Happy days and sad days are all part of life. Allah tells us that this life is nothing but a test. Even our blessings are a test to see if we will remain grateful and grounded or become heedless in our party mode. And so are our trials and sorrows, to see how patient and loyal we remain to Allah. From an early age, we are taught how to handle setbacks and sorrows yet we fail to compose ourselves in the thick of it, Subhan Allah.
Ibn Al Qayyim may Allah have mercy on him said the word (الحزن) – (sadness) does not appear in the Quran only in the form of forbidding it (ولا تهنو ولاتحزنوا) or in the form of negating it (فلاخوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون).
And the reason for this is that there is no benefit to having sadness in the heart. The most beloved thing to the shaitan is to make the believing slave sad by taking him off track.
The Prophet (ﷺ) sought refuge in Allah (SWT) from sadness:
(اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن)
Ibn Al Qayyim said: Sadness weakens the heart and diminishes determination and wanting to go forward. And there is nothing more beloved to the shaitan than the sadness of a believer.
For this reason, be happy, optimistic, and think good about Allah. Have trust in what Allah is able to do and depend on Him. You will find happiness and pleasure in all situations.
Ibn Al Qayyim said: Don’t ruin your happiness with worry and don’t ruin your mind with pessimism. Don’t ruin your success with deception and don’t ruin the optimism of others by destroying it. Don’t ruin your day by looking back at yesterday.
[Copyright to the author]