Life can often feel unrewarding, thankless, and relentlessly hard. Just when things seem to settle, something shifts. Calamities appear more frequently than we would like, sometimes without warning, leaving us tired and disoriented. Plans unravel. Effort goes unnoticed. And with a weary sigh, we say, “That’s life.”

At times, that phrase carries resignation. Life can be deeply discouraging, even despairing. It can knock you down, challenge your patience, and test your emotional endurance. I know this feeling well.

What I have learnt, though, is that coping with life is not about denying its hardships, but about understanding how — and where — to place one’s trust. My trust is undeniably in Allah.

Life is unpredictable, uneven, and rarely fair. Ancient wisdom across cultures has long recognised this, including the Koran, which describes life as a series of tests — not as punishment, but as part of being human. One verse captures this plainly: “We will certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of wealth, lives and fruits …” (2:155). In modern language, this simply means: struggle is part of the deal.

For me, that understanding came through faith. Islam taught me a simple but powerful principle: do your best, then release the outcome.

Muslims rarely speak of future plans without saying in sha’ Allah — if God wills. Far from being a throwaway phrase, it reflects humility. It acknowledges effort without claiming control. It reminds us that while human beings plan, outcomes are not ours to command.

What’s striking is not the acknowledgement of hardship — we already know life is hard — but the calm acceptance of it. We often exhaust ourselves fighting reality, asking “Why me?” or “Why now?”

Yet many philosophical and spiritual traditions suggest that peace comes not from avoiding difficulty, but from learning how to stand within it without breaking.

Our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said, “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for there is good for them in every matter …” (Muslim).

Stripped of religious framing, the message is universal: how we respond to life matters more than what happens to us. Growth, resilience, and even wisdom often come disguised as inconvenience, delay, or disappointment.

Modern psychology echoes this idea. We know that people who learn to reframe adversity — not deny it, but reinterpret it — tend to cope better. They don’t romanticise suffering, but they don’t let it define them either.

The Koran reinforces this balance by reminding us: “God does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.” (2:286)

Whether one believes this spiritually or metaphorically, the implication is empowering: you are more capable than you think.

Learning to live with this mindset changed how I carry disappointment. I still feel loss and frustration, but I no longer cling to them. I have come to terms with the reality that people plan, but God is the best of planners.

Accepting this has freed me from excessive regret over closed doors and unanswered prayers. Not everything that fails is a failure; sometimes it is protection, sometimes redirection.

What also grounds me is the belief that this life is not the final destination. It is a phase — a stepping point — rather than the end of the journey. I believe that how we live in this stage, how we respond to difficulty, and how we treat others determines the success of what comes next.

In Islamic belief, this next stage is Jannah (Heaven) — a state of peace and fulfilment beyond the limits of this world.

This perspective changes how success is measured. It is no longer defined solely by achievement, wealth, or recognition, but by integrity, trust, patience, and doing what is right — even when it is unseen or unrewarded.

The Koran repeatedly reminds believers that those who live with trust in God, who strive to do good and act righteously, will ultimately be successful. And for me, Allah’s promise is true.

There is a daily reminder of this in the call to prayer, which echoes with the words: “Come to prayer, come to success.” It is a striking message — that success is not merely something chased in the world, but something rooted in alignment, purpose, and remembrance.

Life will always test us. Strength fades. Circumstances change. Certainty dissolves. Faith has not removed these realities from my life, but it has given me a way to walk through them without bitterness or despair.

So when people say, “That’s life,” I no longer hear defeat. I hear perspective. That’s life — and for me, it’s also a preparation for what comes next.

My hope is that we will all find a peace that surpasses all understanding. And just “let it be” in the knowledge that God is the best disposer of our affairs.

With the world stage looking quite tumultuous it certainly causes one to feel unsafe, uncertain and anxious.

Allah says the reading of the Koran calms the heart and soothes the soul. Therefore, let’s read the Koran more intensely especially during this month of Sha’ban. The Koran brings tranquillity and reassurance.

Allah tells us that the Koran settles the heart: “So that your hearts may find reassurance.” (13:28)

This verse teaches that remembrance of Allah — including reading His words — brings a deep, stabilising peace.

Will there be a Third World War? Let's pray not. Let's pray hard for peace to be successful … Prayer brings success.

Be blessed, beautiful Bermuda.

As salaam alaikum (peace be unto you).

• Linda Walia Ming is a member of the Bermuda Hijab Dawah Team, a group of Muslim women who reside in Bermuda and have a goal of educating the community about the religion of Islam