Tough Choices and Resilience: Between Service, Sacrifice and Striving for the Hereafter

As-salamu alaykum,

This morning I read a thought-provoking opinion article in the Los Angeles Times by Dr. Mahmoud Sabha, “I’m an American doctor stuck in Gaza. As Israel moves into Rafah, where will physicians and our patients go?” You should take a few minutes to read it too (and share with others).

Dr. Mahmoud’s experience in this article nudged me to reflect upon some of the tough choices that healthcare workers make that highlight our inclination to serve others, our readiness to make sacrifices that often have deep ramifications for our families and loved ones and for the believing healthcare worker that these choices, In sha Allah, leads us to path of true success in the hereafter and earning Allah’s mercy and eternal bliss in Paradise.

From the decision to pursue a career in healthcare such as Medicine that translates to an extended period of education to choosing to serve others in the middle of a Pandemic with the tangible risk of contracting and dying from the same infection that is plaguing a community as we saw in the early days of COVID-19 or answering the call to help in a faraway land way out of one’s comfort zone as with the case of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha and other Gaza medical volunteers and heroes like him - healthcare workers are called to make tough choices often at the intersection of service and sacrifice.

How might we lean into resilience through making tough choices?

1. Reflect upon your Niyyah (Intention) 

What is (are) your intention(s) around the choice? Having clear intentions is helpful in sorting out mentally where the choice fits into your overall approach to life, your service identity and your work in healthcare.

Taking the time to craft these intentions also allows you to meaningfully upgrade them and make them less about this world and more about striving and investing in your success in the hereafter by asking ourselves these questions? 

1. How will this choice make me feel spiritually?

2. How will this choice help me in the hereafter?

3. How can I please Allah through this choice?

Gaining mental clarity and alignment with your value system and with the will of Allah will help you and I unlock profound meaning and growth that will foster resilience even in the face of the most difficult choices. 

In Surah Al-Qasas, verse 7, we learn from the mother of Prophet Musa (AS) who was inspired to make the difficult choice of putting the infant prophet Musa (AS) in a basket in the river as she was reassured by Allah, the Most High; 

“We inspired the mother of Moses: “Nurse him, but when you fear for him, put him then into the river, and do not fear or grieve. We will certainly return him to you, and make him one of the messengers.”

2. Avail yourself of the trusted counsel of others (Istishaara)

As we approach tough choices, it's important to leverage the perspective of trusted parties from our support network - assuming that we have invested some time and effort to cultivate a trusted support network - no matter how few they may be.  This is essential to further drive the mental clarity that we described above while also helping us to identify potential pitfalls in how we may be independently appraising the choice. Leveraging a support system of family, friends, mentors or even a coach can also be useful in the unfolding after the choice has been made to help us more resiliently navigate the downstream effects of change that often accompanies the tough choices that we make.

Allah SWT encouraged Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to do just that as we see in the following verse Surah Ash-Shuraa v38: “who respond to their Lord, establish prayer, conduct their affairs by mutual consultation, and donate from what We have provided for them”

3. Seek Divine Guidance through Istikhaara 

Resilience is often described as a capacity to bounce back from setbacks. One of the key considerations with making tough choices is the inherent uncertainty and risks with pursuing a certain path.

Will I be successful or not? 

Will I be able to recover quickly if things don’t go as planned? 

Can I remain steadfast in the face of the related changes or challenges that result?

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught his companions to seek divine guidance in tough situations as well as in seemingly mundane choices. When we seek Allah’s guidance through Istikhaara, we are asking Allah to guide us towards the right choice that He deems best for us. It is designed to align us with Allah’s will and to be content with Allah’s decree. 

The contentment that comes with being aligned with Allah’s will is profound as it sets a precedence to help us appraise the downstream change and/or challenges that are associated with tough choices with grace and to experience tranquility from Allah that fosters strength, growth and resilience for us through life’s toughest challenges.

One can only imagine what is going through the minds of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha and colleagues as they are faced with the siege on Rafah and how it’s impacting their humanitarian work but one thing is apparent from the opinion article - that he is content with Allah’s will and with the tough choice of service on the frontlines in Gaza and the sacrifices of leaving their loved ones behind. 

We pray that Allah, the Most High, strengthens and protects them and safely reunites them with their families as we pray for a ceasefire and lasting peace in the devastated region.

May Allah SWT grant us the capacity to make tough choices of service and sacrifice that earn us His pleasure while unlocking growth and resilience for us in this life for true success in the hereafter. Amin.

Sincerely,

Sulyman

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