COPING WITH FEAR AND GRIEF: An Islamic Approach [Part Two]
COPING WITH FEAR AND GRIEF:
An Islamic Approach
Part Two
Dr. Pasha
(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time!
Taking the Qur’an to Every Home and Heart that Needs It —
And which One Does Not?)
Ala,
Inna Auliyaa-Allahi La Khaufun Alaihim
wa La Hum Yahzanoon. Al-Ladheena Aamanoo
wa Kaanoo Yattaqoon (Al-Qur’an, Soorah Yoonus).
Bear in mind, Allah’s friends know
neither fear nor grief! They are the ones
who believed and were fearful – of him (10:62).
(21)
Humans Must Act
Human beings must act.
That is part of what is most beautiful about life – the power and the ability to act.
To be able to do things; to be able to move, change and grow; and to be able to impact, control and manage the environment in which one lives.
And humans have been given by their creator that power – the power and the will to act.
And they have been given by him also the means to act – some more so than some others.
Fa-Tabaarakallahu Ahsamul Khaaliqeen
(Soorah Al-Mu’minoon).
Which in paraphrase means:
Glory be to him, the finest of creators
(23:14).
That means human beings cannot sit around and wait for the hand of fate to fall on them.
Nor can they sit on their hands and expect the angels to bathe and clothe them; to feed them and comb their hair; to do their daily chores for them; to go to school for them; to fill out job applications and seek business opportunities for them; to work hard in school, work and business settings for them; to look for a wife or a husband for them; or otherwise live their life for them.
These are all things that humans must do themselves, even though Allah’s help and Allah’s mercy and blessings are never far from good people.
Inna Rahmatallahi Qareebun Minal Muhsineen
(Soorah Al-A’raaf).
Which in paraphrase means:
Allah’s mercy is close from those who do
good and kind acts (7:56).
In the most desperate of situations, good people are never without help.
A-laa, Inna Nasrallahi Qareeb
(Soorah Al-Baqarah).
Which in paraphrase means:
Bear in mind, Allah’s help is
at hand! (2:214).
Allah has created all kinds of food for them to eat – but the eating part they will have to do themselves.
Allah has created the water for them to drink – but the drinking part they will have to do themselves.
Allah has made the air for them to breathe – but the breathing part they will have to do by themselves.
Allah has made the earth for them to walk on – but the walking part they will have to undertake themselves.
Allah has made night and day for them in which to rest and work – but the resting and working part they will have to do themselves.
Allah has given them bodies and fitted those bodies with brains – but the thinking and acting part they will have to do themselves.
This in essence summarizes the relationship between God and man on earth. It is also a paraphrase of what the Qur’an has to say on some of these topics in a number of places.
Human beings, therefore, must move and work to take charge of their own destinies – and the affairs of this world – to the extent they can.
That is the ultimate human imperative in this world. It is the core of all civilization and culture.
It is also the divine law.
Laisa Lil Insaani Illa Ma Sa’a
(Soorah An-Najm).
Which paraphrased means:
Human beings will have only what they strive for (53:39).
This means human beings must act to make their own lives better; to make the lives of others better; to make their own circumstances better; and to make the entire world better.
No one can sit idly by and expect things to happen all by themselves.
That is the winning formula – to act and to move and to make things happen.
That is also Allah’s mandate to people. It is the direct and clear charge human beings have from God.
It is our common human responsibility on earth.
And it is part of the joy of being alive – to be able to have a role in the shaping of one’s life and its outcomes.
That is why a Hadith clearly points out that a strong, resourceful, capable, can-do type Muslim is better in the eyes of Allah than a passive, apathetic, irresolute, helpless weakling.
(22)
Cosmic Harmony
People – all people – therefore must relentlessly pursue goals and agendas, plans and programs, desires and ambitions. They must go after the dreams and ideals of their choice with all the resources and power and resoluteness at their disposal.
But they must do so according to the rules and directives of Allah, both in relation to him and in relation to his creation.
That means they must be respectful of their duties to God as well as of the rights of God’s creation.
This way they will not be acting alone, or on their own, or contrary to the way things move in this vast cosmos, no part of which they control.
But rather they would become one with the working of Allah’s universe.
Furthermore, instead of operating against the force and energy of the cosmos and its untold bodies and objects and beings, they would be acting in harmony with them.
They will have even more going for them: they will be acting in full partnership with the cosmos and its untold occupants.
This will significantly increase their chances of being able to triumph over life’s events and outcomes that are perceived as tragedies and adversities.
It will enable and equip them to deal with these earthly problems and afflictions effectively and successfully.
In the following pages, I will provide some more references from the Qur’an on this subject. But first a note on the use of the expression verses to refer to passages from the Qur’an.
It is a practice the Muslim have gotten into – in blind imitation of the translators of the Bible and Christian users of the English tongue – that I strongly disagree with.
At best at I consider this practice wrong; at worst, I am not sure it is not blasphemous.
(23)
A Note on the Expression “Verses”
Roughly speaking, Soorah is equivalent of chapter in the Qur’an.
An Aayah is what people call a verse. I prefer to call them Aayats rather than verses.
In fact, I have serious objection to using the expression “verses” for passages of the Qur’an.
No matter how common its usage may have become in the world and among Muslims, and regardless of how the original Biblical translators may have intended to use it, the expression “verses” to me smacks too much of poetry.
Allah’s words in the Qur’an, on the other hand, ring out loud and clear in denunciation of that association:
It is not poetry!
It is not the musings of a poet!
Wa Maa Huwa Bi-Qawli Shaa-‘ir (69:41).
Wa Maa Allamnaa-Hush-Shi’ra wa Maa
Yanbaghi Lah (Soorah Yaseen)
We did not teach him poetry. Nor does
it behoove him (36:69).
Where is the room for error, speculation or misunderstanding in this? Aren’t Allah’s words clear enough?
That means Muslims will have to find a new expression in the English language – a word or a phrase – that fits their purposes and meets the unique needs of their culture.
An expression that renders in English truly what the word Aayat means in Arabic – the language of the Qur’an.
This is the new responsibility that we have as Muslims in the West; as English-speaking Muslims; as Muslims whose mother tongue is English; as part of the Western Wing of the Muslim Ummah.
To me, the Qur’anic expression Aayaat is more aptly translated as “signs” or indicators or markers than as verses.
And that is what it is supposed to mean: Every Aayah or part or passage of the Qur’an is a sign and an indication that the Qur’an is a divine revelation – and not a human creation.
Therefore, to call an Aayah a verse is not only blasphemy, it is utter distortion of the true meaning and function of the word as well as of the Qur’an itself.
Aayah is singular in Arabic. Plural is Aayaat.
Aayat (with one a before t) is how non-Arabic cultures such as Indo-Pak-Bangla, Turkish, Malay and others say the singular Aayah.
Below then is a paraphrase of some relevant Aayaat from Surah Yoonus, part of which was cited earlier.
(24)
Soorah Yoonus (10: 61-65)
Given below are passages from Soorah Yoonus, 10: 61-65. I have tried to make the translation as faithful to the Arabic text as possible, while at the same time trying also to make it readable and understandable for English speakers.
I believe it is quite clear and simple and conveys the meaning quite effectively.
However, for comparison purposes I ask that you use your own translations and notes – from any copy that you may have such as Yusuf Ali, Maududi, Pickthal or Asad – for a better and clearer understanding of the following Aayaat.
In whatever state, condition or situation you may be, and whatever part of the Qur’an you may be reciting, and in whatever activity you may be engaged, we are there with you watching and witnessing, even as you engage in it (61).
Not an atom’s size or weight, in earth or in the sky, is hidden from your master. Neither is anything smaller or bigger than that, except that it already exists in a clear and open book (61).
Bear in mind, Allah’s friends, they shall have neither fear nor grief (62).
They are the ones who believed and were constantly fearful and mindful – of God (63).
For them is good news in this world and in the next world; there is no changing the words of Allah; that is the great success (64).
Let not what they say grieve you; surely, all honor belongs to Allah; he is the hearer and the knower (65)
(25)
Allah’s Watchful Eye: A Terrifying Prospect
After you have carefully read the above translation, here are some comments for you to consider:
Allah is with you.
Full stop!
He is with you, no matter in what state or activity you are.
He is with you even as you are engaged in it … right in the middle of it.
Allahu Akbar!
How frightening and comforting at the same time this thought is!
The thought that he is constantly with us, no matter where we are; no matter in what state or condition we are; no matter in what company we are; and no matter in what activity we are!
That means, on the one hand, nothing escapes Allah’s notice and knowledge.
That means we are never alone, never by ourselves, never unobserved by him, never out of his sight. That means whatever terrible things we do, we do them right before his eyes – in his very immediate presence.
What could be more sobering or terrifying than that?
This can lead to only one conclusion: We should at all times and in all situations be mindful of Allah’s presence and his watchful eye. And we should, therefore, at all times and in all situations and circumstances, conduct ourselves accordingly.
What this means is that we must clearly, fully and firmly know and believe and understand that Allah is with us all the time – and that we are never out of his sight or presence.
In practical terms it means, every time we contemplate doing anything contrary to his wishes, we must tremble at the very thought of it. Whether it is violating one of his commands in which he asks us to worship him a certain way; whether it is doing something that he clearly tells us not to do; or whether it is hurting or harming any of his creation without cause, purpose or justification.
It is not our place to wonder or worry or inquire about the nature, form or shape of his presence. This is one area where all that is required or acceptable is simple belief.
Allah says in the Qur’an “He is,” so all we need to know and believe is that he is.
The thought of Allah’s watchful eye, should calm our fears and ease our grief, pains and anxieties by choking them right at their source – disobedience of Allah.
(26)
Allah’s Constant Companionship: A Most Comforting Thought
At the same time, no matter where you are, no matter what kind of trouble you are in, and no matter what kind of adversity or odds you are facing, you are never alone: Allah is right there with you – at calling distance.
To someone facing fear or grief, what could be more comforting and reassuring than that?
“Calling distance” is a direct reflection of an Aayat of the Qur’an that says:
When my slaves ask about me, I am close – I answer the call of those who call me (2:186).
Wa Idhaa Sa-Alaka Ibaadee Annee Fa-Innee
Qareeb. Ujeebu Da’watad Daa’I Idha Da’ani
(Soorah Al-Baqarah).
Reflect a bit on this Aayah. The relationship between God and human beings is quite clear. Allah is telling us, you call and I will answer.
What else is left? What more can anyone want?
Not only that.
Allah assures us in the Qur’an that there is not a creature on earth that he is not holding firmly in his grip.
If that is the case, and the Qur’an says it is, how can we possibly go wrong? How can anyone or anything bad ever touch us?
Hear the Qur’an say it:
Fa-Keedoonee Jamee-an Thumma Laa Tunziroon. Innee Tawakkaltu ‘Alallahi Rabee wa Rabbikum, Maa Min Daabbatin Illa Huwa Aakhizun Bi-Naasiyatihaa (Soorah Hood).
Which in paraphrase means:
So conspire against me all you want and give me no respite. Surely, I have placed my trust in Allah, my master and your master. There isn’t a living being on earth that he is not holding by its forehead (11:56).
So, if our foreheads are in God’s firm, strong, mighty, kind, gentle, soft, loving, caring and compassionate grip at all times, what could we possibly have to worry or fear about?
What are we doing with all the worries, fears and grief that we are nursing in our bosoms – that we will not make any serious effort to let go?
Does that make sense?
I used to wonder, secretly and silently of course, about the name of Allah in the Qur’an, Al-Lateef – what it really meant.
Allahu Lateefun bi-Ibaadihi, Yarzuqu Man
Yashaa’, wa Huwal Qawiyyul ‘Azeez
(Soorah Ash-Shoora).
Which in paraphrase means:
Allah is gentle and soft with his slaves; provides sustenance to whom he wants; and he is the strong and mighty one (42:19).
To me, from a language point of view, Lateef meant gentle and soft. But that is not how some others may translate it. They may use the word “kind.”
But kind to me does not fully capture the essence – the full range – of Lateef, which definitely carries a hint of softness and gentleness, even though kindness, admittedly, cannot be exclusive of it.
But after reading and reflecting on Aayah 56 of Soorah Hood – Allah holding us all by our foreheads – it struck me how apt that expression was when it comes to our foreheads being in the grip of Allah.
Of course, at all times, and with regard to everything, only Allah knows best what he means and says.
And then Allah takes care of some of our most fundamental fears and worries – about our livelihood, sustenance, jobs, economic security and viability.
The same Aayat makes that point very clear also. It is not only our foreheads that are in Allah’s grip, but also our jobs and careers and our livelihood and our sustenance. He is in charge of it all.
Then give some thought to the expressions Al-Qawiyy and Al-‘Azeez – the strong and the mighty – and compare that with the expression Lateef – gentle, soft.
Do you get the picture?
Allahu Akbar!
How amazing this Qur’an is!
(27)
Some Observations on Soorah Yoonus (10: 61-64)
At this stage, a number of quick comments and observations can be made concerning the Aayaat (61-64) from Soorah Yoonus (10):
(A) Allah has friends and he has opening for new friends.
His hand of friendship is outstretched to all.
A call is going out from Allah to all to reach out to his hand of friendship.
(B) Allah’s friendship means freedom from fear and grief.
Once a human being is Allah’s friend, there is no more fear or grief for that person. That person has overcome both those common conditions of the human situation.
That person has transcended the common vagaries – ups and downs – of human life and attained a higher status of living.
(C) Rewards of Allah’s friendship are immediate as well as eternal.
Allah’s friendship bears fruit right here in this world as well as in the next world.
(D) Allah’s friendship has requirements and stipulations.
There are, however, two strict and yet most simple and easily accessible requirements for Allah’s friendship:
-
First, you must have Iman.
That means you must believe in La Ilaha Illa Allah – there is no God but God – with all its implications.
And you must believe in it with all your heart.
-
Second, you must have Taqwa.
That means you must cultivate the fear and love of Allah.
You must become truly conscious and respectful of Allah’s presence with you at all times.
That means a life of devotion to the true implications of Muhammad Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam).
That means living a life that is guided by the teachings and example of the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
Thus, the most effective way to claim freedom from fear and grief in this world – as well as in the next world – is to allow your life to be anchored and illumined by the twin pillars of La Ilaha Illa Allah and Muhammad Rasool Allah.
Not merely as a formality, not merely as an utterance by your mouth, not as a cliché, but in the truest and fullest sense.
Once you set yourself on that path, firmly and irrevocably, you are no longer a slave to your past or to your future – you are no longer oppressed by grief or fear.
You have found the secret to transcending both time and space. You have broken the chains that bind you to the common rigors of mortality – of life on earth.
(28)
Soorah Al-Hadeed (57: 22-24)
The following passages are from Surah Al-Hadeed, 57: 22, 24. I have tried to make the translation as faithful to the Arabic text of the Qur’an as possible.
I ask that you use your own copy of translation and notes – such as Yusuf Ali, Maududi, Pickthal or Asad – for comparison and for a clearer and more complete understanding of these Aayaat.
Whatever calamity or affliction befalls in
earth, or in your own selves, it is in a book
before we bring it about; surely, it is easy
for Allah (22).
So that you will not agonize over what missed you, or exult over what he gave you; and Allah does not love anyone arrogant, boastful (23).
Those who are stingy themselves, and tell people to be stingy; whoever turns away, surely Allah is the one who is self-sufficient and praiseworthy (24).
(29)
Some Observations on Soorah Al-Hadeed (57: 22-24)
After you have read the translation and maybe notes carefully, here are my comments on what you just read:
(A) Allah is the sole and real actor. He is the only one who really does or can do anything and everything in the world.
Others are mere agents and instruments of his will and his pleasure.
(B) Allah’s will is supreme in the universe and Allah’s will is always done.
Another name for it is the working of the universe. It is the everyday manifestation of what Allah wills and wants in his creation.
From the smallest to the biggest, this process is unstoppable – the process of things happening in the world the way Allah wants them.
No one with a sound mind tries to stop the earth from spinning or the sun from rising.
Or the moon from phasing.
Or the rain from falling.
Or a meteor shower from happening.
If we really understood how the universe works, we would know that the raising of our little finger or the blinking of our eye is no different or less from any of these colossal cosmic occurrences.
Nor is our intake of a single breath or our exhalation of it any different or less.
Nor is our gulping down a morsel of food or a drop of water.
All these things are part of the same process.
You can see, feel, measure and understand the basic truth behind this assertion – both personally and scientifically.
Just think about it.
Yet, even though it is God who is the real and only actor in the world, it is still our duty to do our best in this world. We cannot idly stand by and wait for things to happen.
That is because God asks us to do our best in every situation.
Because nothing less is expected of us or acceptable from us.
(C) Things in this world become clear to us in proper and due course of time, as decided by Allah, and not as or when we may want them to.
Eternal and immutable divine decisions become manifest in space and time as individuals, nations and societies approach specific stages and coordinates in their lives.
Not before that.
That means, for individuals as well as for groups, organizations, cultures, civilizations, nations and societies, the die has been cast.
The decisions have been made.
The ink has dried.
The envelopes have been sealed.
We will all receive our respective faxes in due time – when it is our time to receive them.
Things will come to pass – as they are supposed to. They will happen as per divine calendar and calculus. No one can stop or accelerate them.
(30)
God: Our Only Refuge
All this leads me to my fourth comment or observation on Soorah Al-Hadeed.
(D) God is our only hope and refuge. There simply is no running away from him.
…Laa Malja-a Minallahi Illaa Ilaih
(Soorah Taubah).
Which in paraphrase means:
There is no refuge from God but in him (9:118).
Or,
There is no escape from God but to him (9:118).
That means total control with regard to everything being in God’s hands at all times, and loss and gain both being completely from God, it is to him that people must turn.
That means we need to be, at all times and in everything, fully accepting of God’s decisions, even as we strive mightily and tirelessly to do our best in every situation.
Beyond that, we need to go even further and train ourselves to actually rejoice in his decisions – no matter what they are.
That means we need to learn to live in him and through him. And we need to be of him and by him.
We need to learn to grieve, whenever sorrow and pain overtake us, in his presence, before him. We need to train ourselves to show our pain and hurt to him and only him.
So also must we train ourselves to continually beg him for mercy and forgiveness.
We need to teach ourselves to turn to him every time we are in trouble and let him take that pain away – and let him heal us, and console and comfort us, and make us whole.
For, only he can do it.
No one else can.
So, it is all a matter of our training and conditioning ourselves into this new culture of putting our faith, trust and hope in Allah the Almighty – and in him alone.
It is a matter of our teaching ourselves some new skills and habits of mind, body and spirit.
That means we train ourselves to fear nothing and no one but him, just as we train ourselves not to expect or hope for anything from anyone but him.
It is all a matter of training and conditioning.
(31)
Conquering Fear and Grief
So how do we really conquer fear and grief?
Ultimately, it is all a matter of believing in certain things and then living by the implications of that belief.
It is a matter of creating a new culture of fearlessness – a new culture of hope, trust, faith, belief and confidence in God Almighty.
And, through him, in ourselves.
It is a question of creating a new mindset, a new psychological and spiritual outlook.
That new mindset will help us to conquer all fear and grief and sorrow.
The body will still be prone to physical pain, affliction, hurt, injury and suffering as per the law of nature. That is the nature of what I earlier called the human condition.
But the mind and the spirit will no longer be in bondage. They will have conquered all unreasonable fear, grief and sorrow.
While the body will still be subject to the force of gravitation and thus mostly earthbound, the mind and the spirit will soar beyond the skies.
Sorrow and grief (Huzn) about losses and painful experiences perceived to have been suffered in the past – losses and experiences whose memory your brain relives and rehearses forever – will take a backseat to your being able to put things in some kind of a healthier perspective.
Fear (Khawf) and despair about losses and painful experiences and outcomes in future, under the shadow of which your brain holds your night and day prisoner, will give place to hope, confidence, courage, vigor and a budding determination.
You will learn to see, beyond the stream of immediate worldly events, the true unfolding of the supreme divine will.
You will be able to see behind human and other actors of this world the hand of God – the true and only actor.
Thus, no matter what the event, and no matter what the outcome, you will know and you will see how God Almighty is working his will in the universe – and in your own life.
When you reach that stage of self-training, self-discipline and self-realization, you will give thanks when good things happen to you.
You will also learn to act with patience and fortitude when bad things happen to you.
In either situation, your focus will be on pleasing your master and submitting to him – and not on complaining to the rest of the world about him.
That is why we are taught that when bad things happen to us, we should still say – along with all the other things that teach us how to seek refuge in Allah’s mercy and beg for his help: Alhamdu Lillahi Ala Kulli Haal – I praise Allah under all circumstances!
What a glorious, fear-and-grief-free, fail-safe attitude is this!
(E) This is liberation – real and true.
This is true liberation of the soul and the mind and the spirit.
It is liberation from fear, from grief and from all other negative and oppressive feelings and emotions that torment so many people so often and hold humanity in thrall.
As I said earlier, the human body, as per the laws of creation, will still remain subject to the functioning of the forces that operate in the universe – such as injury, illness or death.
But the human mind and spirit would have been unbound and set free to soar beyond the stars.
(32)
Divine Promise of Better Times
When you reach that stage of true submission to God and his supreme will, you will recall at every adversity the divine promise of reprieve and good times that was made to you in the Qur’an.
You would know and believe that bad times, no matter how bad they may be, cannot last forever.
Even in the midst of adversity, your morale will be high, for you will be looking forward to God fulfilling his promise to you of reprieve and better times.
Yes, the Qur’an came to you – personally – whoever you are and wherever you may be, even though it was revealed to your beloved messenger of God, Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, 1400 years ago in Arabia.
And in that Qur’an is the eternal promise that God made to everyone who reads the Qur’an and believes in it. This includes you, if you happen to be one of those who read the Qur’an and believe in it.
A promise that is couched in the most emphatic terms and that is repeated to lend it further emphasis.
It says:
Fa Inna Ma’al Usri Yusran, Inna
Ma’al Usri Yusra (Soorah Inshiraah).
Which in paraphrase means:
Surely, with difficulty comes ease.
Surely, with difficulty comes ease (94:5,6).
Just as you would also recall Almighty Allah saying elsewhere in the Qur’an:
Sa-Yaj’alullahu Ba’da Usrin Yusra
(Soorah At-Talaaq).
Which in paraphrase means:
Allah will soon make good times replace
bad times (65:7).
What kind of a Qur’an is this that makes such a clear and emphatic promise to people!
How can we, with this promise from God in our hands, let our lives be dominated by fear and grief, no matter what their source?
(33)
Pulling it All Together
Now you know the true nature of grief as well as fear.
Now you also know their true source and origin.
You know and understand now who truly controls and manages them – as well as every iota of the world in which they occur.
You know whom to turn to in adversity and pain. You know who really has the power to grant you reprieve.
Just as you know who is with you all the time and who is truly ready, able and willing to help you.
And then, over and above all, you hold in your hands a promissory note from God – a divine promise of good times that are set to succeed bad times.
Once you have this knowledge, and once you fully believe, understand and internalize this knowledge, and once you come to terms with the true implications of this knowledge, you have conquered time – past as well as future.
You are now its master and no longer its slave.
You have attained liberation from grief about the past as well as from fear about the future.
Yours, thereafter, is a mind and soul in a state of rest – in tranquility. Yours is an existence in perfect equilibrium with the rest of the creation – with the divine will in the universe.
That means you are now a person at peace.
You are at peace with yourself.
You are at peace with the world in which you live.
And you are at peace with your creator.
You have gone where the long fingers of fear and grief cannot reach you.
(34)
Individual Responsibility: The Imperative of Seeking Worldly Remedies
Yet, individual responsibility is one of Islam’s most fundamental teachings.
That means, in the midst of all your devotion to and connection with God, Islam also wants you to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of worldly remedies for your worldly problems.
It is one of Islam’s most important imperatives or commands.
That means whenever you are faced with a problem, go out and try to find a solution for it – no matter what that problem may be and no matter how difficult a solution may appear.
Here is what Islam wants you to do in a situation like that:
(A) It wants you to face your fears and grief squarely.
(B) It wants you to look your problems in the eye.
(C) It wants you to identify their sources and origins.
(D) It wants you to analyze their causes and contributory factors.
(E) It wants you to set about addressing and remedying them as best as you can.
(F) It wants you to seek support from wherever and whatever sources you can.
(G) It wants you to go even to China, if you must, to find a solution for your problem.
That means Allah’s Deen wants you to explore every avenue and not rest till you find a remedy:
(A) Whether it is illness you are facing.
(B) Or a work-related problem.
(C) Whether it is the loss of a loved one you are grieving.
(D) Or the possible loss of a job or income source that you are afraid of.
From this point of view, there is one word that captures the essence of it all: empowerment.
That is what Islam does. It empowers and encourages every individual to tap the best potential within oneself and to utilize all the resources that are within one’s reach.
And then it connects that individual to the infinite power of Allah and to the vast resources of Allah’s creation.
How can someone so empowered and energized go wrong? Or feel inadequate or helpless?
Listen to what Allah’s Rasool, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, had to say on the question of illness and health – 1400 years ago.
Weren’t illness and health a major source of both grief and fear for much of humanity a thousand or 1500 years ago?
Aren’t they now – in the 21st Christian century, in the midst of all the progress that health sciences have made and in spite of all that human beings have done to conquer and control disease?
Listen to what Allah’s Rasool, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, had to say on this subject so long ago. Then tell me if that is not one of the clearest and strongest messages and pronouncements on this subject.
And if it is not also one of the most empowering and energizing ones – not only for Muslims, but also for the entire world.
There isn’t a disease on earth, said Allah’s messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam,
(which I paraphrase here), for which Allah
did not also create a cure.
How much more clear-cut can it get?
And what does it tell us?
It tells us two things, does it not?
First of all, it tells every one of us that when illness comes, we must seek treatment and medication.
That is the first step toward building a community – and a world – whose members are highly health conscious at the individual level – at the micro level as it were.
Second, that Hadith is also telling our educators, scientists, health officials, leaders and financiers to work to find cures for whatever diseases may be prevalent in our midst – and in the world at large.
That Hadith is teaching the world the principle of proactivity in life. It is teaching Muslims – and non-Muslims as well – how to be proactive in life’s affairs.
How to think ahead and always be prepared!
And how to never lose hope and never give up!
It is showing them how not to sit around waiting for a remedy to show up at their doorstep but to go out and look for it actively.
If Islam had given the world nothing but this one Hadith, it would have put the world eternally in its debt.
That one Hadith, if Muslims only knew about it or understood it properly, is enough to make the Muslim community everywhere – the entire Muslim world – conquer disease.
And then add to it what the Qur’an and the Hadith have to say about good food – Halal and Tayyib food; about eating and drinking habits; about the ban on alcohol and narcotics; about cleanliness, hygiene and clean living; and about life style in general.
You have the ultimate winning formula to free you from your health-related fears, grief, worries and anxieties.
If Muslims followed these teachings, they would be the healthiest people in the world. They would be the leaders of the world on health issues.
This should cut down one of the major sources of fear, worry, anxiety and grief in this world, should it not?
So many of us run around giving speeches and holding conventions on how to change the world and solve its problems. Here is a 15-second solution to the health problems facing much of the world today – including the Muslim world.
It is by following this kind of a simple, direct, effective, sweeping and bare-bones approach that Allah’s Rasool, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, changed Allah’s world in less than 23 years.
And it is by abandoning this approach, by dissociating from it and by substituting it with all kinds of abstruse and complicated philosophies and methodologies that Muslims have allowed health-related issues and problems to become such a major source of fear and grief in their life.
(35)
Social Conscience and Responsibility
At the same time, Islam also places a huge social burden on our shoulders.
For, fear and grief are not always individual issues. They frequently have deeper social roots requiring larger social approaches to their solution.
They often need cooperative and community-based efforts if we have to solve them effectively.
This requires people helping people to overcome their fears and grief at all stages of life. No human being can really do it alone.
As a result, social conscience and social responsibility are among Islam’s most important doctrines and teachings.
Islam offers its solutions at two levels.
On the one hand it makes it clear to individuals that it expects nothing but the best from them. On the other hand, it wants everyone in the community to pitch in to help solve the problems that people face.
Thus, whenever you are faced with a problem that is causing you grief or fear – whether that problem is personal, political, economic, moral or social – Islam wants you to try to solve that problem to the best of your ability and means. Islam encourages all individuals to make the best effort they are capable of.
Then Islam works at the other end of the equation as well. It asks Muslims to extend a helping hand to others – Muslim or non-Muslim – almost turning Islam into a system of social obligations and responsibilities.
Every one of you is a shepherd, says a Hadith of our beloved Rasool, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, and every one of you has a flock to tend, for which you will be responsible and answerable.
That is not all.
Ironclad guarantees of reward, support and help from God are then offered to those who spend their time, energies and resources in helping others.
How clear and beautiful is the Hadith which says that Allah himself is busy helping a person who is busy helping his brother – meaning of course both men and women.
How much more powerful or persuasive can it get?
From this point of view, Islam provides a perfect and most harmonious confluence of vigorous individualism and self-reliance on the one hand with equally aggressive social conscience and collectivism on the other hand.
There is no better panacea for fear or grief in this world than to be able to do the best you can at your end and, at the same time, to have the backing, support and help of the whole community with you.
Islam, thus, offers this world a blend of personal independence and initiative on the one hand and social conscience and responsibility on the other hand that promises to make human life on earth as free from fear and grief as it is possible for life on earth to be.
This is true not only with regard to Muslims but also with regard to the non-Muslims, so long as they believe in what Islam teaches and practice it.
(36)
Death: Way to a Fear-Free Life
Death is misunderstood by most people, who look upon it as the end – end of everything they have; end of their life; end of their story.
Yet, death is really a beginning. It could be the start of a new life – free from fear and grief, if you choose to make it so.
It is a gateway to heaven and an invitation to meet God.
What most people don’t know also is the fact that death comes – or is embraced and practiced – in several forms and stages.
Properly understood and properly handled, death means ultimate triumph of the human being over all sources of fear and grief.
For an average human being, what fear could be greater than the fear of death?
Or what grief could be greater than the loss of someone you love dearly?
But those who attain the true state of liberation from fear and grief conquer even death – whether it is their own or that of someone they love.
And they use dying as a means to set themselves free from the tyranny of fear and grief over their lives.
For, death to them is little more than a state of the mind – a temporary lull in the vast journey that is life. A mere changing of horses at a stopover along the road.
While life to them was freedom of the body – for, slavery in all forms is anathema to such free souls – death to them means freedom from the body.
For, from a purely worldly point of view, dying may appear to be a certain form of nonexistence. But from a spiritual point of view, it is actually attaining a completely new state of existence.
Allah constantly mixes and transposes these two stages and states together – life and death, existence and nonexistence.
Life fades into death; and death morphs into life. It is a recurring theme in the Qur’an. The process is an ongoing dialectic in real time and space.
I find the following words of the Qur’an not merely clear, powerful and evocative, but spell binding:
Yukhrijul Hayya Minal Mayyiti and Yukhrijul Mayyita Minal Hayyi wa Yuhyil Arda Ba’da
Mauti-haa, wa Kadhaalika Tukhrajoon
(Soorah Ar-Room).
Which in paraphrase means:
Out of the dead does he bring out the living,
and out of the living does he bring out the dead,
and he makes the earth come alive after its death,
and so indeed shall you be raised up (30:19).
Thus, to a mind that has been awakened to the true knowledge of the self, God and the universe, death is simply living life in stages.
Such a person, when given a choice, may even choose death as a viable and desirable option. For, it is part of the process of reaching God.
Such a person knows full well that death is the train you take to meet God – to keep your appointment with him.
And people who have been set free from fear and grief in this world know that they have a date with the divine, and they eagerly look forward to it. Such people are most eager to meet God.
But no more eager are they to meet God than God himself is eager to meet them.
Thus, death to such people, far from being a menace, becomes the final gateway they have to pass through to keep their date with God Almighty.
What fear or grief could mar the life, muddy the joy or cramp the style of such people?
(37)
Freedom from Material Relations
One way to die is to choose to be dead to the lure of material possession of this world.
Material ambitions, attachments, relations and possessions – and the desires, pleasures and promises of the flesh – are a constant source of fear and grief for most people.
And the stronger our worldly attachments, ties and commitments, the greater our sorrows, worries, anxieties, pain and fears.
Fear haunts us with regard to all that we want but may not have as well as with regard to all that we have but may lose.
The world has built a whole culture based on fear – mostly false fear.
Politicians scare us into voting for them or into going to war.
Businesses sell us products based on fear. Advertising as an industry thrives on the appeals that it makes to people based on fear.
So, those who seek freedom from fear and grief must choose to be dead to their material possessions and attachments, which they can do by conquering their blind and raw passion for them.
Those who truly understand God and his creation, and also understand their own place and role in God’s creation, must free their hearts and minds from subjugation to the love of material things.
They must realize that to live a truly meaningful and rich life, and to be free from fear and grief, they must choose death over life – death to the attachments and possessions of this world.
That is because death has several forms and stages. And they must choose to die, so they may live.
Those who choose to die in this way, do so progressively and in stages.
That is why the first stage of death for them is to disconnect all material bonds that chain them to the world.
That means to reach a firm, full and clear realization that whatever a person has, every particle of it, belongs not to him but to someone else – to Almighty Allah.
And that it is a loan in his hands from Allah – every little thing that a person may have.
And that it may be used only by Allah’s permission and only as directed by him.
That means, neither wealth nor poverty must make the slightest difference in the way a person perceives and carries himself or herself in this world.
Thus, neither should a person consider wealth as his own private property – and use it as he pleases.
Nor should he consider poverty a handicap and allow it to oppress and stop him from doing what he must in the path of Allah.
His total focus at all times must be Allah, who alone holds the key to all wealth and poverty.
To the extent such a person is not looking at the world but at its maker, to that extent that person is distant from and dead to the world.
And to that extent that person is closer – and alive – to the maker of the world.
From now on, that person is only a keeper and custodian of Allah’s things in his possession and no longer their owner and master.
Such a person has taken the first step to finding life in his maker and through him.
At some point thereafter, if he is fortunate and if he stays the course and keeps his focus, he would receive proper guidance to proceed further.
At that stage his pursuit of personal liberation from grief and fear will begin to bear fruit.
(38)
Freedom from Social Bondage
A second stage of dying is to be dead to the tyrannical hold that other people have over one’s life.
Connections and attachments to people!
Whether through birth, blood, marriage or otherwise!
They have a natural relationship with not only some of the greatest moments of happiness, joy and security on earth but also to some of the worst forms of insecurity, fear and grief!
No matter how one looks at them, social relationships of all kinds are a major and unfailing source of fear and grief in human life.
For, social bondage is one of the worst tyrannies that human beings can perpetrate on one another.
In its most rabid forms, it is one of Shaitan’s most powerful and effective tools of domination and control over the lives and destinies of the children of his arch-enemy Adam.
Even those whom Allah has blessed with wealth and power, and has thus freed from everyday worries of making a living or paying their bills, are often reduced to a life of utter misery due to trouble and complications in their social relationships.
Even those blessed by God with great intelligence and wisdom are brought to their knees and reduced to utter helplessness and foolishness due to the problems that arise on the social front of their lives.
They are often miserable because they are nursing the loss of a social relationship in the past or because they fear the loss of one in the future.
A child, a parent, a friend, a husband, a wife, a trusted work associate, a close relative – in how many different ways can a human heart be made miserable with fear and grief with regard to every one of them!
That is why, if we want freedom from fear and grief coming from these sources, we must die a second death – yet another stage of dying to the world and to its bonds and lures.
That second stage of death teaches us to deal with precisely these kinds of fears and griefs – those that are inherent in our social relationships.
It teaches us to die from every one of them – to be dead to them all.
That means it asks us to detach ourselves from all earthly human bonds – from family to friends to associates. And then connect to them only through God.
That means, once again, it requires us to see God and not merely his creation.
It requires us to see all these connections as passing through God and not directly.
That means it expects us to work in those relations entirely as directed by God and for the fulfillment of his purposes and directives.
That means a person must allow neither births nor deaths, nor marriages nor friendships to make the slightest difference in the way he perceives and carries himself in this world.
His total focus at all times must be Allah, through whom all human relations must pass and find their existence and validation.
To the extent such a person is not tied directly to other human beings but is connected to them only through Allah, he is dead to them.
And to that extent he is free from all fear and grief that come from them.
From now on, his life with them is only a temporary loan that may be recovered and reclaimed by the owner at any time without notice.
At all times his bags are packed and he is ready to depart at a moment’s notice.
And he travels light.
For, he no longer hauls the burdens of fear and grief coming from social relations gone sour – a child or spouse or friend dead or ill without hope of recovery; a marriage on the rocks; a friendship betrayed; or a child gone astray.
(39)
Freedom from Personal Passions
The third stage of dying is to be dead to all personal passions and desires, except those sanctioned by God.
A person must be dead to all of them and thereafter reclaim them only as permitted by Allah and only through him.
Such a person can know no anger or sorrow except through and for Allah.
Nor can he know love or devotion except through and for Allah.
Nor can he lust after power and position except in so far as they are instrumental in helping him serve Allah and his people better.
Such a person eventually reaches a stage where he knows no fear or grief except through and for Allah – the only fear or grief worth having.
The one fear and grief that override and nullify all else in this world.
It is the good type of fear and grief. It is the type of fear and grief that free him from all other forms of fear and grief and guarantee him peace, joy and security both in this as well as the next world.
Such a person loves what Allah loves and despises what displeases Allah.
His biggest sadness and grief come from memory of moments that were not spent in the remembrance of Allah and in close conversations with him.
Moments which were not utilized in Allah’s Dhikr. For, as the Qur’an points out, it is in Allah’s Dhikr that good people’s hearts find true peace, comfort and security (13:28).
Ala, Bidhikrillahi Tat-Ma-innul Quloob
(Soorah Ar-Ra’d).
Such a person still, as a human being, grieves in his personal life for all that makes any civilized, caring and compassionate human being grieve, such as the death of a spouse or the illness of a child or the sudden rupture of a valued friendship or an undue loss suffered in business.
But his grief is a bigger grief. It has a much larger scope. He now grieves for others as much as if not more than he grieves for himself.
Suffering of people around him hurts and grieves him more than do his own personal losses and tragedies. Oppression and injustice directed at poor, innocent and defenseless people everywhere arouses his passion and indignation more than insults and abuses directed at him personally.
His heart hurts and aches and grieves beyond measure at the way humanity hurtles along the path of self-destruction oblivious to the commands of Allah.
He is heartbroken thinking about how Shaitan has a field day at the expense of the poor, hapless, misguided, arrogant, naïve, foolish children of Adam, playing with them and toying with their destinies all the time.
He is crushed thinking about the depth to which human beings can sink in their disobedience of their maker and in their cruelty and contempt for and abuse and exploitation of one another.
But his biggest grief and most overpowering sadness come when he recalls how he failed to measure up every time God tested him with adversity – or with joy and opportunity.
When he thinks how in the grip of his past sorrows – or joy – he had permitted his eye to wander away from Allah, the real giver of joy and sorrow.
Even though, he realizes with great anguish, the Qur’an had given fair notice of it to every believer.
And here is how the Qur’an did it:
Wa La-Nablu-wannakum Bi-Shai-in Minal
Khaufi wal-Joo-I wa Naqsin Minal Amwaali
Wal-Anfusi Wath-Thamaraat. Wa Bashshiris-
Saabireen (Soorah Al-Baqarah).
Which in paraphrase means:
And we shall surely test you with a bit
of fear and hunger and reduction in wealth
and persons and fruits. And give good news
and congratulations to the patient ones (2:155).
And he also knows full well what the consequences are for turning away from the remembrance – the Dhikr – of Allah.
Allah says it clearly in the Qur’an:
Wa Man A’rada An Dhikree, Fa-Inna
Lahoo Ma’eeshatan Danka, Wa Nah-Shuruhoo
Yaumal Qiyaamati A’maa (Soorah TaaHaa).
Which in paraphrase means:
Whoever turns away from my Dhikr,
there surely is a miserable life in store
for him, and we shall raise him blind
on the Day of Judgment (20:128).
Those are indeed the dark spots of real pain, sorrow, hurt, agony and grief that such a person has collected on his soul from his past.
Those are the scars on his aching, wounded heart that come alive to torment him every time he thinks about days gone by – and about all that might have been.
All the missed opportunities of loving and serving Allah more; of loving and serving Allah’s people more; of remembering and praising Allah more; and of helping more and more of the people of Allah to find their way back to Allah.
If this is the nature of the grief whose shadow haunts his past, so indeed is also the nature of his fear about the future.
His greatest fear of the future is the thought of his heart going dead on him, such that it will no longer melt and tremble at the thought of Allah and at the mention of Allah’s glorious name – and at the chanting of his words in the Qur’an.
His worst fear is that of being the only one denied the right to look at Allah’s glorious countenance on the Day of Judgment, when all others would be allowed that blessing and that boon.
Grief and fear both exist even in this state of near-total liberation; even in this higher stage of death from and to the world; even in such a noble and God-fearing heart.
But they are very different from the kind of grief and fear that stalk and torment the souls of ordinary people lost in the pursuit of their unbridled lusts and passions and dead to the higher, nobler and more spiritual form of living.
(40)
Freedom from the Self
To be dead to oneself!
To slough off one’s old self and to rise again as a totally new person!
It is the final stage of liberation from the yoke of oppression that life itself imposes on a human being.
It is the last hurdle on the march to freedom from fear and grief – the individual himself or herself.
People in general are willing to sacrifice and overlook a lot of things in this world. But where most people draw the line is themselves.
This is particularly true of those who have been blessed by God with some special gifts, powers, talents or achievements of some kind.
Those who have any self respect or individuality or thinking capacity in them and are not entirely of the kind of deaf, dumb and blind that the Qur’an talks about (2:171).
Yet, often, they choose to end up that way by putting themselves above God Almighty.
In many ways, and frequently, it is they vs. the world. That means, in most instances it is what they think is what really matters.
Right is what they say is right and wrong is what they choose to call wrong.
In a sense, such people are their own gods. They listen to no one but themselves.
It is these kind of self-willed, self-centered, arrogant and self-righteous people about whom the Qur’an s says:
A-Fa-Ra-Ayta Manit-Takhadha Ilaahahoo
Hawaah, wa A-Dallahullahu Alaa Ilmin wa
Khatama Ala Sam-i-hee wa Qalbihee wa
Ja’ala Alaa Basarihee Ghishaawah? (Soorah Al-Jaathiyah).
Don’t you know of the person who set up
his own whim and fancy as his God, and
Allah misled him despite his knowledge and
sealed his ears and heart and placed a
covering on his sight? (45:23)
Yet, the problem is quite a common one. All of us are in that same predicament in one way or another and to one degree or another.
Self-worship in some form is a common human ailment. Which one of us does not crave power, position, wealth, name, fame, personal glory, status? For, that is how the human self makes its stand in this world.
Therefore at this stage, the only way for people out of a quagmire of fear and grief is to die yet another death.
Those who seek real peace and security at this stage, and real freedom from fear and grief, must cross this last hurdle and say goodbye to themselves – to their own self – and go through yet another level of dying.
Death from self is the last stage of death for those who know the secret of not only life but also of death.
It is also the hardest one to attain.
Human hearts cannot contain two masters – oneself and Allah.
It is like putting two swords in a scabbard. One of them must go.
A person must realize that he in himself is the biggest obstacle in his effort to get to Allah; in his effort to be free from fear and grief.
The livelier and more robust his self, and the more passionate and aggressive his commitment to meeting the needs of his self and ego, the more difficult and arduous his journey is to Allah.
Therefore, he must be dead to himself before he has any hope of reaching Allah.
Such a person should not see himself as the one in existence or as the one at the center of any action or event.
Such a person cannot claim any credit for any good deeds, accomplishments and gains.
Nor should he break his heart and become hopeless over any losses and hurts, injuries and deprivations.
He must be dead to all of them.
Nor can such a person do anything for personal gain or glory; nor should he run from doing anything for fear of personal loss or dishonor.
He must do what he must, and avoid what he must, only because it is purely and completely for Allah’s sake and not for his own.
He must subdue and slaughter his self and trample on it, till he is left in a state of complete selflessness.
He must annihilate and obliterate his self and rise to live in Allah.
These are the stages of Fanaa and Baqaa – annihilation and survival, death and life, respectively – and they both must happen in and through and for Allah.
When a person has died these four deaths successfully, he is put on the way to finding life – true and eternal life, which is an entirely different story.
Such a person is dead to himself and is alive in and through and for Allah. That person now is nothing but an instrument of Allah on earth.
In such life, there is no room for fear or grief.
All that is left for him is eternal friendship with Allah and a life of rejoicing in Allah’s glory.
In such a state of perfect bliss and felicity – the final fulfillment of which is paradise and nearness to God – the greeting of those who have made it is Salam and their last assertion is all glory be to Allah the master of the worlds (10:10).
Tahiyyatuhum Feehaa Salaam wa Aakhiru
Da’waahum Feeha Anil-Hamdulillahi
Rabbil Aalameen (Soorah Yoonus).
These are people with whom Allah is pleased and in turn they are pleased with Allah. And that indeed is the great success (5:119).
Radiyallahu Anhum wa Radoo Anhu.
Dhaalikal Fauzul ‘Azeem (Soorah Al-
Maa-i-dah).
These are the people who have mastered fear and grief in all their forms.
(41)
Testimony of a Believer
Now hear a Muslim, from several hundred years ago, speak about his own state of fearlessness and freedom from grief!
See how his words capture and reflect this state of true liberation of the mind and perfect equilibrium of the soul in his life!
This is what he said to his friends, students and admirers, when he was faced with all kinds of adversities, when both his life and liberty were at stake.
Ana Jannatee.
Bustaanee Fee Sadree …
Maa dhaa Yaf’aloona Bee?
Sijnee Khalwah,
Jalaa-ee Siyaahah,
Wa Qatlee Shahadah!
Maa dhaa Yaf’aloona Bee?
Which in paraphrase means:
I am my own paradise!
My garden of joy is in my breast.
What can anyone do to me?
Prison to me is solitude.
Exile is nothing but sightseeing.
It is pure martyrdom!
How can anyone hurt me?
This is what that wonderful believer had to say, right when he was faced by all kinds of challenges that threatened his life and liberty.
That, finally, is the mother’s milk of freedom from fear and grief that believers thrive on: a firm and unshakable belief in God and a steady mindfulness of his presence and power (10:63).
Al-Ladheena Aamanoo wa Kaanoo Yattaqoon
(Soorah Yoonus).
That is how they conquer fear and grief.
Carrying your paradise in your own pocket? If this is not conquering fear, grief and sorrow, what is?
And if this is not the soaring of the human spirit to a state of true liberation and perfect equilibrium, what is?
What indeed can anyone do to anyone like that?
That person is untouchable!
END
© 2003 Syed Husain Pasha
2003
No part of this book may be reproduced or duplicated for
commercial purposes without the author’s express permission.
Dr. Pasha is an educator and scholar of exceptional
talent, training and experience. He can be reached at DrSyedPasha [at]
AOL [dot] com or www.IslamicSolutions.com.