Seasons of Life

I always knew as a child that a year has four seasons and that these seasons come and go in cycles every year. However, I was not a very observant or reflective child and so I did not think much beyond that. As an adult, I realized that every season serves a purpose. It also looks and feels very different from other seasons. There is growth and beauty in every season. When it is autumn, leaves change colour and fall from the trees. Fall colours look beautiful in their own way. The dead leaves are used by birds and animals for different purposes. They are an essential part of the nutrient cycle and food webs and so there is life even in the fallen leaves! Then winter comes, marked by short, and sometimes, snowy days. Winter can look gloomy, but it is the necessary intermediate between fall and spring. Winter ushers in spring which is the season of rebirth and visible growth. Summer is the continuation of that growth, marked with long days and plants bearing fruit.

SubhanAllah it’s a remarkable system of nature perfectly created by the Lord of the worlds, in order to sustain countless forms of life.

Allah SWT Says: “And [in] the alternation of night and day and [in] what Allah sends down from the sky of provision and gives life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and [in His] directing of the winds are signs for a people who reason.” [45:5]

Our life is also comprised of seasons. On some days, there would be visible growth and increased opportunities. But there would inevitably be days that would seem stagnant. A particular season might be characterized by pain and gloom, but it would be essential to push us towards the spring of our lives. Some days we would be sowing seeds without knowing or remembering, while some days we would see visible fruits of our endeavors. There would be many emotional and situational autumns, winters, springs, and summers in our lives. Before I realized this, I thought that being persistent means doing exactly the same actions every day of the year. Now I know that every season is meant for a particular kind of work and increase in our lives (while consistency in some specific actions is great). Having seasons of life also does not mean that there are “good” days and “bad” days. Yes, there are days of immense struggle and there are days of relief. But all days are good as long as they help us in our purpose of life, i.e., knowing our Lord. Even during the moments that the pain in our hearts feels so strong that it almost paralyzes us, it is an invaluable blessing if our hearts witness Al-Jabbar [The Restorer] and Al-Hadi [The Guide] as a result.

Know that the One who controls the movement and destiny of every single leaf on this planet, controls the seasons of our lives too. The One who decrees whether a single acorn planted in the ground would end up in a squirrel’s stomach or grow up to be a big oak tree, decrees our sustenance and growth too. He is our Wali (Friend) who grants us or removes from us something, depending on what we need the most at that time, in order to progress in our marifat [understanding] of Him.

Allah SWT Says: “We will show them Our Signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth…” [41:53]