from your sadness and suffering. Just like Prophet
Ya‘qub e did when he didn’t know if he would ever
see his sons again, “I only complain of my grief and
sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah which you do
not” (12:86).
5. Seek solace in prayer. When your troubles start to
overwhelm you, your patience may wane, and your
frustrations may rise. When this happens, use prayer as
a tool to calm your emotions. One of the great aspects
of prayer is that it forces you to slow down, refocus
your gratitude, and connect with your creator. Muslims
are required to pray five times a day but offering
frequent and spontaneous prayers to Allah is something
you can do when you feel you can’t handle your
challenges alone.
6. Reclaim your passion and productivity. When you’re
frustrated about your troubles or impatient because
your life isn’t going the way you want it to, you’re focus
can wane away from your work, your spiritual life, or
anything that makes you happy. This will only increase
your anxiety and will likely lead to sadness. Though
Allah wants you to turn to him in these moments, He
also wants you to be accountable for your responsibilities
in life. Your job, taking care of your home and children
and/or anyone in your guardianship. If you fail to
meet these obligations and instead wallow impatiently
in distress, you’ll sink further into depression. Once in
this state, it’s even more difficult to trust in Allah that
the wrongs in your life will right themselves and you
may drift farther from Allah.
7. When adversity strikes, pause and then ponder. Once
you’ve settled down, think of all the things in life
you’re grateful for and thank Allah for these blessings.
Reacquainting yourself with all that’s good will afford
you the clarity to practice patience and pray to Allah
for what you need. It will also humble you, making it
easier for you to seek Allah’s forgiveness.
8. Understand that even tribulations along with blessings
come from Allah. Whatever befalls you –both good
and bad- is from Allah. These things are meant to be a
test. For example, being blessed with wealth is a test to
see how you spend it. Are you helping others or only
thinking about yourself? Conversely, when you face
hardship, you are being tested. Will you remember
Allah during these trials, or will you turn away?
Remember, being patient isn’t easy, Allah affirms it and
says, “And seek help through patience and prayer, and
indeed it is difficult except for the humbly submissive (to
Allah)” (2:45).
“Be patient over
what they say
and avoid them
graciously” (73:10)
So, take heart! If being patient, focusing on prayer and
turning to Allah seems to be nearly impossible, especially
during hard times, Allah knows how much you are struggling,
and He’ll know just how hard you worked to turn to
face towards Him, in patience, while seeking His help.
Look for Allah’s guidance for improving your patience in
the Quran, or in the sayings of the Prophet a. If you feel
like you need support, visit a local masjid, and seek educated
people who can counsel you, or simply turn to friends
who will encourage you and pray with you. There is always
help when you look for it.
May Allah guide us in finding true happiness after any
calamity befalls us. May he give us the chance to be grateful
and ask for forgiveness and accept all that we do. Ameen.
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