No person can escape from grief, worry, loss, depression, illness and calamity during his life. Certainly, these are experienced by one or the other ways. To overcome and to manage in these tough and testing times we need a broadminded approach.
There is a famous proverb “Worry steals your joy and keeps you busy doing nothing”. However, a believer and a disbeliever differ in their approach to handle these tough times. When a worry or some bad times hit a disbeliever, he loses his hopes, energy, logic and peace. Sometimes when the worries or bad times are of heavy and unbearable magnitude, he is so sunk in the ocean of desperation that he takes an extreme step by committing a suicide. On the other hand, a believer has a firm faith, he defeats these hard-times by patience, fortitude and his belief on destiny.
For the last one year we are running through difficult times. Outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has shattered our hopes and dreams. It has caged us and put us to tremendous pressure and ugly times. Taking all precautionary measures, adhering to the administrative guidelines and prostrating for repentance and reposing firm faith on almighty Allah is the only way out to get rid of these extremely tough times. Merely lamenting over this can’t do wonders. When a believer reposes his faith on destiny, it benefits him through many ways and eases his difficulties.
Worries, tough times, depression, loses and many ugly times then seam to him as some kind of blessings from his creator because almighty Allah says in glorious Quran “And we certainly test you by putting you in difficulties like hunger, fear, loss of a loved one or property etc. and good news is for those having firm belief on one Allah and showing patience during such times”.
For a believer both the difficult situations as well as the joyful times are full of blessings from his creator. In difficult times he shows utmost patience thereby winning the noble rewards from Almighty Allah and during joyful times he expresses his gratitude for Almighty Allah. In both the ways Allah’s blessings are due to him. Dearest prophet (SAAW) says “When a believer during his tough times reads Inna LillaheWa Inna Lilahi Rajeoon, Almighty Allah eases his difficulties and rewards him with something better in lieu of his patience during such times”.
At some other occasion dearest Prophet’s (SAAW) oil lamp got extinguished somehow, he immediately repeated the words Inna LillaheWa Inna Lilahi Rajeoon. When one of his companions enquired about the reason of repeating these words on extinguishing of lamp, Prophet (SAAW) told him, “Anything no matter how small or big it is if it fails a believer, it is a worry or difficult time”.
Prophet (SAAW) further says “Whenever a believer shows his patience in times of worry, disease, depression or even when a small thorn pierces his body, almighty Allah erases his committed sins.
Hazrat Anas Bin Malik one of the closest companions of the Prophet (SAAW) narrates that the Prophet (SAAW) said. “The harder or difficult times a believer is put by Almighty Allah, the bigger rewards are for him.” Further whenever Almighty Allah wants to love His obedient servants, He puts them in testing times.
Hazrat Abu Musa Ashary (R.A.) narrates a Hadees of the Prophet (SAAW), ” When a believer’s son passes away, Almighty Allah asks His Angels, ”Have you taken the life of my servant’s son. They reply…yes. Almighty again asks them, “Have you taken the life of his part of liver? They reply…yes. Then Almighty Allah asks them. What did my servant do when you took the life of his beloved son? They reply…Your servant repeated the words of your praise, greatness and uttered these words, “Inna LillaheWa Inna Lilahi Rajeoon”. Then Almighty Allah orders his Angels to construct a beautiful house in heaven for His servant and name it Baitul Hamad (House where Allah’s praise is repeated).
When dearest Prophet’s (SAAW) own son Ibrahim was in his lap during his last times., tears were rolling down through the sacred and pious eyes of theProphet (SAAW). Even at that moment, the Prophet (SAAW) told his son, “Oh Ibrahim, I am indeed worried of your separation but through my tongue only those words would be repeated which please to Allah”.
Hazrat Abu Talha (R.A.) was another closest companion of the Prophet (SAAW). Let’s aware ourselves about a strange episode of Abu Talha (R.A.). One day, Abu Talha’s son was extremely ill. He left his home in the morning for day’s work. His son dies while he was out of the home. His wife requested all the neighbours not to inform Abu Talha about this sad episode. In the evening when Abu Talha (R.A.) reaches back home and enquires from the wife about the condition of the son. She most wisely first offers him meals and later says to him, “If someone borrows anything from a person and the person after the expiry of lot of time demands that back. Should he be given back that or not?” Abu Talha replied, “Yes, indeed it has to be given him back.” Then his wife tells him, “So our son was actually from Almighty Allah and He took him back from us. So be patient and remember Allah.”
From these episodes, we must learn how to make use of wisdom and logic to cope up the tough times and worries. Clinging on worries and difficult times can harm you only both physically as well as psychologically. In our daily routine life, we come across many instances when we face either tough times or worries that make us feel disappointed. Apart from learning the skills to overthrow such difficult times, it is of utmost importance to be well versed with teachings of Quran and theProphet (SAAW).
Teachings of Quran and theProphet (SAAW) guide us at every aspect of life most wisely. In these testing times of COVID-19 pandemic when everyone has become either a victim of SARS-Cov2 or mental trauma due to isolation from social circles, it is of prime importance to be extra cautious and energetic to deal with the emerging tough times. World’s strongest economies are getting fragile and developed nations seem hapless before this invisible enemy of humanity which has caused huge loss and destruction from last one year. Thus, spending time in repentance and prayers during Ramazan can heal the wounds caused due to this dreadful virus.
