfect, because above us is the Most Perfect; God Himself.

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Author

  • Farhia Yahya

    Farhia Yahya from London, UK is a teacher of Qur’anic and Arabic Sciences, and has taught English-speaking audiences in the UK for the past few years. In addition to completing a BSc Biomedical Science degree in London, she has also completed her Arabic, Islamic studies, and Hifdh of Qur’an in Cairo, Egypt. Born in Somalia and raised in the UK, she has lived in various cities around the world and travelling continues to be one of her passions (hey, it’s in the nomadic genes!). Farhia is a published author, upcoming novelist, and a translator of classical Arabic texts. She teaches tailored Islamic courses for sisters online and also runs a blog (as well as its social networks) with a focus on writing around the gems of the Qur’an and the beauty of literature.