Self-Worth and Faith: Trusting Allah’s Choice in You

﷽

"Sometimes, the hardest part of the journey is believing you’re worthy of the destination."

With Ramadan getting closer, we hear about all the rewards that come with it. This can trigger feelings of unworthiness of these blessings.

We carry the weight of our sins, our regrets, our past.

We compare ourselves to others.

We wonder if we’ve done enough, if we’ll ever do enough, or be enough.

This problem occurs when you overly identify as a sinner. And though you are a sinner, as am I, that’s not all you are.

You’re also a repenter and a worshipper.

Perception matters.

Allah ﷻ frequently assures us of His merciful and forgiving nature. His ayat pull us out of cycles of regret, shame, and low self-esteem.

And to the lingering question—“why me?”—Allah ﷻ answers:

Allah ﷻ, in His perfect knowledge, knows who has goodness in them and who is receptive to guidance. If there is sincerity and openness in a person's heart, Allah ﷻ facilitates their path to Islam and righteousness.

You were chosen. Not by chance, but by divine selection.

He selected you for this path, and with it comes both responsibility and honor.

Ayat like these help the believer shed feelings of unworthiness, shifting their focus from dunya-based self-worth to seeing their value in the sight of Allah ﷻ—as sinners who are also repenters and worshippers.

Over time, you’ll find that your hardships are not punishments, but lessons—meant to strengthen your confidence as a believer.

But confidence in faith isn’t thinking you are better than others. It’s knowing that Allah ﷻ has given you the chance to strive for Jannah in your own way. It is carrying yourself with quiet assurance, not pride.

We lose that confidence when we start looking at others.

We compare our hardship to their ease, our struggles to their successes, our sins to their righteousness.

We have to think of ourselves as potted plants. 🌱

Not rooted in the ground to be grouped and compared to others, but placed in our own pots, nurtured by Allah ﷻ according to what we need.

A potted plant doesn’t worry about the pot next to it—because to do so wouldn’t benefit it.

It focuses on growing where it’s been placed.

The conditions of its growth—sunlight exposure, water amount, food type, soil type—are dependent on the type of plant it is, its individual needs and temperament, and where it is in its stage of development.

When a plant outgrows its pot, its caretaker repots it into a bigger one. But not before.

Allah ﷻ does the same for us.

We feel stuck, thinking we’ve outgrown our situation, wondering why we haven’t been repotted into a bigger and better one. But Allah ﷻ doesn’t place us in a bigger pot unless we’ve truly filled the one we’re in.

Instead of looking at someone else’s pot, focus on outgrowing your own.

So back to the question: “why me?”

That’s the only answer you need.

The only push to strive to increase the goodness He sees in you.

He has chosen you to not just say the shahada, but to also feel it.

To live it.

To embody it.

He has given you the destination, directions on how to get there, and the fuel needed to make it possible.

It’s true—we’re not worthy of Jannah. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s obtainable.

By way of obedience and sincerity.

Remain hopeful in your Lord and His promises, and remain fearful of losing His light.

Despite what you’ve been through, or what you see online, be confident in who you are.

A sinner, a repenter, a worshipper.

A believer.

Or at the very least, be confident in the One who chose you.

Assalamu alaikum, until next time, in sha Allah

—Khalisa