The Power of Sincere Effort - 307

Allah جل جلاله does not expect perfection—He treasures sincerity.

AuthorAuthor

Miftaah Portal & Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed
May 08, 2025

Est. Read time: 3 min
Edition Number: 306
Adapted from: From Darkness to Light: A Study of Surah Duha
Instructor: Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed

Assalamu Alaykum,

Today’s gem is from Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed’s course: From Darkness to Light: A Study of Surah Duha. In this gem, Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed explains that beauty lies not in perfection, but in sincere effort—and Allah ﷻ cherishes it deeply, especially from those returning to Him.

Hope you enjoy!

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We begin in the Name of Allah ﷻ, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,
We ask that He ﷻ sends Peace and Blessings upon our noble and beloved
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

A friend of mine was in Iʿtikāf, holding a paper and weeping. I asked him, “Everything okay?” Without speaking, he handed me an envelope. The front had a child’s drawing—trees, a house, a family, and a black sun, like an eclipse.

He said, “It’s from my 7-year-old daughter. She drew it and wrote me a birthday card. Today’s my birthday.”

I opened it. Every word was misspelled—“Happy” was written “H-A-P-I,” and “Birthday” was “B-A-R-D-A-Y.” Still, he wept over it—not because it was perfect, but because it was heartfelt.

Now imagine if she had asked her mom to print a grammatically perfect message from ChatGPT. Would that have touched her father more? No. The value was in the struggle, the effort, the love she put into it.

And Allah ﷻ—who is beyond comparison—values our effort even more.

Allah ﷻ told Dawud (A.S),

“O Dawud, if the sinners of this Ummah knew how much I love them and how much I wait for them, they would die from the joy of wanting to meet Me.” 

He added,

“If that is how I treat those turning away, imagine My love for those turning toward Me—those in the masjid.

May Allah ﷻ accept even our flawed efforts done with sincerity, and never let us feel unworthy of Your love. Soften our hearts to return to You, and grant us joy in pleasing You.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم، فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرحيم

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