The question that keeps showing up in my Du'a Community (and my DMs)

"Sister, I want to make big du'as, but I’m scared to get my hopes up.. What if it isn’t answered in the way i want it to? Isn't it safer to just ask for small things?"

I used to ask myself the same thing.

I'd catch myself making vague du'as, keeping my requests "reasonable", not because I didn't believe Allah was capable of giving it, but because I was terrified of the disappointment if He chose not to.

I’d rather aim low to avoid it. 

I wasn’t living, I was escaping.

My fear of disappointment was keeping me stuck in a life of mediocrity. 

It kept my du’as small and blocked me from experiencing true tawakkul. 

Until I accepted that risk of loss is a byproduct of everything good in life. 

Everything that brings joy and gives my life purpose. 

Trying to avoid grief, loss or disappointment meant avoiding all the good things. 

I don’t want that 

I want to live fully. 

Love fully. 

Experience the best of what this life has to offer. 

The only thing I fear now is not living up to my highest potential

Not becoming the best version of myself. 

Being controlled by fear. 

It’s so easy to escape your life these days. 

You have 24/7 access to a device that is created to suck you in and make you forget reality. 

You can scroll for hours without getting bored.

No need to face your fears or take responsibility. 

It’s comfortable, predictable, and safe.

But at what cost? 

We spend so much of our lives running away from grief. 

The easiest way to do that? 

Aspire to mediocrity. 

Because grief is connected to loss, and having high hopes means you’ve got something to lose. 

The anticipation of something you wanted and then lost. 

The du’a that never manifested. 

The dream that got shattered. 

The love you lost. 

“Aim low and you won’t get disappointed.” 

I used to approach everything with this attitude

I settled for du’as that feel reasonable. 

Safe. 

Du’a became a reaction to pain instead of a tool to shape my future. 

Think about that for a second. 

I chose a certain failure over the possibility of success. 

Until i came across this ayah: 

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. [2:155]

Loss is a natural part of the test. 

So why miss out on the good things in life by running from something inevitable? 

If you want love, you have to accept the risk of loss. 
If you want success, you have to accept the risk of failure.
If you want to build your own path, you have to accept the discomfort of uncertainty. 

If there weren’t any pain, then there wouldn’t be joy. 

If you never felt rain, you wouldn’t appreciate the sun.

If you never take risks, you’ll never experience the sweetness of true faith. 

​​“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity” - The Alchemist. 

How to choose tawakkul over fear 

Faith and fear both demand that you believe in something you cannot see. 

Fear is faith in something you don’t want to happen. And when you live in that mindset, you pour your energy into a future you desperately hope to avoid. 

I could write a whole book explaining why and how to trust Allah, but I think it’s far more effective to reflect on where you’ll end up if you don’t. 

Realize that there are two possible outcomes: 

1. You keep avoiding uncomfortable feelings. You’ll find a secure job, settle for a spouse that doesn’t live up to your standards, because what if this is your only shot, right? You wouldn’t want to live with the uncomfortable feeling of being alone. You don’t let yourself dream or make du’as that seem “unreasonable” because what if you get disappointed? So you never experience the sweetness of true tawakkul. Salah feels like a burden. Life is comfortable. The sweetness of asking Allah and striving towards your goals is gone and you’re left with the nagging feeling of what life could’ve been.

2. You embrace the uncertainty. You make du’as so big that people think you’re crazy. Not because you think you can achieve it, but because you know that Allah can. You wake up every day excited to see what Allah has in store for you. You no longer fear grief or disappointment because you know that it’s a natural part of life. Something you can’t avoid or control. You know that “failure” isn’t real; it’s just feedback that brings you closer to your goal. You no longer attach yourself to the outcome of your du’as because you know with certainty that either you get what you ask for or Allah gives you something better. There’s no disappointment, you win either way. You understand that du’a isn’t about the outcome, it was about the process. The relationship with Allah. The sweetness of asking and having high hopes in him. Of seeing his perfect plan unfold and surrendering to it with full trust.

You have to find your why. Something that fuels you. 

I’m fueled by the fear of not living up to my highest potential.

Of ending up stuck in a loop of mediocrity, just surviving life, not living it. 

The fear of standing in front of Allah on the day of judgment, knowing that I didn’t use the countless blessings he’s given me to do good.

That I let fear hold me back. 

I know Shaytan wants me to give in to the fear of failure. Accept mediocrity. But I refuse. 

The fear of untapped potential is stronger than the fear of failure. 

The key is to find your intrinsic motivator, your WHY, and become so fed up with what you’re doing that you have no option but to face your fears and embrace uncertainty. 

Ready to make du'as with certainty and tawakkul?

If you're tired of holding back in your du'as because you're scared of disappointment, Tie Your Camel is for you.

Inside, you'll learn:

• How to make big, specific du'as with complete certainty while staying emotionally detached from the outcome

• The neuroscience behind why your brain creates anxiety around du'a (and how to rewire it for tawakkul)

• A proven framework for taking bold action without the fear, hustle, or burnout

• How to develop unshakeable reliance on Allah, not your results

Imagine waking up excited to make du'a - not because you're attached to getting what you want, but because you know with certainty that Allah will give you what's best. Whether that's exactly what you asked for, or something even better.

Imagine taking action toward your dreams without the crushing anxiety of "what if it doesn't work out?" Because your peace comes from knowing you're doing your part while trusting Allah with His part. And that the outcome was never in your hands.

This is what tawakkul feels like in real life.

Stop letting fear keep your du'as small and your dreams on hold. You were meant for more than a life of playing it safe.

[Transform your relationship with du'a and tawakkul in Tie Your Camel]

The successful muslims who are living their dream lives aren't the ones who never felt fear - they're the ones who chose tawakkul over fear, again and again.

Because they know that the only thing scarier than taking the leap is looking back and realizing you never tried.