Huwa ‘Alayya Hayyin – It is easy for Me
The impossible
In Surat Maryam, Allah Almighty talks about Zakariya and his request for a child. In the first story, Allah Almighty highlights the status of Zakariya and describes his supplication. He said:
قال رب انى يكون لي غلام وكانت امرأتي عاقرا وقد بلغت من الكبر عتيا
He said, “My Lord, how can I have a boy when my wife has always been barren and I have the extreme of old age?” (Maryam, 19:8)
Zakariya had asked Allah to give him a boy, and Allah responded that he would indeed be granted a son. Zakariya was perplexed how this would be, as his wife was old and past child-bearing age. Would he be adopting a boy? He wanted Allah to explain how this would come about. Allah’s reply was: هو علي هين (Huwa ‘alayya hayyin) “That is easy for Me!”
قال كذلك قال ربك هو علي هين وقد خلقتك من قبل ولم تك شيئا
He said, “Thus said your Lord, ‘It is easy for Me, and I have certainly created you before when you were nothing.’” (Maryam, 19:9)
Allah reminded Zakariya that He created him from nothingness (adam) and brought him into existence (wujud). The same statement appears in the story of Maryam, who did not request a child, but was informed that she would have a baby. She was shocked and wondered how she would conceive a boy when she had never been touched by a man.
قالت انى يكون لي غلام ولم يمسسني بشر ولم اك بغيا
She said, “How can I have a boy when no human being has touched me, nor have I ever been unchaste?” (Maryam, 19:20)
She would go on to become pregnant, having just passed puberty, and be supervised by her uncle Zakariya. It was a sign of Allah’s power to create a child without even a father.
قال كذلك قال ربك هو علي هين ولنجعله آية للناس ورحمة منا وكان امرا مقضيا
He said, “Thus said your Lord, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us, and it has been a matter already decreed.’” (Maryam, 19:21)
Allah created Adam from dust, Eve without a mother or father, and Eesa without a father, reflecting His attribute as the Creator.
This shows that what seems impossible for us, and is impossible for us to achieve, is not for Allah. For Him, it is easy.
“Huwa alay hayinu” shows us that whatever we cannot do, Allah can easily do it. If you have huge debt that you cannot repay, knock on Allah’s door, and beg Him, saying, “Huwa ‘alayya hayyin“. If you have an incurable illness, beg Him, it is easy for Him to cure you. If you have suffered from a calamity or have difficulties, just ask.
A man I know had severe difficulties. He had plenty of issues in his household, which no one could relieve but Allah. He went to his shaykh, a trusted person, for advice, and his shaykh said, “I will give you a number which you can call.” The man awaited eagerly for the number. The shaykh said: “2, 2, 2: 2 o’clock after midnight, 2 ra’kahs, shed 2 drops of tears.” That is the formula for Allah to resolve your issues. That is the hotline. It is always open, always receiving your calls. “Huwa alay hayinu”, it is easy for him.
Have you asked Allah and He never responded? Have you begged with sincerity and He never resolved your issues? Allah says: “Come to Me, I am the One who resolves your issues. It is easy for Me. I give relief.”
Do not underestimate Allah
Allah is beyond our comprehension. He created the heavens and the earth, and the planets in their orbits. We can’t be seen on the map of the universe, and are smaller than a speck of dust, yet Allah is looking after each one of us. We don’t value Him as He should be valued.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
اللهم لا احصي ثناء عليك انت كما اثنيت على نفسك
“I have not praised You enough as You have praised Yourself.” (Muslim)
In the Quran, Allah says, they never valued Allah as He should be valued.
وما قدروا الله حق قدره
They did not appraise Allah with true appraisal. (al-Zumar, 39:67)
Allah says “Be!”
Ease and difficulty are terms that we understand as humans, but in reality, for Allah ease and difficulty are not a feature, He simply says: كن فيكون “Be, and it is!” (Ya Sin, 36:82) That’s it. Done.
I remember once I had a conversation with our late teacher, the great muhaddith and mufassir, Nur al-Din Itr (may Allah have mercy on his soul). He loved Imam Nawawi. Whenever we said anything, he would reply with a quotation from Imam Nawawi. I said to him, “You keep mentioning Imam Nawawi, but we can’t reach his level.” The shaykh was angry, even though he was always such a calm person. I was taken aback. What had I said that evoked such a response from someone whom I had never once before seen ruffled? He said, “My son, the One who gave to Imam Nawawi is still giving. He never stops His gifts. But where are the sincere? Never doubt Allah. Work on yourself and work on your sincerity with Him.”
Sincerity
It is all about your sincerity with Allah. It is easy for Him. Put your trust and certainty in Him. No matter what you are facing, go to Allah, especially in your salah and especially in your sujud.
أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ:
«أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ، فَأَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ»
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration, so increase supplication [in that position].” (Muslim)
The closest position a person can be to his Lord is sujud. Ask Him for whatever you want: good health, good wealth, good spouse, good house, good children. Ask Allah. It is easy for Him. Always remember that what is difficult for you is easy for Him. Put your trust in Him.
This does not mean that you do not put in the efforts required from your side and just rely on supplications. If you are ill, take your medicine and ask for cure. If you are jobless, then improve your CV and apply for jobs. Allah said to Zakariya and Maryam “It is easy for him”.
Efforts
Allah taught us in the Quran, that while asking, we should also put in our efforts. He said:
“Prepare [against them what you can]” (al-Anfal 60) and “Take your precautions” (al-Nisa 71)
True belief in qadr (divine decree) is not passive. While believing in divine decree, we are commanded to act, strive, and take means, while knowing that outcomes lie only with Allah.
True hope is when one works, prays, and trusts Allah; idle wishfulness is when one does nothing but dreams of outcomes. That is why the Prophet ﷺ said:
قال النبي ﷺ: احرص على ما ينفعك، واستعن بالله، ولا تعجز، وإن أصابك شيء فلا تقل: لو أني فعلت كان كذا وكذا، ولكن قل: قدر الله وما شاء فعل، فإن لو تفتح عمل الشيطان.
‘Be eager for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not give up. If something befalls you, do not say: “If only I had done this or that,” but say: “It was Allah’s decree, and whatever He willed, He did,” for “if only” opens the door to Satan.’ (Muslim)
He ﷺ also said:
واعلم أن الأمة لو اجتمعت على أن ينفعوك بشيء لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله لك، وإن اجتمعوا على أن يضروك بشيء لم يضروك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليك، رفعت الأقلام وجفت الصحف.
“Know that if the entire nation were to unite to benefit you, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you; and if they unite to harm you, they would not harm you except with what Allah has written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” (Tirmidhi)
In a hadith qudsi:
يا عبادي لو أن أولكم وآخركم وإنسكم وجنكم قاموا في صعيد واحد فسألوني فأعطيت كل واحد مسألته ما نقص ذلك مما عندي إلا كما ينقص المخيط إذا أدخل البحر.
“O My servants! Were the first and the last of you, the humans and the jinn, to stand together on one plain and ask of Me, and I were to give everyone what he requested, it would not diminish what I possess any more than a needle decreases the sea when dipped into it.” (Muslim)
The battles of Badr, the Trench, and the Hijrah demonstrate how we need to exert human effort and trust in Allah. At Badr, the Prophet ﷺ arranged his troops and prayed for victory; in the Trench, he accepted Salman al-Farisi’s strategy while invoking Allah’s help; and during the Hijrah, he took every precaution, yet reassured Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” (9:40).Reliance on Allah and taking the means are not opposites but complements — the believer acts outwardly while depending inwardly. At the highest level of faith (ihsan), to worship Allah as though you see Him. The one who lives with ihsan views every hardship as a test, every blessing as a trust, and every impossibility as a chance to witness Allah’s power.
Imam Shafi’i ( may Allah have mercy on him) said in a beautiful poem:
من شعر الإمام الشافعي رحمه الله تعالى
يا صاحبَ الهمِّ إنَّ الهمَّ مُنفرِجٌ
أبشِرْ بخيرٍ فإنَّ الفارجَ اللهُ
إذا بُليتَ فثِقْ بالله وارضَ بهِ
إنَّ الذي يَكشِفُ البلوى هو اللهُ
اللهُ يُحدِثُ بعدَ العُسرِ مَيسَرةً
لا تَجزَعَنَّ فَإنَّ الكافيَ اللهُ
واليأسُ يقطعُ أحياناً بصاحبهِ
لا تيأَسَنَّ فَإنَّ الصانِعَ الله
O bearer of worry, indeed, your grief will fade away.
Rejoice in goodness, for the Reliever is Allah.
When you are tested, put your trust in Allah and be content,
For surely, the One who removes affliction is Allah.
Allah brings ease after every hardship.
Do not despair, for the All-Sufficient is Allah.
Despair consumes the one who clings to it.
So never despair, for the One who shapes all things is Allah.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 17th October 2025