Turning Tides

Change, surrender & finding your way back again and again

“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.”

―Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

If you’ve ever felt stuck in life, picture the sea—restless and unceasing. Its waves rising and falling, tides rolling in and out, always moving in its own rhythm. Like the ocean, our lives ebb and flow through periods of calm and turbulence, certainty and unpredictability.

Change is the one constant, an essential force shaping the unfolding of our story.

The transition from ease to hardship, hardship to ease, ease within hardship, and hardship within ease is humbling. It compels us to learn and grow, testing and refining our faith along the way.

You can never predict what will wash in with the tides. And life has an unexpected way of surprising us. Some seasons feel like endless effort with no movement—as though you’re standing in still water, waiting for a wave to carry you forward.

And then, almost without warning, the tides turn. A single moment, a single opportunity, and suddenly everything moves at once. The waves carry you forward, the winds shift in your favour, and the stillness that once felt endless becomes a distant memory.

The quote at the start of this piece captures it perfectly: there are times when it feels like nothing is happening, and then there are moments when life accelerates so quickly, it’s as if entire years unfold in mere weeks.

One moment, you’re stranded in uncertainty. The next, you’re watching everything fall into place with effortless ease—like gentle waves guiding you safely to shore.

Lately, my life has been so fast-moving that I’ve barely had time to process one change before the next unfolds. After living through years of slow, predictable cycles, this sudden wave of change almost felt overwhelming. I’ve closed chapters that once felt endless, like law school, only to step into new ones without pause. Some days, it felt like I barely had a moment to think, let alone sit with myself. And while being busy was satisfying in its own way, I found myself missing the quiet pockets of time I had for reflection, contemplation, and strangely enough the melancholy that once felt meaningful.

Then, almost as if I had willed it, I hit an unexpected standstill in something I’d been working on. And suddenly, everything else seemed to slow down as well. The world continued moving at full speed, but I was forced to wait and the stillness felt unsettling. In reality, I could’ve chosen to focus on other things but I think my mind needed the mental break it hadn’t had in a while.

Although it felt like it wasn’t going to pass, it did, as suddenly as it had begun. The tides turned again.

I’ve learnt that these periods of stagnation happen for a reason. It may feel like it stretches on endlessly but once you come out of it, the weight of that time often fades, making it hard to recall just how heavy it once felt.

This particular setback was a small one compared to others I’ve experienced. Yet in the moment, it was a fleeting reminder of what it once felt like to be stuck, stirring up the discomfort I’ve learnt to associate with stillness.

So, not all storms are equal. Some rage on for longer and leave an imprint on us, shaping the way we see the world long after they’ve passed. Yet, with time, even the sharpest memories soften.

When the winds stir, bringing echoes of deeper hardships you’ve weathered, you can let them serve as reminders of how far you’ve come—not invitations to relive the past.

Growth lies in reflection, not in reopening old wounds. You don’t have to revisit what once hurt you to prove you’ve healed. The true sign that you’ve reached the other side of the storm is knowing when to carry the lesson and leave the wreckage behind. It’s not for you to fix. Everything happened as it should.

“Never be a prisoner of your past, it was a lesson, not a life sentence”.

One thing that I’ve learnt to be true is that much goodness awaits you after every storm. The winds usher in hope and the tides turn, things begin to fall into place, and what you thought would never pass does so easily. You realize that all it takes is time, patience and trust.

And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them,

And provide for them from sources they could never imagine.

And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them.

Certainly, Allah achieves His Will. Allah has already set a destiny for everything.

Surah At Talaq [65:2-3]

Allah’s provisions often come in unexpected ways. They may arrive in a completely different vessel, shape or form than you could have ever expected or prayed for.

When you put your trust in Allah, as you go further along your journey you come across better opportunities, gain better wisdom, and build stronger and more meaningful relationships.

Right now, I’m in a season of my life that feels serendipitous in many ways. Yet, I’m still trying to unlearn the habit of bracing for a storm in moments of calm. Peace unsettles me sometimes as if it’s merely a prelude to chaos. But who says a storm must follow just because the waters are still? And who says turbulence should be the default?

Even so, how do you find a balance when you’re aware that life itself is a test? Do you not prepare for the tests? Do you not lower your expectations and guard your heart against forming attachments to the dunya? This is just me thinking out loud.

I think it’s important to constantly remember that nothing lasts forever. Not the good and not the bad. Islam itself means to submit to the Will of Allah. Everything we experience in this life is by His Will and every experience is made easier by surrendering to it knowing that it is from Allah and He alone gives and takes away as He pleases.

So, my answer right now is to surrender to each unique experience in each season. To truly live, feel every feeling and accept everything that comes and goes.

The journey of faith is one of constant introspection. Every high and low carries a lesson, drawing us closer to Allah and deepening our gratitude. Yet, maintaining that connection isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it takes the weight of a brewing storm to drive us back to our prayer mat. Other times, it’s the joy of unexpected blessings that brings us to prostrate in gratitude. Holding onto faith means returning to it—again and again—through both hardship and ease. We cling to the rope of Allah, slipping at times but always striving to climb higher.

I’ve found that periods of calm require even greater effort. It’s easy to get carried away when you have a lot going on. It takes intention and discipline to create those pockets of time for reflection. That’s something I’m prioritising right now, and I’m really grateful that Ramadan is around the corner to help boost that effort. May Allah extend our lives until then and make it easy for us.

Allahumma ballighna Ramadan. Wishing you all a lot of ease, peace and tranquillity. 💗