I begin in the name of Allah, praising Him with His most beautiful Names and Attributes. I ask Allah (the Exalted) to forgive me for every mistake I have done in my life. I pray to Allah to accept every deed I do in His Name, and Iseek refuge in Allah from His punishment and from the whisperings of shaytan. And I alsoask Allah to bless the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), his Family (may Allah be pleased with them), and Companions (may Allah be pleasedwith them).
You are here because of a reason;and I know that you are in need of help, just as I am in need of help. However, our way of seekingthis help is maybe different. But I hope that by the end of this article, you will be able to understand what my message to you is.
You have been in deep grief and depression; you are going through many trials, you say that you are losing hope, and you admit that you're close to losing your Iman also. What you believe is that your trials are the most severe from all, and none is suffering like you. But is this true?
Oh dear brother, and sister in Islam; I will tell you the following because I love you for the sake of Allah only. I will reveal to you threesecrets which not many have discovered; and those who do know these secrets are the ones that truly suffered in life, but they gained Wisdom from Allah (the Exalted) in return for their patience; and now you see them practicing the knowledge they gained with true and sincere Iman/Faith in Allah. I pray to Allah, that he bless us with the best of Wisdom and Iman, and may Allah make us one of those who are most patient.
Now let me tell you the three secrets, that can change your life to better; but this is only if you practice the knowledge correctly (insha'Allah):
First secret: is that, there is alwayssomeone suffering much more than you, going through much bigger trials than you; and that person's pain is much more severe than yours. You might not want to believe this, but you should; and I will therefore adviseyou with the Messenger's (peace and blessing be upon him) advice,he said:
"Look at those who stand at a lower level than you but don't look at those who stand at a higher level than you, for this would make the favours (bestowed upon you by Allah) insignificant (in your eyes). [Sahih Muslim, Book 42, Number 7070]
What is meant with this is that whenever you are sad because of someone having better looks thanyou, being wealthier, or healthier, you should rather look at those who are given less such favours than you, because this is the way that will grant you a better understanding of your situation and you will appreciate Allah's favours more. Greed comes out ofenvy, and they are both very dangerous selfish desires that willdestroy you completely if you give up into them; therefore do not wish to be better than someone except in two cases:
" First: A man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it righteously.
And second: A man whom Allah has given wisdom/ knowledge (of the Qur'an and Sunnah), and he acts according to it and teaches it to others." [Bukhari: Volume 9 Book 89 #255]
This does not mean to envy, but to wish to be great as these two types of people.
Now let me explain a few things more before I reveal the second secret.
Never wish to have more than what Allah wills to give you; never be unsatisfied with what Allah gave you; and never be ungrateful, because Allah might take away even the little that you have, and then it will be a time of depression and anxiety for you. You will wish at that time to have what you have now, but Allah (theExalted) will act according to His Perfect Wisdom, He may return that to you, or He may leave you as you are.
But remember, this: If you are content with the favours Allah gave you (such as: wealth, looks, health, etc.), and if you are grateful for them; then Allah (the Exalted) will bless you with much more favours than those. You will then see the true Mercy of Allah (the Exalted) and only then you will know that grieving and worrying about the things you don't have is a big waste of time. Your situation and mood will change and you will be much happier, and peace will follow youwherever you will go.On the authority of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reported that his Lord said: "O man! Although you have enough for your living, you demand that which makes you insolent. In fact;you are neither content with little, nor satisfied with much. Certainly, if you get sound in your body, safe in your life, and living having sufficient food for one day, (then) anything else is unimportant." [Ibn 'Adiyy and El-Bayhaqi]
Keep in mind also the following two Ahadeeth of Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
To be completed in Part 2
