The reasons for calamities and bearing them with patience

1. The believer who affirms the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed) knows that everything happens by the decree of Allah; what Allah wills happens and what He does not will does not happen; there is nothing that can block the will of Allah from being executed in His creation. Thus the heart of the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allah is at rest, and he knows that there is no room for regret or grief in his life, because the command of Allah preceded (the event) and His will is executed. 

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.

23. In order that you may not grieve at the things over that you fail to get, nor rejoice over that which has been given to you. And Allah likes not prideful boasters” [al-Hadeed 57:22-23]

“Say: ‘Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Mawlaa (Lord, Helper and Protector).’ And in Allah let the believers put their trust” [al-Tawbah 9:51]

2. If this is the case for the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allah, then there is no room in his life for regret about the past and there is no room for the words “if only” in his speech. What Allah has decreed for His slave must be one of two things: 

(i) Either it is because of a sin that the slave has committed, so Allah has decreed it for him because of his sins. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned” [al-Shoora 42:30],

(ii)Or it is a test from Allah to raise him in status and expiate his bad deeds.

What should the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allah do, once he knows this and believes firmly in it? 

If the calamity is because of a sin that he has committed, or because of neglecting something that he should have done, what he must do is hasten to repent and seek forgiveness, and turn back to his Lord, and regret what he has done, and set things straight between him and His Creator and Lord. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)” [Ta-Ha 20:82]

If the calamity is a test to raise him in status and expiate his bad deeds, then all that the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allah can do is accept the decree of Allah, and seek reward for what has befallen him with his Lord, hoping for reward and seeking to expiate his sins. 

In both cases, the heart of the believer who affirms the Oneness of Allah will only become strong and at peace, and it will never become weak and feeble [?], rather he will hasten to obey and do good deeds. If he has sinned then he will give up his sins and become better than he was before, and if he was obedient to Allah then he will become even more obedient to His Creator and Lord. 

3. The shaytaan tries to weaken the heart of the believer and instill grief and sorrow in his heart, and he strives hard to make him helpless. He does all of that by means of the words “if only”, referring to the past and what he did or did not do. Along with all that evil and corruption he makes him live in a world of illusions and false notions, so he says, “If only such and such had happened, then such and such would have happened.” How does he know that that would have been the case? 

Look at what the shaytaan causes of regret, sorrow and conjecture about the decree of Allah, and alongside that he weakens his resolve to strive and obey Allah, and he continues to bemoan his fate and regret until his life has passed. Allah tells us that this is the action of the hypocrites, and our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned us against going down that path. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allah has decreed and what He wills He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the shaytaan.” Narrated by Muslim (2664). 

Look at this great Hadeeth and ponder it, for it explains the difference between the strong believer and the weak believer, and it urges us to strive and not feel helpless. All of that is completely appropriate to the prohibition on regretting by saying “if only”. 

Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said: When a person experiences something unpleasant or a calamity befalls him, he should not say “If only I had done such and such, this would not have happened to me” or “If only I had not done such and such, this would not have happened to me,” because that is a sign of not having patience in accepting what has been missed and cannot be regained, and because these words are indicative of not believing in the divine will and decree, and because it causes one pain and allows the shaytaan to gain power over a person though waswaas and worries. 

What one must do when calamity strikes is submit to the decree of Allah, and bear with patience that which has befallen one, whilst striving to achieve the means of bringing good and protecting oneself against evil and disliked things, without apportioning blame. 

Allah criticized those who said such things when calamity befell the Muslims at the battle of Uhud. He said (interpretation of the meaning): “[they said] ‘If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:154]. These words were spoken by some of the hypocrites on the day of Uhud, when calamity struck the Muslims. They said it in objection to the divine decree, and they criticized the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Muslims for going out to fight the enemy. But Allah refuted what they said, in the same verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: ‘Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death’”, i.e., what Allah decreed would happen was inevitable and could not have been prevented by their staying in their homes or worrying.  

Saying “if only” after a calamity has struck does not achieve anything but causing regret, sorrow, pain and weakness, in addition to its effect on ‘aqeedah (belief), because it is generated by a lack of submission to the divine decree. 

Then Allah mentioned something else that the hypocrites said, in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “(They are) the ones who said about their killed brethren while they themselves sat (at home): ‘If only they had listened to us, they would not have been killed’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:168]

This is another thing that the hypocrites said on the day of Uhud. It is narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy objected to the divine decree and said: If they had listened to our advice to stay home and not go out to fight, they would not have been killed. Allah refuted what they said, in the same verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: ‘Avert death from your own selves, if you speak the truth’”, i.e., if staying home and not going out to fight could save a person from being killed or dying, then you should not die, but death will inevitably come to you in any place, so ward it off from yourselves if you are telling the truth in your claim that those who obeyed you would be safe from death. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) guided us to the actions that will benefit a person in this world and in the Hereafter, that Allah has prescribed to His slaves, whether they are obligatory, mustahabb or permissible. When a person does these actions, he should seek the help of Allah to perfect his efforts and benefit him, because Allah is the One Who created cause and effect. Combining appropriate action with putting one’s trust in Allah is Tawheed. Moreover, he forbade feeling helpless, which means not doing the things that are the means of benefit. This is the opposite of keenness to do that which will benefit one. If a person is keen to do that which will benefit him, and pursue the means, and then the opposite of what he wanted happens, or what he doesn’t want happens, he should not say “If only I had done such and such, such and such would have happened,” because these words do not do any good, rather they open the door to the shaytaan, and cause regret and make one blame the divine decree. This is contrary to patience and acceptance of the divine decree. Patience is obligatory, and belief in the divine decree is obligatory. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught him to say beneficial words which imply belief in the divine decree: “Qadara Allah wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allah decrees and what He wills He does”), because what Allah decrees will inevitably come to pass, and what is required is to submit and accept what has been decreed. What Allah wills He does, because His actions stem only from wisdom. 

May Allah have mercy on Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) who said: If a person misses out on something, one of two scenarios must apply. He may have felt helpless, which is the work of the shaytaan, who prompted him to say “If only”, but there is no benefit in that; rather it is the key to blame. 

The second scenario is studying and pondering the divine decree; if something is decreed it could never miss him, and no one could get it before him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us that which will benefit a person whether he gets what he wanted or not. He forbade us to say “if only” and told us that this opens the door to the shaytaan, because it implies regret for what has passed, grief, sorrow, and blaming the divine decree, and one is sinning thereby. It is the work of the shaytaan. This does not apply only to the words “if only”, rather it applies to the feelings in the heart that accompany it, which are contrary to complete faith and open the door to the shaytaan.  

This Hadeeth which was narrated by Abu Hurayrah is something which no one can do without. It implies affirmation of the divine decree, affirmation of the role of human effort and true submission to Allah (al-‘uboodiyyah). 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, concerning the meaning of this Hadeeth: Do not be helpless in doing what is enjoined and do not panic with regard to what is decreed. Al-Irshaad ila Saheeh al-I’tiqaad wa’l-Radd ‘ala Ahl al-Shirk wa’l-Ilhaad (p. 130-133). 

4. For one who missed out on being taught when he was young, let his regret for his negligence motivate him to invest what remains of his life in learning. He should not feel weak and helpless and give up on learning. The one who missed out on doing Hajj when he was young should hasten to do Hajj at the first opportunity; he should not delay it any longer. The same applies to all other acts of worship and good deeds that he may have missed out on. He has to believe that this is the decree of Allah; he should not feel helpless, rather he should be strong and strive to do that which will benefit him. If what he missed out on was due to his sinning, then he should do what we have mentioned above, in addition to repenting sincerely from sin, and asking his Lord to bless him with sound faith and to help him to do and say that which He loves and which pleases Him. 

But we should point out to you that there is not only one door to goodness, righteousness, guidance and success in Paradise and the Hereafter. Rather there are many doors. The one who finds some branches of knowledge too difficult for him can find other branches of knowledge that he is able to learn, so he can make up for what he has missed out on with regard to knowledge. If you are wealthy, then spend for the sake of Allah and strive for His sake with your wealth. If you are physically strong then you can fast, for there is nothing like it. You can pray, for it is the best thing. You can do Hajj and ‘Umrah. You can enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil; you can recite Dhikr and Tasbeeh and read Qur’an. There are many ways of doing good, and everyone is guided to that for which he was created and the one who is doomed has no one to blame but himself.  

We should understand that depression, worry and anxiety are feelings, not diseases that we should take medications and chemical substances to cure it, everyone in this life can have these feelings in his life, there is no immunity, and it’s never a sign of lack in faith or any decrease in it, Trouble is inevitable in the life of this world; this is how Allah has decreed it and He has made it a place of trials and tests, and a bridge to the Hereafter. Even the best of His creation, the prophets, were never free of troubles. Life is never plain sailing for anyone, young or old. You may have reason to rejoice one day, then reason to feel sad for many other days; this is how it always is in the life of this world and this is how people are all the time.

The best way to treat anxiety 

Who among us has not felt grief and sorrow as a result of the calamities we see befalling the Muslims, day after day? Who among us has not lost interest in this world and everything in it, because of what we hear or see? 

But when these feelings of sadness and loneliness or bad moods persist and prevent us from living a normal life or carrying out the duties that are required of us, or fulfilling the rights of others, or they cause us to neglect the blessings of Allah which He has bestowed upon us and fail to give thanks for as we should, at that point sadness moves from being something natural to being a case of weakness and sickness that needs to be treated. 

There is no greater remedy for that than patience and fearing Allah, and thinking positively of Allah, putting one’s trust in Him, delegating one’s affairs to Him and turning to Him in all times of calamity.

Also as Muslims we should understand that those who know Allah, are close to Him and fear Him are the happiest of people, to such an extent that one of them said, in a well known expression: “If the kings and the sons of kings knew what joy we have, they would fight us for it with the sword.” This is also what is expressed in the Qur’an, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” [al-Nahl 16:97]

But feeling stressed is a kind of wake-up call that alerts a person to check on his relationship with his Lord, because sins may have the effect of making a person feel scattered and unfocused. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’an nor acts on its teachings) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and we shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection” [Ta-Ha 20:124]

It may be that this test of this person through disasters and calamities is something that has been decreed by Allah for him in order to raise him in status, if he persists in obeying what Allah has commanded, which is to be patient and accept whatever Allah decrees. Everything that Allah decrees for a believer is good for him and his affairs, both spiritual and worldly. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for all his affairs are good, and that applies to no one except a believer. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him, and if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is also good for him.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2999) 

If something bad happens to a believer, he either bears it with patience or panics. If he is patient he earns a great reward and accepts the will and decree of Allah, because he knows that it comes from Allah, so he feels content with it and accepts it. So what reason is there to panic and feel stressed? 

On the contrary, if he is not patient and he reacts to what befalls him of sin with panic and anger, and worry and stress, he will lose the reward that Allah has promised to those who are patient. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning” [al-Zumar 39:10]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us a du’aa’ by which we may ward off worries and distress. Ahmad (3528) narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَا أَصَابَ أَحَدًا قَطُّ هَمٌّ وَلا حَزَنٌ فَقَالَ : اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي عَبْدُكَ، وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ، وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ، نَاصِيَتِي بِيَدِكَ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيّ قَضَاؤُكَ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ، أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِي، وَنُورَ صَدْرِي، وَجِلاءَ حُزْنِي، وَذَهَابَ هَمِّي، إِلا أَذْهَبَ اللَّهُ هَمَّهُ وَحُزْنَهُ وَأَبْدَلَهُ مَكَانَهُ فَرَجًا. فَقِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَلا نَتَعَلَّمُهَا؟ فَقَالَ: بَلَى، يَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ سَمِعَهَا أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَهَا.

(O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant; my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, that You make the Qur’an the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety),’ but Allah will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with joy.” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah, should we learn this?” He said: “Of course; everyone who hears it should learn it.” 

In addition to all of that we should try to Change the daily routine, to allow the opportunity to do different kinds of permissible things that will relieve us of boredom and renew his energy, and Keep away from places that you feel that it make you worry and distress, or that stir these feeling up again. You should avoid reading novels that tell sad stories, and should try not to sit with people who are worried and distressed, even if your intention is to console them.  On the contrary, you should try to read useful books that will take you away from these worries. If you feel stressed and upset, you should not isolate yourself or think constantly about your problems in this situation.

And then If the state of grief worsens and leads to some level of depression, then in addition to this spiritual remedy, showing patience, putting one’s trust in Allah and always remembering Him, medical attention from a knowledgeable and trustworthy specialist is also needed. 

The symptoms of depression include the following (According to specialists): 

·        Always feeling sad, anxious and in a bad mood

·        Loss of interest and lack of enjoyment in activities that people usually enjoy

·        Constant pessimism and feeling helpless in the face of life’s problems

·        Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and social alienation

·        Inability to show or express feelings towards others or to accept feelings from others

·        Trouble sleeping, such as insomnia, sleeping too long or waking up too early

·        Eating problems (overeating or loss of appetite)

·        Chronic physical pain from which no remedy brings relief

·        Weepiness

·        Getting tense quickly; hyperactivity and not being able to calm down and relax

·        Constant feelings of tiredness and inability to do any physical activity

·        Inability to concentrate, remember or take sound decisions 

If four or more of the symptoms mentioned above are present, then you should consult a specialist in psychology.

Being Successful in Life

Peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety… these are what everyone wants, and these are the ways in which people can have a good life and find complete happiness and joy. There are religious means of achieving this, and natural and practical means, but no one can combine all of them except the believers; although other people may achieve some of them, they will miss out on others. 

Here follows a summary of the means of achieving this aim for which everyone is striving. In some cases, those who achieve many of them will live a joyful life and a good life; in other cases, those who fail to achieve all of them will live a life of misery and hardship. And there are others which are in between, according to the means they are able to attain. These means include the following: 

1 – Faith and righteous deeds:

This is the greatest and most fundamental of means. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).” [al-Nahl 16:97]

Allah tells us and promises us that whoever combines faith with righteous deeds will have a good life and a good reward in this world and in the Hereafter. 

The reason for this is clear: those who believe in Allah – with sincere faith that motivates them to do righteous deeds that change hearts and attitudes and guides them to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter – follow principles and guidelines by means of which they deal with everything that happens to them, be it the causes of happiness and excitement or the causes of anxiety, worry and grief. 

They deal with the things that they like by accepting them and giving thanks for them, and using them in good ways. When they deal with them in this manner, it creates in them a sense of excitement and the hope that it will continue and that they will be rewarded for their gratitude, which is more important than the good things that happen to them. And they deal with bad things, worries and distress by resisting those that they can resist, alleviating those that they can alleviate, and bearing with goodly patience those that they cannot avoid. Thus as a result of the bad things they gain a lot of benefits, experience, strength, patience and hope of reward, which are more important and which diminish the hardships they have undergone and replace them with happiness and hope for the bounty and reward of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) expressed this in a Saheeh Hadeeth (authentic report) in which he said: “How wonderful is the situation of the believer, for all his affairs are good. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him; if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not apply to anyone but the believer.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 2999). 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us that the believer is always gaining and the reward for his deeds is always multiplying, no matter what happens to him, good or bad. 

2 – Being kind to people in word and deed, and all kinds of doing good. This is one of the means of removing worry, distress and anxiety. By this means Allah wards off worries and distress from the righteous and immoral alike, but the believer has the greater share of this, and is distinguished by the fact that his kindness to others stems from sincerity and the hope of reward, so Allah makes it easy for him to be kind to others because of the hope that this will bring good things and ward off bad things, by means of his sincerity and hope of reward. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allah’s Cause), or Ma‘roof (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of Allah, We shall give him a great reward.”[al-Nisa 4:114]

Part of this great reward is relief from worry, distress, troubles, etc. 

3 – Another of the means of warding off anxiety that stems from nervous tension and being preoccupied with disturbing thoughts is to occupy oneself with good deeds or seeking beneficial knowledge. This will distract one from dwelling on the matters that are causing anxiety. In this way a person may forget about the things that are making him worried and distressed, and he may become happy and more energetic. This is another means that believers and others have in common, but the believer is distinguished by his faith, sincerity and hope of reward when he occupies himself with the knowledge that he is learning or teaching, or with the good deeds that he is doing. 

The work with which he occupies himself should be something that he likes and enjoys, for that is more likely to produce the desired results. And Allah knows best. 

4 – Another thing that may ward off worry and anxiety is focusing all one’s thoughts on the present day, and not worrying about the future or grieving about the past. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sought refuge with Allah from worry and regret, from regret for things in the past which cannot be put right or changed, and worry which may come because of fear for the future. So one should focus only on the present day, and focus one's efforts on getting things right today. If a person is focused on the present, he will do things properly and forget about worry and regret.

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said a Du’aa (supplication) or taught a Du’aa to his Ummah (followers), as well as urging them to seek the help of Allah and hope for His bounty, he was also urging them to strive to attain the thing they were praying for through their own efforts and to forget about the thing which they were praying would be warded off from them because Du’aa (supplication) must be accompanied by action. So a person must strive to attain that which will benefit him in worldly and spiritual terms, and ask his Lord to make his efforts successful, and he should seek His help in this, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Strive for that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allah, and do not be helpless. If anything (bad) happens to you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such-and-such, then such-and-such would have happened.’ Rather you should say, ‘Qaddara Allah wa ma sha a fa’ala (Allah decrees, and what He wills He does),’ for (the words) ‘If only’ open the door to the Shaytan.” (Narrated by Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) connected the matter of striving to achieve good things with the matter of seeking the help of Allah and not giving in to feelings of helplessness which are a harmful kind of laziness, and with the matter of accepting things in the past which are over and done with, and acknowledging that the will and decree of Allah will inevitably come to pass. He described matters as being of two types: 

1 – Matters which a person may strive to achieve or to achieve whatever he can of them, or toward them off or alleviate them. In such cases a person must strive and make the effort, and also seek the help of Allah. 

2 – Matters where such is not possible, so he must have peace of mind, accept them and submit to Allah’s will. 

Undoubtedly paying attention to this principle will bring happiness and relieve worry and distress. 

5 – One of the greatest means of feeling content and relaxed and of acquiring peace of mind is to remember Allah a great deal (Dhikr). That has a great effect in bringing contentment and peace of mind, and relieving worry and distress. Allah says: 

“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” [al-Ra’d 13:28]

Remembering Allah (Dhikr) has a great effect in achieving this aim because it has a special influence and because of the hope that it brings of reward. 

6 – Another of the means of bringing happiness and relieving worry and distress is striving to eliminate the things that cause worry and to achieve the things that bring happiness. That may be done by forgetting about bad things in the past which cannot be changed, and realizing that dwelling on them is a waste of time. So a person must strive to stop himself from thinking of them, and also strive to stop himself from feeling anxious about the future and the things that he may imagine of poverty, fear and other bad things that he thinks may happen to him in the future. He should realize that the future is something that is unknown; he cannot know what good or bad things are going to happen to him. That is in the hand of the Almighty, the Most Wise, and all that His slaves can do is to strive to attain the good things and to ward off the bad things. A person should realize that if he diverts his thoughts from worrying about his future and puts his trust in his Lord to take care of his situation, and puts his mind at rest concerning this, if he does this, then his heart will be at peace and his situation will improve and he will be relieved of worry and anxiety. 

One of the most effective ways of dealing with worries about the future is to recite this Du’aa which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite: “Allahumma aslih li deeni alladhi huwa ‘ismatu amri, wa aslih li dunyaya allati fiha ma’ashi, wa aslih li akhirati allati ilayha ma’adi, waj’al al-hayata ziyadatan li fi kulli khayr, wa’l-mawta rahatan li min kulli sharr (O Allah, correct my religious commitment which is the foundation of my life, and correct my worldly affairs in which is my livelihood, and grant me good in the Hereafter to which is my return. Make my life a means of accumulating good, and make death a respite for me from all evil).” (Narrated by Muslim, 2720). 

And he said, “Allahumma rahmataka arju fa la takilni ila nafsi tarfata ‘aynin wa aslih li shani kullahu, la ilaha illa anta (O Allah, for Your mercy I hope, so do not abandon me to myself even for a moment. And correct all my affairs. There is no god but You).” (Narrated by Abu Dawood with a saheeh isnad [chain of transmitters], no. 5090; classed as hasan/good by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Kalim al-Tayyib, p.49).  

If a person utters these Du’as, which ask that his spiritual and worldly affairs may be set right or corrected, with proper presence of mind and sincerity of intention, whilst striving to achieve this, Allah will grant him what he has prayed for, hoped for and striven for, and He will turn his worry into joy and happiness. 

7 – If a person experiences anxiety and distress because of a disaster, then one of the most effective means of relieving himself of that is to think of the worst scenario to which that may lead, and try to accept that. When he has done this, then he should try to alleviate it as much as possible. By means of this acceptance and these efforts, he will relieve himself of his worries and distress, and instead of worrying he will strive to bring about good things and to deal with whatever he can of the bad things. If he is faced with things that cause fear or the possibility of sickness or poverty, then he should deal with this by striving to make himself accept it, or something even worse, with contentment, because by making himself accept the worst-case scenario, he lessens the impact of the thing and makes it seem less terrible, especially if he occupies himself with efforts toward it off as much as he can. Thus as well as striving to achieve something good which will distract him from his worries about calamity, he will also renew his strength to resist bad things, and put his trust and reliance in Allah. Undoubtedly these matters are of great benefit in attaining happiness and peace of mind, as well as bringing the hope of reward in this world and in the Hereafter. This is something which is well known from the experience of many who have tried it. 

8 – Steadfastness of heart and not being disturbed about the imaginary things that bad thoughts may bring to mind. For when a person gives in to his imagination and lets his mind be disturbed by these thoughts, such as fear of disease and the like, or anger and confusion stirred up by some grievous matter, or the expectation of bad things and the loss of good things, it will fill him with worries, distress, mental and physical illness and nervous breakdowns, which will have a bad effect on him and which causes a great deal of harm, as many people have seen. But when a person depends on Allah and puts his trust in Him, and does not give in to his imagination or let bad thoughts overwhelm him, and he relies on Allah and has hope of His bounty, this wards off his worries and distress, and relieves him of a great deal of mental and physical sickness. It gives indescribable strength, comfort and happiness to the heart. How many hospitals are filled with the mentally sick victims of illusions and harmful imagination; how often have these things had an effect upon the hearts of many strong people, let alone the weak ones; how often have they led to foolishness and insanity. 

It should be noted that your life will follow your train of thought. If your thoughts are of things that will bring you benefit in your spiritual or worldly affairs, then your life will be good and happy. Otherwise it will be the opposite. 

The person who is safe from all of this is the one who is protected by Allah and helped by Him to strive to achieve that which will benefit and strengthen the heart and ward off anxiety. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.” [al-Talaq 65:3]

i.e., He will be sufficient for all that is worrying him in his spiritual and worldly affairs. The one who puts his trust in Allah will have strength in his heart and will not be affected by anything he imagines or be disturbed by events, because he knows that these are the result of vulnerable human nature and of weakness and fear that have no basis. He also knows that Allah has guaranteed complete sufficiency to those who put their trust in Him. So he trusts in Allah and finds peace of mind in His promise, and thus his worry and anxiety are dispelled; hardship is turned to ease, sadness is turned to joy, fear is turned to peace. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound, and to bless us with strength and steadfastness of heart, and complete trust, for Allah has guaranteed all good things to those who put their trust in Him, and has guaranteed to ward off all bad and harmful things from them. 

If bad things happen or there is the fear of such, then you should count the many blessings that you are still enjoying, both spiritual and worldly, and compare them with the bad things that have happened, for when you compare them you will see the many blessings that you are enjoying, and this will make the bad things appear less serious. See al-Wasail al-Mufeedah li’l-Hayat al-Sa’eedah by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa’di.

Ibn al-Qayyim summed fifteen ways through which Allah may dispel worries and regret. These are as follows: 

1- Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (belief in the Oneness of Divine Lordship)

2- Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (belief in the Oneness of the Divine nature)

3- Tawheed of knowledge and belief (i.e., Tawheed al-Asma’ wa’l-Sifaat, belief in the Oneness of the Divine names and attributes)

4- Thinking of Allah as being above doing any injustice to His slaves, and above punishing anyone for no cause on the part of the slave that would require such punishment.

5- The person’s acknowledging that he is the one who has done wrong.

6- Beseeching Allah by means of the things that are most beloved to Him, which are His names and attributes. Two of His names that encompass the meanings of all other names and attributes are al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) and al-Qayyoom (the Eternal).

7- Seeking the help of Allah Alone.

8- Affirming one's hope in Him.

9- Truly putting one’s trust in Him and leaving matters to Him, acknowledging that one's forelock is in His hand and that He does as He wills, that His will is forever executed and that He is just in all that He decrees.

10- Letting one's heart wander in the garden of the Quran, seeking consolation in it from every calamity, seeking healing in it from all diseases of the heart, so that it will bring comfort to his grief and healing for his worries and distress.

11- Seeking forgiveness.

12- Repentance.

13- Jihad.

14- Salah (prayer).

15- Declaring that he has no power and no strength, and leaving matters to the One in Whose hand they are.