Don't be sad my Muslim Brothers and Sisters!
Almighty Allah says in a hadith Qudsi:
"O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and put your hope in Me, I have forgiven you for what you have done and I do not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and then you would seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins that are close to filling the earth and then you would meet Me without ascribing any partners with Me, I would certainly bring to you forgiveness close to filling it."
In this Hadithi Qudsi, Allah gives hope to mankind more than any other narration. It displays the quality and attribute of Allahs mercy. Indeed, He is ar-Rahman, the Most Compassionate, and ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful. In this Hadithi Qudsi, Allah tells man of the greatness of His forgiveness and mercy so that no one would despair due to the amount of sins he may have committed. This is supported by the following verse of the Holy Quran:
Say: O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Surah az-Zumar 39:53)
This hadith teaches us the importance of realizing Allahs mercy, having faith and hope in Him especially when making dua, calling to Allah alone for forgiveness, and the importance of repentance in the life and faith of a believer.
Allah catches the attention of mankind by calling out, O son of Adam! This is a call to every human being. Why didnt Allah say, O mankind or O People? The significance of this specific call is because it was the first human being, Adam (alaiyhis-salam) who committed the first sin. Adam was an example to all humans of the consequences of sin and how to turn to Allah for forgiveness of ones sins. This gives hope that even after committing a violation, ones sins can be forgiven if one repents to Allah sincerely the same way that the father of mankind sinned, repented, and was forgiven by Allah.
Allah calls out to His servants, a call of forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. For He knows that man was created weak and is prone to fall into sin. After calling out to mankind, Allah informs them that as long as they call on Him and put their hope in Him, He will forgive them and not mind. This statement alone can convince one to have hope and never to despair.
When one calls out to Allah or makes dua, he is displaying his need and dependence of Allah. He is demonstrating his weakness to the fact that he has no power to do anything for himself. It is the essence of submission and servitude. It is also a recognition of Allahs attributes of kindness, generosity, forgiving and merciful nature, and His unlimited power and knowledge. Humans are never in a situation where they are not in need of Allah. A believer always turns to Allah to ask for guidance as well as to seek forgiveness of sins and shortcomings.
"Tell My servants that I am the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful"
(Surat al-Hijr, 49). In fact, He reveals His readiness to forgive:
Anyone who does evil or wrongs himself [or herself] and then asks Allah's forgiveness will find Him Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Surat an-Nisa, 110)
Allahs says, Call on me and I will respond to you. One of the most important conditions of making dua is that one must completely trust that Allah will respond. One must also supplicate with sincerity, hope, and seriousness. One must not have any doubt at all on whether Allah will respond to ones call or if He accepts the dua.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, Supplicate Allah while you are certain of a response. And know that Allah does not respond to a supplication from a heart that is heedless and inattentive. He also forbade that one say, Oh Allah, forgive me if You will. But he said, Instead, you should ask with will and conviction for there is nothing so great to Allah that He cannot grant it.
When supplicating, one should truly seek Allahs aid and His forgiveness and demonstrate his need for Allah and submit to Him with fear and hope in receiving the desired response.
Allah advises in Surat al-Araaf 7:56:
And invoke Him in fear and aspiration (of hope). Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good.
Another important condition of supplication is that one must not become hasty and impatient and stop supplicating because he did not receive a response sooner or at all. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, You are responded to as long as you do not become hasty and say, I supplicated and it is not being or was not responded to.
And the final condition of ones dua being responded to is that one must make sure he is living off of halal and permissible means.
Allah says, Put your hope in Me. Man was not created sinful, but he was created weak. He is prone to fall into the temptations of sin and the whispers of Satan and when he does, he should always remember to turn to Allah, call upon Him, and ask for forgiveness with hope in His mercy. Allah stated in a Hadithi Qudsi, I am with My servant as He expects of Me.
The meaning of this is that Allah treats His servants the way he expects Him to. If one has hope in Allah and trusts Him, Allah will act accordingly to that servants beliefs and faith. And if he does not have faith and is in despair of his Lords mercy, Allah will act accordingly. Not having hope in Allah and despairing of His mercy is a great sin and an act of kufr. Allah quotes Prophet Yaqoob (alaiyhis-salam) in the Quran:
Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.
(Surah Yusuf 12:87)
The Prophet (SAW) said, "Your most ardent enemy is your evil self which resides within your body. If this soul is not checked, it will lead to unusual stress"
(Bukhari).
Relieving Stress
Ibn Abbas narrated that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: "Allah will dispel his worries of one who regularly prays for forgiveness, He will lead him out of trying situations, and grant him earnings from sources he does not anticipate."
(Reported in Sunan Abu Dawud. /Medicine of the Prophet pg. 159.)
It is also narrated in the masnad that whenever Allah's Messenger experienced difficulties, he hastened to prayers, remarking
that Allah Almighty said: Find strength in exercising patience, and in prayers.
(Qur'an 2:45)
Ibn Abbas narrated that Allah's Messenger said: "When overwhelmed with worries and dispiritedness, one should oft-recite:
"La Hawla wa la quwatta illah billa" (There is no Might or power except that of Allah.)
This prayer is also authenticated in Bukhari and Muslim to be one of the hidden treasures of jannah. If these prayers do not cause a cure for one's worries, grief, and dispiritedness, it means that one's condition is serious, and requires thorough cleansing of his system through complete purgation or detoxification, followed by sincere repentance and assiduous devotion. The supplication represents 14 kinds of spiritual remedies including:
Recognizing the Oneness of the divine sustaining remedies (Rububiyya); Recognizing the Oneness of the divine controlling attributes (Uluhiyya); Recognizing the 'fait accompli' and the manifest fact of God's supremacy through logical signs, with absolute faith regarding their source;
Acknowledging that Allah Almighty is free from injustice, and that He will never cause His servant any hardships without necessity or reason; Confessing that imperfection and failure are the servant's own;
Imploring Allah Almighty by His divine Names and Attributes, which are revelations His creation must recognize, and among them is the most embracing and comprehensive of attributes: Al-Hayy (The Living) and Al-Quyyum (The Controller) Soliciting only His help;
Confession of the servant that Allah is the only provider that can fulfill one's needs, and that He is the only One to be sought. Confirming one's dependence on Him, relying on Him, and acknowledging that one's destiny is moving according to the divine plan; that He alone has the power to change it ; that what He has decreed is pursuing its course, and that His ordinance is just;
Soliciting the blessing of understanding the divine revelation, living by it, and to recognizing it as the light of one's heart and soul. Through it, one will eschew dubiety, defeat craving, overcome passion and lust, and dispel darkness. Soliciting the blessings of regularly reciting the divine revelation also comforts one's heart, and helps focus one's intention beyond material losses, and attunes one's attachment to what is lasting versus what is ephemeral; Asking forgiveness for one's sins'.
Repenting for one's wrongdoing. Taking the course of prayers to receive guidance; and finally, disclaiming any will or power to effect things, and rightly attributing all will and power to Allah Almighty alone.
(Taken from Medicine of the Prophet pages 160-161.)
Allah created human beings and provided each limb of his body with its own balance and perfection. Should the limb sense any imbalance in the standard of its innate excellence, or failure in its natural functions, it will feel pain. Allah also provided the heart, which is king of the boy, with its own balance and perfection. Should the heart become divested, and lose such equilibrium, it will feel pain, suffering, distress, depression, anxiety, and sorrow. Like that, if the eye loses its power of seeing, and the ear loses its power of hearing, and the tongue loses its power of speech, they lose their purpose and become bereft of their perfection.
The heart was created innately to recognize its Creator, love Him, celebrate His praises, glorify His Oneness, feel satisfaction in His presence, rejoice at knowing Him, and to be satisfied with His control and management of everything. The heart was created to be content with its Lord and with His decisions, to trust in Him, to rely of Him, to love what He loves, to hate what He hates, to defend His Name, to love those who defend His Name, and to constantly be mindful of Him, to be filled with Him, and to keep His remembrance. The heart was created to have no greater love than that for its Lord, to find no satisfaction in other than Him, to revere nothing more than Him, and the heart was created to know no joy, comfort, peace, pleasure, or even to feel alive, in other than that. Such knowledge is the needed nourishment the heart requires to exist. Should the heart lack any of such natural nutrients, it will definitely feel sick, and consequently be overwhelmed with worries, sorrow, anxiety, dissatisfaction, burdens, and concerns. It will feel that every calamity is descending upon it, and it becomes a victim and a hostage of their pounding.
The greatest enemies of the heart are: polytheism; sins; and heedlessness; to treat indifferently what Allah Almighty regards as cordial; judging carelessly what He considers important; discounting the knowledge and revelations of one's Creator; loving other than Him; soliciting gratification in other than Him; feeling satisfaction in other than His presence; associating partners to His control and management of the universe; objecting to His decisions; lacking trust in Him; relying on other than Him; loving other than what He loves; desiring what He hates; hating His decree; speaking His Name in vain; associating with those who use His Name blasphemously; being heedless of Him; thinking little of Him; refusing to be reminded of Him; doubting His promise; taking lightly His warnings; seeking joy, comfort, peace, and pleasure in other than His company; and lastly feeling alive in other than Him.
On the authority of Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah he said: The Prophet (S) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Qur’an. He (S) would say ‘if any of you intends to undertake a matter then let him pray two supererogatory units (two rak’ah naafilah) of prayer and after which he should supplicate:
(i)
‘O Allaah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.’
One who seeks guidance from his Creator and consults his fellow believers and then remains firm in his resolve does not regret for Allaah has said:
(ii)
‘…and consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allaah…”
Here is a good article from by Velma Cook:
Life is full of pressure. I have to make money to be successful, whatever that means. So often people assess me superficially, not really knowing who I am and how I may have been terribly successful in some areas of my life, but they only see me according to their context; what they want to see. People ask
'How are you?' but don't usually care about the answer. They say 'Have a nice day,' but inwardly couldn't care less.
I have to be tolerant and flexible until I don't have any opinions left. Children must be trained to behave in a certain way so they will be 'acceptable' to society. I am also supposed to discover myself and my potential plus fulfill it or people will say I am oppressed, even though I may be perfectly happy as I am. At the same time I must be on my guard against advertising, brain-washing, political facades or I'll be guilty of being naive. One's spouse is supposed to be completely fulfilled with me or my marriage will break down.
No wonder I feel unsure of myself and often lonely. People say we all need counselors these days. Some therapy to help us through. But how can I spill the beans; tell all my secret insecurities and fears to a complete stranger, who has been trained to have no opinion, no bias, acting like a mirror to all my faults and weaknesses. A face with nothing behind it. It is like you sit and talk to yourself, pay the money and go home. You still feel lonely.
I need someone who thinks and feels like me. Dreams the same kinds of dreams, understands my fears and loves me anyway. Someone who will love me enough to tell me the truth, even if I don't really like it. I need a friend.
It's trendy to have a counselor or therapy nowadays. Why? Have we become obsessed with material possessions to the point that we leave behind the valuable things in life, like family and friends?
Families used to help each other financially. Now we have Social Security. Families used to protect and represent each other, now there are court cases for every trivial matter. A good way of making money out of people's problems, ignorance and misery. Families used to support each other, now we have counseling and therapy from strangers. Nearly everything has become controlled by the government and centralized yet people call the society 'free'.
Families are disintegrating and friends come and go, as we seek the world and all it contains, with a greed that is never satiated. Maybe if we focus on 'real' things, important things, like developing our Iman, deepening our submission to Allah, gaining knowledge and nurturing our families and those around us then, most of our overwhelming problems will simply disappear.
DEPRESSION VS. CONTENTMENT: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
"Verily my prayers, my sacrifices, my life, and my death are for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds."
(Holy Qur'an 6:162)
The tides of life sweep many people onto new horizons of hopelessness. Life without Islam leaves the weak in this world vulnerable to misuse and oppression. One of the worst forms of abuse is that which is perpetrated by a trusted person in one's life. And this is the sad scenario of many people throughout the world who have had this sacred trust breached by either family members or close friends of the family. The laws of Allah (swt), the Almighty protect the individual and society. But sadly these laws are too often not known or implemented. Satan, the enemy of man, calls for all that destroys the human being. Why do we find so many victims in the world of today - lost, isolated, whose minds feel constant pain and frustration - an inability to change what has occurred. An inability to wipe away the memories of terror and fear and replace it with peace.
Some issues not only affect the body of the human being but reach far down into the spirit and threaten to touch the delicate balance that coordinates the harmony between the body and the soul. Loss of confidence, feelings of guilt and inability to trust - fear of broken trust, fear of loss, fear of fear...
The state of the heart is the key to the balance of the essence of man and so it is no wonder that the traps of Satan are those which urge the physical desires on to acts that will tamper with and destroy the spirit.
However, Allah (swt), the Almighty tells us that the plans of Satan are weak! What joyous news this is for those who have been held in its dark clutches. For Satan works with illusion, while Allah (swt) is reality. Whatever we fear, cannot harm us for we know that only Allah (swt) is to be feared - for nothing occurs without His guiding hand and He guides to all that is good. He is the One who can turn evil into good.
The evil touch, the memory of betrayal can so easily be replaced with the remembrance that Allah (swt), His light and guidance can lift us far and away - beyond time and space - to a place of peace, where the dismal memories that cloud the mind are dispelled in a puff. The heart finds lightness, grace and wispy breezes of comfort in the words of Allah (swt) - the final message to man, that contains all the knowledge essential for our growth and overcoming of the evil within ourselves and in the world around us.
The victims of the world, have a greater potential for growth than any others. The spirit once touched, is open to light and guidance, softer and more compassionate to the pain of others and inner troubles of the mind stir the individual to walk the steep paths of life and thereby, through their sincerity and efforts find the vast richness of the Mercy of Allah (swt), which extends to the oppressed who with sincerity seek His ever present help.
May Allah (swt) bind the hearts of the victims to Him, that they will never give up in this journey of life. For every single person in this world carries some form of burden, some fear, some care, some disappointment, some loss - but nothing can harm the spirit, which is the essence of man which belongs to Allah (swt) and will return to Him, in the form in which it was molded in this world.
The decision belongs to us. We sink or swim. We strive or give up. But before we choose we must remember that Allah (swt) promises not to give us more than we can bear if we sincerely strive to follow His way, trusting in Him. Alone we will surely destroy ourselves, but with His ever Merciful help, nothing - absolutely nothing is impossible!
Allah (swt) burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. Above all, prayer and remembrance of Allah (swt) brings peace to the troubled mind and contains the only sure cure for the heart that cannot find peace. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us."
In summary, here is a list of what Muslims can do to counteract the effects of stress:
1.
Increase dhikr (remembrance of Allah): "Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction
(Qur'an, 13:28).
2.
Increase prayers: "O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely, Allah is with the patient
(Qur'an, 2:153). "Regardless of the type of meditation, recent studies have verified the physiological effects of meditation. Most of those mediations consist in focusing on something, repeating some words and breathing
(Greenberg, p.142, 143).
3.
Perform ablutions: The most important component of relaxation is what Hans Loehr calls "the rituals of success." These rituals may be as simple as making ablution; yet, they must be performed properly for it is not enough to pass water on the body parts - those parts must be massed.
4.
Ask for forgiveness: Even if a person has not done anything wrong, he must insure the forgiveness of Allah. "Then I said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord; surely, He is the most Forgiving'"
(Qur'an, 71:10).
5.
Recite the Qur'an: The Prophet (SAW) said, "… Qur'an is a remedy for illnesses of the mind" (Bukhari). "The echo of sound has a medical effect and is now widely utilized," says Dr. Greenberg. "The recitation of or listening to the Qur'an has an effect on the body, the heart and the mind! It is said that the letter Alif echoes to the heart and the letter Ya' to the pineal gland in the brain.
Dr Ahmed El Kadi of Akber Clinic (Panama City, FL) conducted and published the effects of listening to Qur'anic recitation on physiological parameters (i.e., the heart, blood pressure, and muscle tension), and reported improvement in all factors, irrespective of whether the listener was a Muslim or a non-Muslim, Arab or non-Arab. Obviously, it can be postulated that those who understand and enjoy the recitation with a belief in it will get maximum benefits," writes Dr Athar.
6.
Make the hereafter one's main concern: "Whoever has the hereafter as his main concern, Allah will fill his heart with a feeling of richness and independence; he will be focused and feel content, and this world will come to him in spite of it. Whoever has this world as his main concern, Allah will cause him to feel constant fear of poverty; he will be distracted and unfocused, and he will have nothing of this world except what was already predestined for him," said the Prophet (SAW). One of the greatest causes of stress is money - how to pay the loans, whether one's job will be lost, what will happen to the family if the father dies, etc.
7.
Think positively: Muslims should forget about the bad things of the past and think of good things, always having hope that he can be better. Trying to change the past is a foolish and crazy waste of time, "for saying
'if only…' opens the way to Shaytan" said the Prophet (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) also said, " Know that victory (achievement) comes through patience, and that ease comes through hardship."
Muslims understand that there's no reason for panic in the case of crisis - no reason to be distressed or worried for we know that after hardship come ease!
8. Do not waste time on thoughts of fear or stress: "The search of time is one of the most frequent causes of stress"
(Seyle, p.102). Laziness is the mother of all evils, and the Prophet (SAW) used to seek refuge in Allah from it. Understanding that this life is short and time precious, Muslims should try to work hard and pursue worthy knowledge (Munajjid).
In conclusion, a surprisingly effective remedy for stress is to "remember death". The Prophet (SAW) said, "Remember frequently the one who will destroy all your pleasures - death! For there is no one who remembers death when in straitened circumstances, but his situation will become easier…"
My Brothers and sisters let us forcus on building our life in the hereafter for it is FOREVER and this world is only for a short few hours in comparison and can end at ANY second! We will regret the seconds we wasted being down or depressed so let us make the best use of EVERY second and do whatever we can to be the closest to Allah and we would NEVER feel down because we FULLY rely on Allah and he is there for us in every aspect of our lives. Look into your heart for Allah is in the heart of the believer!
Please write this down and go over it whenever you feel down or depressed:
"I have no time to be down or depressed in this life because whatever will happen in life will happen and I have no control over it for everything happens from the will of Allah alone. I have to try and make the best of EVERY second of my own life because my life in this world can end at ANYSECOND!
So I need to do as much good as possible and try my best to please Allah as much as I can otherwise I will regret it forever! There is no time or need for me to be down or depressed because I rely on Allah for EVERYTHING and I depend on him and put my hopes and trust in him and I put my FULL FAITH in him because he created me and NOTHING will happen to me without his will so I’m FULLY reliant on Allah!"
Please watch these very beneficial short clips:
Islam - Way out of Depression 1-1
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TZuH8N9MC70
Islam - Way out of Depression 2-2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHHjvov25VE
Don't be sad my Muslim Brothers and Sisters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48KOjsZwKso