Why Are You Stressed?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

When people feel responsible for everything, they find themselves always stressed, always concerned, always worried, always planning. Someone like that, it is hard to be pure in his prayers. How could he? He has 101 responsibilities going through his head.

Part of Allah's Name Al-Hakim is that He made the world in Wisdom. Wisdom according to the ulama' is the word they used for the idea of cause and effect. Allah created the world in absolute cause and effect. For example, when we put our feet on the ground, we are going to be on the ground. We are not going to be floating in the air. They called this gravity. If we hit our head on the rock, it hurts. Next time when you hit your head on the rock, it will still hurt. They called this you haven't learned your lesson. The sun rise in the east and sets in the west. You don't see the sun rise one day from the east and another day from the west (we are in great trouble if you see this!) Everything is consistent and everything make sense. That's why we can study the cause and effect and come up with technology.

So part of the adab/manners with Allah is to use these causes and effects. We work and we make ourselves subject to the Wisdom that He created this world, a world of means, but at the same time we realize that our taking the means, means nothing because ultimately Allah is the Creator of every effect. That does not mean that we don't do anything and wait for something to happen. But we separate the exterior from the interior: meaning externally we work, we save and we make plans for the sake of slavehood to Allah because that is the world of Wisdom and the way of the Prophets, but internally we don't feel that we are responsible for giving ourselves our food. We don't feel that our efforts are going to guarantee for us anything. Rather, we realize that He is the One who will create whatever He wills. He is the One who wrote down our provisions when we were babies in the wombs of our mothers.

So our efforts do not bring along with them extra stress. We don't stress ourselves with this idea that I am responsible to create food for me and for my kids. Allah is creating the food and to please Him we work for it and we work well, and when we see the food in front of us, we think of those who are not as fortunate as we are. And so we are grateful. And when we are grateful, we naturally give. And Allah will give more because you cannot outdo Al-Karim, the One who gives without any limit.

سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (١) لَهُ ۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۖ يُحۡىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ‌ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ قَدِيرٌ (٢) هُوَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُ وَٱلۡأَخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلۡبَاطِنُ‌ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ (٣) هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ۬ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِ‌ۚ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡہَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيہَا‌ۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ۬ (٤) لَّهُ ۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرۡجَعُ ٱلۡأُمُورُ


Whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, All-Wise.

His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, It is He Who gives life and causes death; and He is Able to do all things.

He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him). And He is the All-Knower of every thing.

He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then rose over (Istawâ) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, and what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be. And Allâh is the All-Seer of what you do.

His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And to Allâh return all the matters (for decision).

Qur'an Hadid 57:1-5

ءَامِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَأَنفِقُواْ مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسۡتَخۡلَفِينَ فِيهِ‌ۖ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَأَنفَقُواْ لَهُمۡ أَجۡرٌ۬ كَبِيرٌ۬ (٧)

Believe in Allâh and His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and spend of that whereof He has made you trustees. And such of you as believe and spend (in Allâh's Way), theirs will be a great reward. (Qur'an Hadid 57:7)

May Allah help us be grateful to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam