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The notification pings. Another friend's engagement announcement. Someone else landed their dream job. Your cousin just bought a house. And there you are, scrolling through it all at 11 PM, wondering why everyone else's life seems to be moving forward while yours feels stuck. Welcome to FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out. But here's what social media won't tell you: You're not missing out. You're exactly where Allah intended you to be, right now, in this moment.
Allah reminds us in Surah Al-Baqarah: "But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not." (2:216)
Read that again. Allah knows what you don't.
FOMO feeds on comparison. But comparison in Islam is not just spiritually draining. It is actually harmful to your faith. When you compare your chapter 3 to someone else’s chapter 20, you are questioning Allah’s perfect planning for your life.
The Prophet ﷺ warned us: “Look at those below you and do not look at those above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah.”
That friend who just got married? You do not see the struggles in their relationship. That influencer with the perfect life? You are watching their highlight reel, not their reality. You are comparing your behind the scenes to everyone else’s final cut.
Trusting Divine Timing
Here is the Islamic antidote to FOMO: certainty in Allah’s timing. Not just acceptance, but certainty that what is meant for you will never miss you, and what misses you was never meant for you.
Think about Prophet Yusuf (AS). Thrown into a well by his brothers, sold into slavery, and falsely imprisoned for years. Was he missing out? From a worldly perspective, absolutely. But Allah was preparing him to become the minister of Egypt. The delay was not denial. It was preparation.
Your delay is also divine preparation.
Practical Steps to Beat FOMO
1.Practice Gratitude Daily
Start each morning by listing three specific blessings. Not generic ones, but specific ones. "I am grateful for the warm coffee I am drinking" hits differently than "I am grateful for food." Gratitude rewires your brain away from scarcity and toward abundance.
The Salam Journal makes this practice effortless with dedicated gratitude pages that help you track your blessings daily, turning gratitude from a good intention into a consistent habit that transforms your mindset.
2. Limit Social Media Consumption
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not have Instagram, but his advice applies: "A sign of a person's good Islam is that they leave what does not concern them." If scrolling makes you feel worse about your life, it does not concern you. Set boundaries.
3. Make This Dua
"Rabbi innee limaa anzalta ilayya min khayrin faqeer"
"My Lord, I am in absolute need of whatever good You send down to me." (28:24)
This was Prophet Musa's (AS) dua at his lowest point. Within hours, his life transformed. Trust that Allah hears you.
4. Focus on Your Own Journey
Your relationship with Allah is personal. Your test of patience might be someone else's test of gratitude. Stop running someone else's race. Run your own with excellence.
The Peace You Are Actually Searching For
FOMO promises that if you just had that thing, you would finally be happy. Islam promises something better: contentment regardless of what you have or do not have.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Richness is not having many possessions, but richness is being content with oneself."
That peace you see in people who seem unbothered by what they are missing, that is tawakkul, complete trust in Allah. And it is available to you right now, exactly where you are.
Your Moment Is Coming
Everything happening in your life right now, the delays, the closed doors, the unanswered prayers, is part of Allah's perfect plan. He is not withholding from you. He is preparing something better for you.
So the next time FOMO hits, remember: Allah's timing is perfect, His plan is better than yours, and what is written for you will reach you even if it is beneath two mountains. What is not written for you will never reach you, even if it is between your two lips.
You are not missing out. You are being protected, prepared, and positioned for something greater.
Trust the timing. Trust the process. Trust Allah.