By Arfa Masihuddin

9:03 AM | 5 August 2019

I often wonder how a *dua makes its way up above the seventh sky; a little fluffy ball weighing our hopes, desires, fears, and happiness.

There is probably more than one layer of ozone that it needs to fly beyond. There is the hurt resting heavy on people’s hearts, slowing down our duas. Then there are our own follies
– mistakes big and small – and disobedience (do we ever really listen to what He so lovingly says?) that slow them down. There’s fear – and it’s the deadliest of all – that hunts down our duas like vultures prying over a dead animal; fear of our duas going into that empty space, the black hole of the universe.

So, you see. Our duas ascend upwards – it is a video game! – and there’s fear and unashamed sins, and the sad, broken sighs of humans who may be once-upon-a-times; all attacking our duas from left, right, centre, up and down. The dua gets scared. Who is there to protect it? But there is, isn’t it? Repentance and Tawakkal. So, from down here, our hearts launch a missile of both, powering the impossible. Up and up and up. Something just like this. And if it is powerful enough – a couple of megavolts, maybe – the dua shoots up; beyond the stars and stardust and the misty clouds and the seven skies straight up to fall down and prostrate by His throne. And with the grace that is only His, He picks it up, ever so lightly.

And that is how we have little secrets with God. Beautiful secrets. Life-changing secrets.

*prayer

About the Author: A doctor, writer, poet, teacher, entrepreneur, Arfa is currently pursuing a Health Innovation Fellowship at AKU. She blogs at @drarfamasihuddin on both Facebook and Instagram.