Modern society has become obsessed with winning. But what happens if you can’t always win? What happens if God puts you in circumstances in which you lose?

God, in the Qur’an, had to tell the pagan Arabs that God will not cause any good you’ve done in secret to fall by the wayside.

وهو شهرٌ أولُهُ رحمةٌ وأوسطُهُ مغفرةٌ وآخرُهُ عتقٌ من النارِ

“It [Ramadan] is a month in which the first of it is mercy, the middle of it is forgiveness and the last of it is salvation from the fire.” — narration from Salman al-Farisi

‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about this verse”:

عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَتْ

سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ هَذِهِ الآيَةِ

إِنَّ الَّذينَ هُم مِن خَشيَةِ رَبِّهِم مُشفِقونَ

وَالَّذينَ هُم بِآياتِ رَبِّهِم يُؤمِنونَ

وَالَّذينَ هُم بِرَبِّهِم لا يُشرِكونَ

وَالَّذينَ يُؤتونَ ما آتَوا وَقُلوبُهُم وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُم إِلىٰ رَبِّهِم راجِعونَ

أُولٰئِكَ يُسارِعونَ فِي الخَيراتِ وَهُم لَها سابِقونَ

‏قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ أَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يَشْرَبُونَ الْخَمْرَ وَيَسْرِقُونَ قَالَ لاَ يَا بِنْتَ الصِّدِّيقِ وَلَكِنَّهُمُ الَّذِينَ يَصُومُونَ وَيُصَلُّونَ وَيَتَصَدَّقُونَ وَهُمْ يَخَافُونَ أَنْ لاَ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ

“Indeed, those who anxiously fear their Lord, who believe in the signs of their Lord, who don’t make partners with their Lord and who give whatever they give in charity with nervous hearts, knowing that they’re going to return to their Lord, they’re the ones who rush forward to do every type of good deed. They’re foremost in doing what’s pleasing to God. — Qur’an 23: 57-61

‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “Are they those who drink alcohol and steal?” He ﷺ said, “No, O daughter of al-Siddiq; they are the ones who fast and pray and give charity, but they fear that it will not be accepted from them; they are the ones who race for the good deeds.” — Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, #3175

عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه

خياركم من قرأ القرآن وأقرأه

Ibn Mas’ud related that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of you is the one who recites the Qur’an (for his or herself) and then recites it to others.”