He is Near

 A good friend sister of mine wrote this letter to me. I thought I would share it with you all. It brought tears to my eyes and InshAllah it will bring some sort of benefit to someone out there. This sister was there from day one of my transition towards truly embracing Islam. As I mentioned in my story under Who I Am, alhamdulilah I was born a Muslim, but like most young people living in the West, I didn't love/practice my deen the way I should have. This sister was there for me from the very beginning and I remember her telling me one day that no matter what happens in college, she always wanted me to be able to come to her if I ever needed anything. At the time, I felt intimidated by people that appeared "religious" to me, especially hijabis lol. I feared that they would judge me. This sister proved to me the complete opposite, and we quickly grew close. In this letter, she reflects on the defining moment I mentioned in my "Who I Am" story where I took my first step towards Allah swt.

 "Take one Step Towards Him walking, and He’ll come to you running.

Subhan`Allah this hadith reminded me of you. I remember when you first became inspired. I remember when we all prayed in jama`a(congregation) in the Virginia Hall lobby on a Friday night with the special guests who came to visit (it was either Maghrib or Ishaa), [because we ended the night praying in jama`a, Allah SWT put some type of barakah (blessings) into that night.] We prayed, while background noises consisted of heels and excited freshmen girls, getting ready to party and go about their casual nightlife plans. We went on, prayed our salah and conversed with our Lord. A friend told us about the odd stares we received that night while we prayed. (We didn’t notice because we were engaged in our salah). How amazing, that as we put our noses and foreheads on the ground in prostration, everything around us seemed so adverse to what we were doing. Subhan`Allah. Allah SWT put something in your heart that night.

   I remember how in awe how you felt that night, and how inspired you were. Despite what everyone else was doing, we fulfilled our obligation to Allah SWT. I remember walking into your room the following morning and seeing the Google search on your screen ‘How to pray the right way in Islam.’ I remember you updating your Facebook status to ‘Last night changed everything for me.’ I remember that ever since that day, by the mercy of Allah SWT, you became consistent in your 5 daily prayers. I remember you taking one step towards Allah SWT, and beautifully, I remember Allah SWT running to you with His mercy. I remember you deciding to wear the hijab almost a month after your commitment of salah. I remember Allah SWT honoring you as a beautiful role model and representative to Muslimahsall over the globe as a newly defined Riham Osman.

I am a witness to this hadith qudsi that if you come to Allah SWT walking, He will come to you running.

   Allah SWT says; “If you come to Me walking, I will come to you running.”

All we have to do is take that one step. "