DO NOT LOSE HOPE
Allah answers the prayer of the disbeliever who is in distress; so how much more can the Muslim expect who doesn’t associate partners with Him? Mahatma Gandhi, perhaps second in popularity in India only to the Buddha, was on the verge of slipping were it not for his dependence on the strength of prayer. And how do I know this? Because, he himself said, “If I didn’t pray, I would have gone mad a long time ago. This was the effect of prayer, and Gandhi was not even a Muslim. Unquestionably, his falsehood was great, but what kept him going was that he was on a path.
(And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him only, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others.) (Quran 29: 65)
(ls not He [better than your gods] we responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him…)
(Qur’an 27: 62)
(And they think that they are encircled therein, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him Alone, saying, if you [Allah] deliver us from this, we shall truly be of the grateful.) (Quran 10: 22)
Despite a thorough search through the biographies of Muslim scholars, Muslim historians, and Muslim writers as a group, I have failed to find a single one of them who fell prey to anxiety, confusion, and mental illnesses. The reason is that they lived in peace and serenity, and that they lived uncomplicated lives that were free from all forms of affectation.
(But those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and believe in that which is sent down to Muhammad, for it is the truth from their Lord, He will expiate from them their sins, and will make good their state.) (Quran 47: 2)
Contemplate the following statement of Ibn Hazim:
“There is only one day separating kings and me. As for yesterday, their taste of it has vanished and both they and I equally fear what tomorrow will bring. Thus there is only today. And what will today bring’?”
The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said: .
“O’ Allah, I ask you for goodness today: in its blessings, success, light, and guidance.”
O’ you who believe! Take your precautions) (Quran 4: 71)
And let hint be careful and let no man know of you. (Quran 18: 19)
(And they said nothing but: ‘Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions [in keeping our duties to you], establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.) (Quran 3: I47)
DON‘T BE SAD —- LIFE IS SHORTER THAN YOU THINK
Dale Carnegie related a story of a man who had an ulcer that became aggravated to a dangerous level. Doctors informed him that he had very little time left to live. They insinuated that it would be wise for him to make funeral arrangements. Suddenly, Hani a the patient- made a spontaneous decision: He thought to himself that if he had such little time left to live, why not enjoy it to the utmost? He thought, “How often have I wished to travel around the world before I die. This is certainly the chance to realize my dreams.” He bought his ticket and when the doctors became aware of his plans, they were shocked. They said to him, “We most strongly remonstrate with you and warn you: If you go forward on this journey you will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.” Their arguments were in vain and he only answered, “No, nothing of the sort will happen. I have promised my relatives that I will come back to be buried in the family plot.”
He thus began his trip of mirth and joy. He wrote to his wife saying, “I eat the most delectable of dishes on the cruise ship. I read poetry, and I eat tasty fatty foods that I have hitherto refrained from. I have enjoyed life during this period more than I have in my entire previous life.”
Dale Carnegie claimed that the man became cured of his sickness and that the energizing path he took is one that is successful in defeating disease and pain.
The moral; happiness, cheerfulness, and calmness are often more efficacious than doctors’ pills.
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE LIFE’S BASIC NECESSITIES — DON‘T BE SAD
(And it is not your wealth, nor your children that bring you nearer to us [i.e. pleases Allah], but only he [will please us] who believes [in the Islamic Monotheism] and does righteous deeds; as for such, there will be twofold reward for what they did, and they will reside in the high dwellings [Paradise] in peace and security. (Qur’an 34: 37)
Dale Carnegie said:
“Statistics have proven that stress and anxiety are the number one killers in America. As a result of the last world war, one third of a million of our soldiers were killed. In the same period, heart disease was the cause of two million deaths. And from this latter group, stress, anxiety, and nervous tension were the source of sickness for one million people.”
Yes, heart disease is one of the main reasons that prompted Dr. Alexis Carlyle to say:
“Working people who do not know how to deal with stress die prematurely.’
Though the reasoning and logic that prompted Carlyle to say this are sound, we must still remember:
(And no person can ever die except by Allah’s Leave and at an appointed term.)
(Quran 3: 145)
Black Americans and the Chinese rarely fall prey to diseases of the heart. They are people who live life with tranquility and calmness. On the other hand, you will find that the number of doctors who die of heart attacks is twenty times more than the number of farmers who die of the same cause. Doctors live a tough and stress-filled life, for which they pay a heavy price.
IF YOU LOSE A LIMB, YOU STILL HAVE OTHERS TO COMPENSATE FOR IT
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“If Allah removes the light from my eyes,
My tongue and ears still have in them light.
My heart is intelligent and my mind is not crooked,
And my tongue is sharp like a warrior’s sword.”
When harm befalls you, perhaps there is a benefit that comes with it, a benefit that you cannot perceive.
(And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you….)
(Qur’an 2: 216)
Bashhar ibn Burd said:
“My enemies disparage me, and the defect is in them,
It is not a disgrace to be called defective.
If a person can see gallantry and truth,
Blindness in the eyes will not be a hindrance.
In blindness I see rewards, savings, and protection,
And for these three, I am most needy.”
Observe the difference between what Ibn ‘Abbaas or Bashhar said and what Saaleh ibn ‘Abdul Quddoos said when he became blind:
“Farewell to the world; the old man who is blind
Has no share whatsoever of this life.
He dies and people consider him to be of the living,
False hopes have betrayed him from the beginning?
All Divine decrees will come to pass, both upon the one who accepts them and upon the one who rejects them. The difference is that the former will rind reward and happiness while the latter will find only sin and misery.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aziz wrote to Maymoon ibn Mehran:
“You have written to console me for losing ‘Abdul-Malik. For this matter I had been in waiting, and when it finally came to pass, I had no misgivings about it.”
THE DAYS ROTATE IN BRINGING GOOD AND BAD
It has been related that Imam Ahmad visited Baqi ibn Mukhalid while he was sick and said to him:
“O’ Baqi, rejoice in Allah’s reward. The days of health are devoid of sickness and the days of sickness are devoid of health.”
This means that during days of health one never contemplates sickness, for plans and ambitions then increase, as do hopes and desires. During days of severe sickness, however, one forgets matters that pertain to times of health; weak despair encamps itself within the sick soul, and thus hopelessness prevails. Allah, the Exalted, said:
(And if we give man a taste of Mercy from Us, and then withdraw it from him, verily! He is despairing, ungrateful. But if we let him taste good [favor] after evil [poverty and harm] has touched him, he is sure to say: ‘Ills have departed from me. ‘Surely, he is exultant, and boastful [ungrateful to Allah]. Except those who show patience and do righteous good deeds, those: theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward [Paradise].)
(Qur’an 11: 9-11)
Commenting on this verse, Ibn Katheer wrote:
“Allah is describing man and the base characteristic that he is the possessor of (with the exception of those believers upon whom Allah has bestowed His mercy). In general, if man is afflicted with hardship after ease, he becomes hopeless of ever seeing good in the future; he shows disdain for the past ~ as if he never experienced good days —- and despair for the future as if he never expected succor and relief.”
Analogous is his attitude when he experiences ease after hardship:
(‘Ills have departed from me.) (Quran 11: 10)
Or in other words:
“Nothing evil or bad will befall me after this.”
)’Surely, he is exultant, and boastful.) (Quran 11: 10)
(‘Except those who show patience and do righteous good deeds, those: theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward [Paradise].) (Quran 11: 11)
TRAVEL THROUGHOUT ALLAH’S WIDE EARTH
lt has rightly been said that traveling drives away worries. Ramhumuzi enumerated in his book, The Noble Scholar of Hadeeth, the various benefits of traveling for the purpose of seeking knowledge. He was refuting those who think that no tangible benefit can be derived by traveling through the lands. He said:
“There is much profit to be derived from seeing new lands and new houses, in seeing beautiful gardens and fields, in seeing different faces and coming across different languages and colors, and in witnessing the wonders of different countries. The peace that one finds under the shades of large trees is unparalleled. Eating in the mosques, drinking from streams, and sleeping wherever one finds a place when night comes —– these all instill affability and humbleness in a person. The traveler befriends all those whom he loves for Allah’s sake and he has no reason to flatter or to be artificial. Add to these benefits all of the happiness that the traveler’s heart feels when he reaches his destination, and the thrill he experiences after having overcome all of the obstacles that were on his way. Lf those who are averse to leaving their homelands knew all of this, they would learn that all of the individual pleasures of the world are combined in the noble pursuit of traveling. There is nothing more enjoyable to a traveler than the beautiful sights and the wonderful activities that are part of traveling through Allah’s wide earth. And the non-traveler is deprived of all of this.”
CONTEMPLATE THESE PROPHETIC SAYINGS
“If Allah loves a people, He tests them. Whoever is pleased, for him there is pleasure, and whoever is angry, upon him there is wrath.”
“The most harshly tested people are the Prophets, followed in succession by those who are best after them.
A man is tested according to his religion. If his religion is strong with him, his test will be more intense. lf his religion is weak with him, he will be tested according to the level of his religion. (Allah’s) slave will continually be tested until he is left to walk on the earth without a mistake (to have to account for).”
“Wonderful is the situation of the believer. All of his affairs are good (for him)! And this is only for the believer. If good befalls him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. lf harm afflicts him, he is patient, and that is good for him.”
“And know that if the entire Nation were to gather upon benefiting you with something, they would only benefit you with something that Allah has (already) written for you. And if they were to gather upon harming you with something, they would only harm you with something that Allah has (already) written for you.”
“The righteous ones are tested: first, the best of them, then the next, and so on.”
“The believer is like a tiny branch; the wind blows it to the right and to the left.”
IN THE LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE….
Abu ar-Reyhaan al-Bayrooni was a prolific thinker and writer whose pen rarely left his hand. He lived to the ripe age of seventy- eight and throughout his life he never unnecessarily took a break from reading, writing, or teaching.
Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Eesa said:
“I visited Abu ar-Reyhaan when he was on his deathbed. Upon entering, l immediately recognized that he was on the verge of leaving this life. While in that state, he said to me that there was an issue in (Islamic) inheritance law that we had discussed the last time we met and that I had said something then that he now realized was a mistake. I felt compassion for him, and asked him if it was proper for him to discuss something like that, with him being so ill. He answered, ‘I know that I am leaving this world, but don’t you think it is better for me to understand the issue in question than to be ignorant of it?’ I then repeated to him the issue, and he started to explain it to me. After we finished our conversation, I left, and upon exiting, I heard a scream and I knew that he had died. It is only lofty souls like his that remain strong right until the end.”
When ‘Umar was bleeding to death after being stabbed, he asked his companions whether he had completed the prayer or not.
Ibraheem ibn al-Jarrah said:
“Abu Yusuf became sick and was vacillating between wakefulness and unconsciousness. When he regained consciousness, he asked me about a religious issue. When he saw the wonder with which I received his question, he said to me, ‘No matter, we will study this issue in the hope that the knowledge of it perpetuates until it becomes the cause of saving someone.”‘
This is how our pious predecessors were. Every time they revived, while yet being on their deathbeds, they would talk about Islamic knowledge, either as a teacher or as a student. How precious was knowledge to their hearts! In the last moments of their lives, they remembered neither family nor wealth; they only remembered the knowledge that was the toil of their lives. May Allah have mercy upon them.
DO NOT LET CALAMITY SHAKE YOU
Ahmad ibn Yusuf wrote that man positively knows that ease comes after difiiculty, just as the light of day comes after the dark of night. In spite of this knowledge, the weaker part of his nature takes over when calamity strikes. A person who goes through trials should take steps to remedy his situation or else hopelessness takes control of him. Contemplating the patience of those who were tested in the past is a means of strengthening one’s determination.
He mentioned later that hardship before comfort is analogous to hunger before food: food comes at a time when it has its greatest effect on the taste buds.
Plato said:
“Hardship is as beneficial to the soul as it is unwelcome in one’s life. Comfort is as harmful to the soul as it is welcome in life.”
When someone begins to understand his purpose in life, he will know that he is being tested either to gain reward from Allah or to gain atonement for his sins.
After reading a book written by At-Tanooki, I derived three conclusions:
1. Relief comes after hardship. This is a consistent pattern in the life of man, as consistent as the coming of morning after darkness.
2. Hardship is more beneficial to the soul of man than are comfort and ease.
3. The One who brings good and drives away evil is Allah. Know that whatever happens to you was decreed for you, and whatever you have missed out was never meant for you.
Source: Islam Basics By Aaidh ibn Abdullah Al-Qarnee
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