Quran Reflection -- Dealing With Sadness and Anxieties

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

Everyone on this earth are tested in one way or another. Allah made it very clear that this world is not Jannah (Paradise) and it is not perfect. Allah tells us,

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَ‌ٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَ‌ٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ﴿١٥٥﴾

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give gladtidings to the patient, [Quran, Al Baqarah 2:155]

Fear is an emotion. Allah will test us with our emotions and all things that will make us sad and anxious but then Allah gives us hope "give gladtidings to the patient."

Sadness and anxieties are part of this life. They are natural emotions that Allah has created in us. Certain amount of worry and axiety exist in everyone of us and it is completely normal. Allah created a wide range of emotions and we will all experience these emotions even the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and other prophets. We all know that Prophet Ya'qub alayhissalaam was so sad when he was seperated from his son, Yusuf alayhissalaam, so much so he became blind.

When experiencing a time of distress, remember what Allah has said,

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

Allah does not burden a soul except [with that within] its capacity. [Quran, Al Baqarah 2:286]

Know that we are strong and Allah is telling us that we can overcome whatever challenges that come our way. We are given these challenges because He knows that we are strong enough to handle them. Often times we underestimate our abilities. But Allah knows how resilient and strong He created us.

Always turn to Allah through prayer, du'a and Quran. These 3 things are effective way of treating sadness.

Prayers...

When Khadijah and Abu Talib died close apart, obviously the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was very sad, because he, not only lost his beloved wife and uncle, he also lost the two greatest supporters in his dawah of Islam. Then when he went to Ta'f to do da'wah to the people of Ta'f, the people rejected him and stoned him until he was bleeding profusely. He told Aisha that was the most difficult times of his life. Immediately after the event, Allah raised him to the heavens and gifted him and the ummah with the 5 daily prayers.

Du'a...

Allah asks us to call upon Him,

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ

And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." [Quran, Ghafir 40:60]

There is a hadith that tells us that Allah is shy and generous. If we ask from Him something He is too shy not to give. Allah is generous that if we ask He would give us more.

Every morning and evening ask Allah to protect you from depression and anxiety. Memorize this Prophetic du'a.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ ‏


Transliteration – allaa-humma innee a‛oodhu bika mi-nal-ham-mi wal-ḥazan, wal-‛ajzi wal-kasal, wal-bukhli wal-jubn, wa ḍa-la‛id-dai-ni, wa ghalaba-tir-rijaal

O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men. [Bukhari]

The Quran...

Allah calls the Quran a healing, healer of the hearts.

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا ﴿٨٢

And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss. [Quran, Al Isra' 17:82]

It is the Quran that can let all problems go away, to mend hearts. Connect with Quran daily. Start from now, even with a verse a day and increase gradually to a juz or two a day. Make that connection with the healer of the heart.

Look for the good and when you do this, good will grow. Each of one of us is blessed in som many different ways. Shaytan whispers and he gets us to focus and pay attention to what is going wrong in our lives and completely forget everything that is going right. Pay attention to the good and actually look for good. Think of blessings in your life and be grateful for them. Practicing gratitude does wonders for our emotional health. When we practice gratitude it causes us to be happier. Even if we can't find anything to be grateful about, remember the hadith that sins of a Muslim are removed even with a prick of a thorn and be grateful for that.

Remember, Allah proclaimed,

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; [Quran, Ibrahim 14:7]

Keep on Smiling 🙂

Even if you force yourself to smile it can lead to a chnage in your mood. You have the ability to smile and remember it is charity.

Spend time with your loved ones. Family support is beneficial. When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam first encountered angel Jibril alayhissalaam, he felt afraid. He went to Khadijah and found that support from her. We are created as social creatures, Physical touch from someone you know can be as effective as anti-depressant. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam used to hug, embrace and shake hands with his loved ones and his companions. He sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that when you shake someone hands your sins fall.

May Allah make the Quran a healing for us, replace our sadness with happiness and peace of mind and gather us and our loved ones in the highest Jannah with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Aameen

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam