:sl:
Well, you're really not helping, and I can understand that. It's probably because you haven't gone through what I've been through. Heck, you'd probably won't even last a day in my shoes.
Sorry, but this is just your nafs speaking. You think you have it worser than anybody else in the world and I've seen several people think and feel the same thing,
myself included at several points in my life. It's all a silly sense of self-entitlement that our minds have concocted and since things do't go our way, we feel hard done by. I'm not just throwing words at you. These are based on my experiences and the realisations I've come to in order to deal with the different forms of hardship I've been through.
I'm trying to guide you to adopt the same approach. You need absolute conviction in your religious belief.
I know my words seem harsh at the moment to you. Not sure how old you are but InshaAllah with age and the more you experience in life, you'll be able to recognise what I'm saying.
I'm a human being, and in every human being, they all have a mutual need which is to "be respected." A lot of people look down at me because I'm weak, and treat me like I shouldn't even live. I get treated like dirt by a large population.
Bro, people will say and do stupid things all the time. Don't give them any mind. Ignore it all to the best of your abilities and be patient.
And you're telling me to compare my life to the poor's? Do you honestly think that works? I've had enough of all the things I've gone through. If thinking about the "poor" and comparing their lifestyle to yours actually worked for most people, do you think there'd be a such a thing called "depression?"
That's the thing, it
should work. A rational and sane person with a sincere heart
should feel grateful for the fact that while he may be going through some hardship, he doesn't have to walk ten miles to get water each day or that he doesn't live in a slum environment with nothing to eat but disease ridden carcusses of rotting animals or have to live under the constant threat of war. Forget money, it's surviving day to day that's almost unachievable. Like I said, your state is better than a billion people at least, yet you feel so hard done by?
I'm
not saying this to make you feel bad. I'm making you think and reavaluate your situation. Think hard about it,
sincerely and with an open mind.
The problem again is due to the horrible sense of self-entitlement that is programmed into our minds by the society, culture and consumerism driven materialistic age and place we live in.
Our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him has said that in heaven, there will be more poor people than rich. They have high status with Allah due to the hardship that they've experienced and the fact that since they have less money, they commit less sins. So don't feel disgruntled that I've asked you to look at their situation and contrast it with yours. They are favoured by Allah. People that experience hardship are favoured. Such experiences wipe our sins and give us a cleaner slate when we reach Allah.
It's like admiting that you have a garbage life, and you'll just have to deal with it for how ever long you live, while you see your enemies being happy and such. I thought religion was the way of living life in love and harmony, not in fear.
Allah's Prophet Yusuf Alaihe Salam was picked on by his own brothers, chucked into a well and left for dead by them. He was taken away as a
slave. He was wrongly accused of something he didn't do and locked in jail for several years.
Allah's Prophet Ayub Alaihe Salam was blessed with enourmous wealth, many farms and valuable property. One day thieves came and attacked his farms, killed many servants and stole all his cattle. Some time later, many of his family members died in an accident. A few years later, he started suffering skin disease. His parts of body were covered with loathsome sores. He had many ugly looking ulcers on his face and hands. The sores were full of worms. Above all, his false friends attributed his calamities to his sins. They ridiculed and looked down upon him. All the persons deserted him with the exception of his wife. She also grew tired of him in the long run and prayed for his death. She cursed her husband for retaining integrity in Allah.
These were
Prophets of Allah. Not ordinary people. By your standards, did they have a 'garbage' life because of the hardships they had? In reality, it's your perception that is wrong.
Both these pious personalities never once blamed Allah for their hardship. Instead, they were patient, they perservered, they thanked Allah and they submitted to what he willed for them.
Such behaviour cannot come about except through strong connection with Allah and renunciation of this world. That is what is required by you, me and all muslims.
Our own Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihe Wasalam was blessed with incredible control over the people of his community. He could have lived a very rich life with tens of servants and slaves taking care of his every need. However, the life he lived was not like that at all. He was austere.
He fasted so much such that he would tie a rock around his stomach so that the pangs of hunger wouldn't get to him. He slept on a rough surface. His house was very simple. Most of the Sahaba upon them be peace were very poor too. They gave their wealth away for the sake of Allah.
Can you imagine that? Is that garbage living? No! We are here temporarily and here to be tested. Accept this with your heart.
Then you mention depression. The
only reason people get into a state of 'depression' (as we understand it in psychology)
after facing hardship is due to lack of conviction in Allah. It's nonsense and a state only irreligious people would fall into. With proper understanding of our purpose and true connection with Allah, a muslim would never fall into such despair.
After going through a rough life, do you honestly think that someone can get over it that easily?
I didn't say getting over it is easy. However, with true conviction and faith in Allah, you will find contentment inshaAllah and a stronger foundation with which you can face any hardship.
By contrast, being bitter toward Allah, not being patient and not submitting to his will over you, not recognising this world is a test and of no real worth, you will aways feel misery. When one thing doesn't go your way, you'll feel restless whereas with a true believer, even if ten things didn't go his way, he'd not feel anything untoward has happened. This is because he has recognised Allah. He has recognised that this place is only a test and that it is temporary.
And my intention of earning money is not so that I can laugh at the people who harmed me. (Although it'd be nice to walk outside and for them to think "oh look, it's that kid I bullied. but he's rich now...") My intention for earning the money is so that I can spend it on the things I love so that I can live a fun and happy life. It's so that I can make up for all the sad times I'm having right now, and all the time I'm missing out on right now, so that I can actually be happy to live.
What I am trying you guide you to do is build a solid foundation of faith such that no amount of hardship that you experience in life will ever make you feel low or down. Start now and make it a goal to please Allah. Forget the world as you see it now.
What's to say several years from now you do become rich and are living a happy and fulfilling life (by wordly standards) but then suddenly calamity strikes? Read
here. Could you cope with such a thing? Point is, we need faith and conviction. If you do not completely embed in your mind that this life is temporary and a test Allah has given us, you will always be prone to feeling hard done by and open yourself to shaytan's whispers against Allah. You'll buy yourself nothing but misery and discontentment.
Check your purpose in life. If it's to have fun and build a happy life for yourself here, then something is wrong. Seek to attain Allah's pleasure first and foremost.