Don't Be SAD
Well, I just read another really good book in Arabic that I thought was really amazing and thought some of my friends and relatives who do not read Arabic very well might also find useful. So I translated some parts of it and I hope that inshAllah all those who read this would find at least some of it helpful in living a better life and in learning to appreciate Gods blessings upon us.
This book is called: “La Ta7zan” or “Don’t be Sad”, and its also another very easy reading that tries to simplify things for us and get us to appreciate what we have and appreciate all what God gave us, instead of having to regret our past, worry about the future, and long for what we do not have. Its one of those modern Islamic books that tries to put things into prospective and teach us to look at the glass as half full, instead of seeing it as half empty.
The book was written by an Islamic Scholar called 3a-ed Ibn Abdelah Al Korany and was first published about 8 years ago.
Since it’s a whole book, and since I know that all of you have lives and wont have time to read all of it, plus admittedly also some laziness on my part
– I did not translate the whole book, but instead did the same thing as with the “Ibn Kayem” book, and just translated some extracts from the book that I thought where really nice.
The book is divided into a lot of small chapters, each addressing a different aspect, and each chapter title is the meaning that the author tries to explain. And I just took parts of that and translated it with out including its original Arabic text for the sake of time.
Anyways, inshAllah you like this and find it useful, and I would like to apologize in advance if there are any translation mistakes that I might be un-aware of.
P.S: All the verses from the Koran – I did not translate my self but have cut and pasted the translations from the following Islamic Web Site:
http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God (Allah) the Merciful, the Most Gracious
Extracts from the book:
لا تحزن
- تأليف / عائض بن عبد الله القرنى
“Don’t Be Sad”
By: 3a-ed Ibn Abdelah Al Korany
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Chapter: “فكر واشكر ” Think or Remember & be Thankful
Whats meant by that is that we should always remember Gods blessings upon us, for they cover us from top to bottom:
وان تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها
And He gives you of all that you ask Him; and if you count Allah's favors, you will not be able to number them; most surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful.
(Abrahim 34)
God has given us health, shelter, a safe home, privacy, food, clothing, air and water – we have the whole world and we don’t know it.
We have eyes that we see with, a tongue that we talk with, and we have hands and legs.
فبأى آلاء ربكما تكذبان
Therefore take hold of what I give to you and be of the grateful ones
(The Elevated places 144)
Should you not be thankful or take for granted that you have 2 legs that you walk with while there are others who are paralyzed or born with out legs or had to have their legs cut off ?! Should we not be thankful and take for granted that we can easily go to sleep while there are others who can hardly close their eyes from sickness pains or fear they have ?! Should we not be thankful and take for granted:
- That we eat as much as we want till wee fill our stomachs while there are others that can barely eat because they are sick or cant afford it or even cant find food or water?
- That we can hear while others are deaff?
- That we can see while others are blindd?
- That we have a skin that protects us ffrom so much while others have diseases?
- That we have our presence of mind whille others are insane and can barely control their actions or body?
Would you trade your eyesight alone for a mountain of Gold? Would you trade your hearing for all the worlds silver? Would you trade your tongue for all the palaces in the world? And would you trade your hands and be with out hands for all the jewelry and money in the world?
Be Thankful. “alhamdolilah” الحمد لله
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Chapter: “ما مضى فات” – “Whats Past is Past”
To always think about the past and try to re-live it or to keep regretting it and mourning it is foolish, and is slow death to our will and determination to live in the present and to do the best of what we have now.
What’s past is past and finished. Worrying about it, mourning it and yearning for it will never bring it back – because its past – it does not and can not exist anymore.
So if you are one of those people, then save your self from the ghost of the past, and stop trying to re-live it, stop trying to reverse the flow of the river, stop trying to set the sun back from where it came, stop trying to return the child back into his mothers whom, and stop trying to return the tear back into the eye. (okay okay, I know this is all very metaphoric stuff, but its really good specially if you read it in Arabic)
So stop thinking about the past and stop wasting your time and effort! Our problem is that we always think about our past more than we do about our present.
People should not look back, because the wind moves forward and the rivers flow forward, and life its self is moving forward, so do not fall back and do not go against the flow of life.
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Chapter: “يومك يومك ” - “Live Your Day”
If you wake up this morning, don’t wait for or expect this evening, for today only you will live – not yesterday that has past with its good or bad, or tomorrow that is still yet to come or might never come.
You should live every day as if its your last for non of us have a guarantee that we will see tomorrow. So you should do everything the best you can today. When you pray today and read the Koran, you should concentrate, focus and open your heart and pray as if it is the last time you will pray. You should humble your self today, you should be on your best behavior and treat people the best way you can. You should also look your best today, for it might be the last time you are seen and how you will be remembered.
For today you must be your best and use it as much as you can, you should divide your day and use every second of it, you should turn its minutes into years, and its seconds into months, where you should do as much good as you can, help as many people as you can, be your best at your work, remember God and pray, and ask God the Merciful to forgive you and forgive your sins, you should be ready to go at any moment and meet your creator – not scared but happy and at peace with your self and satisfied with what you made of your life.
You should be happy, live today grateful, content and satisfied with what God has given you in your life, whether its your wife, husband, children, job, home, education, knowledge, standard of living – all Gods blessings upon you. Today you will live your day content with what you have, happy and grateful, with no worries, envy or disappointment for what you did not get.
“فخذ ما آتيتك وكن من الشاكرين ”
Take what I have given you and be Thankful
(Al A3raf 144)
Today and everyday, your motto should be: “I wont live except today” – that way you will make the best of every second, and use it to better your self, improve your life and get closer to God.
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Chapter: “ اترك المستقبل حتى يأتى” – “Don’t worry about the future till it arrives”
“أتى أمر الله فلا تستعجلوه ”
Allah's commandment has come, therefore do not desire to hasten it
(The Bee 1)
Do not over take or worry about future events!
For tomorrow is not a reality yet, it still does not exist, it has no taste nor color – so why should we pre-occupy our selves with it and worry about its problems and difficulties? Why should we predict tomorrows conflicts and obstacles when we don’t even know if we will see tomorrow or not – and then what if we do live to see tomorrow and unlike we expected, it turned out to be beautiful and with out any conflicts or problems? So why worry about it?
The important thing is that the future has not yet arrived, so we should not cross a bridge until we reach it, and who knows? We might never reach the bridge, or the bridge might collapse before we get there or we might even reach the bridge and safely cross it.
Full of worries and sadness are those who cry because tomorrow they wont find food, because after a year they will be sick, because after 100 years the world will end! He who’s life is not in his own hands but in the hands of some one else (God) should never bet on misery, and he who does not even know when he shall die should not worry about something that does not exist yet.
Leave tomorrow till it comes, don’t ask about it, don’t worry about any problems you think it might bring with it, because from now on, we are too busy with today.
P.S: of course I know some of you might read this and say how can we not worry or plan for the future – it would be insane, but what I think the author is trying to say is we should not give it more importance that it deserves, and we should not waste today on the count of worrying about tomorrow. Tomorrow might or might not come, we might or might not see it – plan for it and be prepared – sure – that’s normal, but don’t worry about it, cause today and now is the only certainty. ---- My God, I’m turning into a philosopher!
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Chapter: “كيف تواجه النقد الأثم؟ ” – How to deal with bad criticism?
The rude, devious and evil people have called even God all mighty names, through out history there has been those who have not respected or have used language to criticize the all Mighty and all Merciful – the Creator of the universe. So how about you and me? You think those people who criticize the Creator of the Universe would not criticize us mortal humans, who do make mistakes some times.
The criticism I am talking about here, is not “constructive” criticism, but its “destructive” criticism, the kind that is just done to make you feel bad or guilty when you did nothing wrong, the kind that the envious say just because they are jealous of your success, because you have surpassed them in wealth, education, talent, ethics or even in your following of Gods teachings
People like those criticize just for the sake of criticism, to them you are guilty of being talented and successful, and they will not forgive you until you “repent” and become like them and not better.
So ignore them, and stay on your correct path, always do your best and use your God given talents to their out most, and if you want to please everyone – forget it! Because that’s impossible, there will always be those who are jealous or not happy with your success, the important thing is to not let your progress in life or spirituality be slowed down by those jealous peoples meaningless words.
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Chapter: “لا تنتظر شكراً من أحد ” – “Do not expect thanks from anyone”
God has created us to worship him, and has given us to thank him, yet many have worshiped other than Allah, and many have thanked other than him. To be ungrateful is a seed in the souls of many, so don’t be sad or shocked if those that you once helped, deny that you ever did, and if those that you stood by in their most difficult of times don’t even remember you there.
Just look back at the pages of time, for in history like the good examples of gratitude that exist there are also stories of parents who have raised their kids, fed them, clothed them, educated them, parents who have stayed up all night so their kids can sleep, who stayed hungry so that their kids can eat, who worked so hard so that their kids could have an easier life – yet when the kids grew, they became ungrateful, disobedient and even mean to their parents.
But please do not misunderstand, these words are not said do discourage you from doing good or helping people, but are said to give you patience and strength if your help is denied or your good deeds are met with ingratitude. Do good and help people for Gods sake, because in either case you have won. And be thankful that you are the person who does the good and help people and not that who is ungrateful and denies others help, for the upper hand is always better than the lower one.
“ انما نطعمكم لوجه الله لا نريد منكم جزاء ولا شكوراً”
We only feed you for Allah's sake; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks: (Time)(Al Ensan 9)
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Chapter: “الاحسان الى الغير انشراح للصدر ” – “Helping others is good for the soul”
When you help someone else, the first person that benefits is you! You taste the fruits of helping others in your soul and conscious. For each time you help someone you are taking a step closer towards God. Sob7an Allah you will feel satisfied, content and happy, and maybe even proud, and God bestows upon you this amazing peace of mind.
So if you are ever having a bad day, or not feeling so good about your self, a fast cure could be that you go and help some one. Give a person in need some money, help an oppressed person, visit a sick man, feed someone hungry, donate anything, and just help others, and before you know it – your misery and bad day will be changing to the better and you will be feeling a lot better about your self.
Even a simple smile could be considered “help” – so many times our Prophet (PBUH) has told us that a simple smile is “sadaka” – so smile
, smile in the face of those you know and those you don’t know, smile to poor people in the streets and use your simple smile as something that would get you closer to God and make a place for you in the hearts of all those who meet you.
So just do what ever you can to help people, even if you are not having a bad day, and even if you can’t afford any kind of materialistic help, then a simple smile or phone call can sometimes mean so much. And remember that story about the bad man who went to heaven just because he one time saw a thirsty dog and filled his hand with water and let the dog drink – this simple gesture ended this man in a heaven more beautiful that we can ever imagine – because Allah is Merciful and loves those who are Merciful and who help others.
And don’t forget the verse in the Koran that says:
“وما لأحد عنده من نعمة تجزى إلا ابتغاء وجه ربه الاعلى ولسوف يرضى ”
And no one has with him any boon for which he should be rewarded,
Except the seeking of the pleasure of his Lord, the Most High.
(The Night: 19, 20)
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Chapter – “ اطرد الفراغ بالعمل” – “Get rid of your boredom & Free time with work”
The most dangerous state of mind is when a person finds himself with a lot of free time on his hands and nothing to do, this person becomes like a speeding car with out a driver that’s going down a hill, it swirls right and left with no control.
So whenever you find your self with a lot of free time and nothing to do, then you better get prepared for up coming mood swings, boredom, and unhappiness. Because all this free time will get you to start thinking about the past, and remembering the good and bad days, and re-living bad moments and wishing some things could return, you will start to feel unsatisfied and unhappy, you will also start to think and worry about the future and what could happen and what you are afraid of. So my advice to you and to my self is whenever you find free time, get up and do something useful or else it will be like slowly committing suicide.
Get up and pray, read, clean your house, arrange your stuff, work out, take new course’s, learn something new, improve on a skill you have, fix something broken and help others.
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Chapter – “لا تكن إمعة ” – “Do not be a clone”
Do not try to change who you are and try to be someone else just because you want to “fit in”. Do not melt among other people around you and loose your identity and who you really are. Do not be like the many people who forget who they are and change the way they talk, walk, dress and act just so that they could “fit it”. Do not become pretentious and turn into a fake person.
We are all unique, God has created you so unique and different from anyone else he has ever created before and will never create someone else like you again – no matter how much you think you have in common with others, whether in looks or personality, you should know that God created you specially that way and no matter, what you think you are different from everyone around you and there will never ever be another you. So why loose that and try to change that? Why try to be something you are not?
So live the way you really are, do not change your walk, talk or morals – sure, live within the contexts of your society but don’t try to change who you are or loose your identity.
For our differences, in color of skin, languages, talents and personalities are all blessings from God so why not be proud of it?
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Chapter – “قضاء و قدر ” - “Believing in Fate & Predetermination”
Anything that has happened to you, you where never going to escape, and anything that did not happen to you or you think missed you, was never going to happen to you anyways.
Fate. A Muslim must believe in fate, and God tells us in the Koran that everything that happens to us and on this Earth has been written thousands of years ago.
“ما اصاب من مصيبة فى الارض ولا فى انفسكم إلا فى كتاب من قبل ان نبرأها ”
No evil befalls on the earth nor in your own souls, but it is in a book before We bring it into existence; surely that is easy to Allah: (The Iron: 22)
“قل لن يصيبنا إلا ما كتب الله لنا”
Say: Nothing will afflict us save what Allah has ordained for us; He is our.Patron; and on Allah let the believers rely (Al Tawba: 51 )
If you come to terms with this fact and believe in fate, you will learn to better deal with bad situations and things that might happen to you that you might not like, want or understand. You will learn to see the bigger picture and understand that what’s good for you is not necessary what you wanted. You will see that sometimes-good things come out of bad things, that something that happened to you that you might see as really bad, might eventually produce something good for you. And even if something really bad happens that you see no possible good out of, you must know and believe that it’s a test from God and how you deal with it and how strong your faith stays in the face of such tests determines how you will be rewarded for it in heaven.
And we must not also forget what we are told in the Koran and in many “Ahadeeth” by the Prophet (PBUH) that every time we have a big problem in our lives, that its not just a test, but also a mean by which God erases some of our past big sins and mistakes.
And never say: “if I had done this or that, things might have turned out differently” instead you should always say: “Kadar Allah wa masha Fa3al”
لو انى فعلت كذا وكذا لكان كذا و كذا ، ولكن قل : قدر الله وما شاء فعل
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Chapter – “ان مع العسر يسرا ” - “After hard times, their shall come good times”
After hunger comes food, after thirst comes water, after long sleepless nights comes a good night sleep, after sickness comes health, a person on a long journey shall eventually arrive, and a lost being shall find his way. You must remember that a long dark night is followed by a beautiful clear day, and that if you are in a desert and all you can see is sand all around you, you must know that the sand does not go on for ever, but ends somewhere and meets beautiful green oasis’s and beautiful blue sea’s.
Those who only see the darkness of the present will always feel miserable and have no hope, because they don’t see out side the room they are in, they don’t see past the walls that guard them today, they should look beyond and let their imagination show them what’s outside the walls of their present. They should have hope and faith.
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Chapter – “اصنع من الليمون شراباً حلوا ” – “Create out of lemon a sweet drink”
A smart person is he who turns his losses into wins, and his defeats into victories, and an ignorant person is he who magnifies his losses and defeats.
The Prophet (PBUH) was forced to leave Mecca, but he settled in Medina from which he started the greatest civilization man kind has ever known that covered most of the known world and became a power and un-paralleled at its time.
“Ahmed Ibn 7ambal” was thrown in prison and beaten and he came out the greatest Imam of the Sunna. “Ibn Taymia” was imprisoned and from there he enlightened the world with great knowledge. “Al Sarkhasy” was thrown in a deep well as punishment and he produced 20 of the most important books in “fikah”….(the author continues to give examples of famous “Arab and Islamic figures who have suffered and have turned their suffering around and did great deeds afterwards, but for the sake of time and since most of those names would be unknown to those who read this email, I just contained the above examples)
The Author continues….
If you are faced with a bad situation, always try to look at the “bright” side of it, if some one hands you a glass of sour lemon, just add some sugar and turn it into lemonade, if someone gives you a big snake, just take its valuable skin and leave the rest, and if you are stung by a scorpion then know that the scorpions venom is actually an antidote against snake poison
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Chapter – “أمن يجيب المضطر إذا دعاه ” – “Who answers the prayers”
Who do all the creatures turn to for help? Who do people turn to in bad times and hard times? Who do desperate souls turn to when there seems to be no hope and no way out? Who is always there and always listening? Allah – no God but he.
We should always pray and ask God for help, not just in bad and difficult times, and times of need, but also in good times and times of plenty. God is always there for us and always listening, and sometimes when there seems to be no hope, no way out and no one to listen or help, and we feel like we are so alone in this world – at this point we should never give up but should always remember that we have the greatest help of all, that the all Mighty and all Powerful is listening and all we have to do, is just ask - and he shall save us.
“ أمن يجيب المضطر إذا دعاه”
Or, Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the evil, and He will make you successors in the earth. Is there a god with Allah? Little is it that you mind! (The Ants: 62)
“ادعونى أستجيب لكم ”
And your Lord says: Call upon Me, I will answer you; surely those who are too proud for My service shall soon enter hell abased. (Ghafer: 60)
If you believe in this and if you truly pray to God in times of need and truly believe that only he can really help, then you have found your way to God, and he who finds God has found everything. But if you don’t believe this and loose your faith in times of difficulties then you have lost your way from God and lost everything.
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Chapter – “العوض من الله ” – “Compensation is from Allah”
God does not take something from you with out compensating you with something better if you have patience and faith. So don’t be sad if you loose something you like or someone you love, and know if you have faith and patience that God will compensate you with something better, whether in this life or in Heaven.
“سلام عليكم بما صبرتم فنعم عقبى الدار”
Peace be on you because you were constant, how excellent, is then, the issue of the abode. (Thunder: 24)
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Chapter – “الا بذكر الله تطمئن القلوب ” - “By Remembering God Hearts are comforted”
“فاذكروني أذكركم”
Therefore remember Me, I will remember you
(The Cow: 152)
Remembering, thinking about, and loving God, is Gods heaven on earth, and if you do not experience this heaven then you shall never experience the eternal heaven.
By thinking about, appreciating, and loving God you shall feel safe, clouds of fear fade away, mountains of trouble and problems are lifted and unhappiness is turned into satisfaction, appreciation and peace of mind.
The more you think about God in your life, the more your heart will be comforted, your mind will be at peace, and your conscious will be clear and clean. Because the more you think about God the more you appreciate him in your life, the more you understand how much he does for you, the more you depend on him, turn to him and have faith in his powers – and God is very close to those that call, those that pray and those that believe. God answers those who ask.
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Chapter – “اقبل الحياة كما هى ” – “Accept life as it is”
You will not find a son or a daughter, a wife or a husband, a friend or a neighbor or even a job that is perfect with no faults. Everything and everyone has some kind of fault – so don’t concentrate on them and magnify them, instead, you should concentrate on their good qualities and see why you love them and care about them, let the good qualities always over shadow the bad ones, and remember – even you are not perfect.
God has created this world with opposites, cold and hot, sadness and happiness, pain and pleasure and good and evil – so that at the end everything good would end up in heaven and everything bad in hell. So for now, and in this life and on this planet, learn to accept and deal with things as they are, you must learn to forgive and forget sometimes, to be patient, to over look some things and to understand that no one is perfect.
Accept life as it is.
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Chapter – “تعز بأهل البلاء ” - “Put things into perspective”
So many people have problems, and so many people have to deal with catastrophes in their lives – you are not the only one with problems, and compared to some people, your problems are nothing. So when you have a problem and feel so bad or feel that what’s happening to you is not fair, try to put things into perspective and remember that there are some people at this moment in some parts of the world that are literary dieing of starvation and thirst, at this moment there are those who are un-fairly spending the best years of their lives in prison for no reason and have not seen the sun in years, at this moment in parts of the world there is a mother who just lost her child, a son who just lost his father, a husband who just lost his wife, there are people at this moment who live in a war zone and will barely go to sleep while not knowing if they will see tomorrow, there are people who for years have not been able to get one nights good sleep because of some kind of illness, at this moment there are people screaming in pain and have no cure and no medication. So put things into perspective and be thankful for whatever it is you are facing is probably not that bad compared to what many have to face or have faced.
Even our Prophet (PBUH) suffered tremendously, for he had the internal organs of animals thrown on his head while he prayed, his face was hurt, he was exiled to a desert with his tribe where he had to eat tree leaves, he was forced to leave his home, his teeth where broken, had to tie stones around his stomach from hunger, he was accused of being a liar, crazy and a magician, during his life 70 of his closest friends and companions where killed, his wife died, his uncle that protected him died, his son died, and most of his daughters died while he was still alive. Yet, PBUH was a great example to all man kind in patience, perseverance and great faith.
So next time you have a problem, try to put things into perspectives and think about what others went through and what others are going through and inshAllah you will be able to better deal with whatever it is you face.
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Chapter – “الصلاة . . . الصلاة ” – “Pray! Pray!”
“يا أيها اللذين أمنوا استعينوا بالصبر والصلاة ”
O you who believe! seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient. (The Cow: 153)
If you ever are hesitant or uncertain, scared or worried, or sad and depressed – just get up and pray, for with praying comes certainty, comfort, strength, courage and happiness, peace of mind and not to mention that our spirits are lifted. But for order for you to experience all this you must pray with absolute faith, trust and certainty in the power, wisdom, and capability of God.
The Prophet (PBUH) use to say: “أرحنا بالصلاة يا بلال” or “ Comfort us with prayer Bilal”
One of the greatest blessings upon us are the 5 prayers of the day, for they erase our sins, give us hassanat, take us a step closer to God, cure our illness’s, clear our minds, clean our souls and comfort our hearts.
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Chapter – “قل سيروا فى الارض ” – “Travel the Earth”
One of the things that brings joy to the heart, and helps people get over pains and bad memories is traveling. So travel this huge planet of ours and go to different places to see and enjoy Gods’ beautiful creations, and Gods miracles and diversity.
Leave your house, and go to the sea, climb mountains, travel to an oasis, explore deserts, and don’t limit your self or your senses to your home. In order to better comprehend and understand Gods Greatness, Power and Ability you have to see what beauty God created – whether its different landscapes, scenery, mountains, climates, people, animals, creatures, and trees and plants.
So go out doors, and go somewhere where your eyes and heart would be overwhelmed by the beauty around you, whether it’s a desert, a mountain, a field – anywhere, and forget about your problems – just go there and think about all what you see, how magnificent it all is and think about that everything around you, from a huge mountain to a grain of sand was created by God and like you worships Allah – then you should pray – right there where you are, pray and ed3y in that state of mind where you feel the Greatness and Beauty of God and InshAllah you will feel closer to God than probably ever before – because you have opened your heart and senses and put no worldly boundaries between you and your creator.
“ويتفكرون فى خلق السموات والارض ربنا ما خلقت هذا باطلاً سبحانك ”
Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fire
(Al 3omran, The Family of Omran: 191)
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Chapter – “لا تحمل الكرة الارضية على رأسك ” – “Do not carry the world over your head”
Many people have a world war going on in their heads every night while they are lying on their bed trying to sleep, they think and worry about everything, inflation, rising prices, rain season, stock values – everything, and they get stomach pains from worrying, head aches, rising blood pressure and so much more.
So don’t carry the weight of the worlds problems on your head (or shoulders)
leave the problems on the floor, and there is no need or use in worrying about things that you can’t do anything about. Some people have a heart and a mind like a sponge that absorbs everything around it, from rumors to problems, and they keep thinking about them and re-evaluating everything and all its possible consequences over and over again. And this kind of heart and mind (the sponge) is easily capable of demoralizing and destroying its owner. So don’t carry the world on your head.
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Chapter – “ارض بما قسم الله لك تكن اغنى الناس ” – “Be content with what God gave you and you will be the richest person”
You have to be content with what God has given you, from your body, to your looks, to your wealth, children, home, talents and everything – for it is so mentioned in the Koran:
“فخذ ما آتيتك وكن من الشاكرين ”
Take what I have given you and be Thankful
(Al A3raf 144)
Most of the most famous scholars and the first Muslims where poor people, they didn’t have wealth or big houses or anything, yet they contributed so much to life and everyone around them. They themselves became a treasure, because they used what God gave them in the correct way, they channeled their talents into the right direction, and therefore God blessed them in everything in their life.
While on the other hand there are examples of those who have been given a lot in this world from wealth, to children to power, yet they are still un able to find happiness and continue to suffer.
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Chapter – “الحزن ليس مطلوبا شرعا ولا مقصوداً أصلا ” – “To feel sad is not something that is asked of us or needed for”
“ولا تهنوا ولا تحزنوا ”
And be not infirm, and be not grieving, and you shall have the upper hand if you are believers (Al 3omran, The Family of Omran:139)
“لا تحزن عليهم ”
We said: Go forth from this (state) all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve. (The Cow: 38)
“لا تحزن ان الله معنا ”
Grieve not, surely Allah is with us
(Al Tawba: 40)
One of the things that the Shitan (The Devil) likes is when you get sad or feel down, because then if you are a bit weak he can use it to stop you from doing Gods requirements like praying or anything good that you might be doing regularly – he will use your vulnerability at this stage and your weakness to occupy your thoughts and time and keep you away from God
“انما النجوى من الشيطان ليحزن الذين آمنوا ”
Secret counsels are only (the work) of the Shaitan that he may cause to grieve those who believe, and he cannot hurt them in the least except with Allah's permission, and on Allah let the believers rely.
(Al Mogadala: 10)
Even the Prophet (PBUH) himself use to ask God to protect from worries and sadness: “Allahoma Eny A3ooz Beka Min Al Ham Wa Al Hozen”
“اللهم انى أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن ”
But sadness is something that affects us or becomes us all at some times or another, and even those who are rewarded with heaven, they thank God for taking away their sadness and say:
“الحمد لله الذى اذهب عنا الحزن ”
And that shows that even those good people where effected by it, like all of us, they too are affected and have to deal with all the problems and worries of life. And so if sadness does come due to situations out of our control and we didn’t do anything wrong, then you must know that God will reward you for it, meaning he will use it to erase some of your bad deeds and the better and stronger you are in dealing with it – the more you are rewarded inshAllah. Ofcourse though one must never just give in to sadness and not try to do anything about it, for you should do whatever it takes to fight it, from prayers to other worldly but halal antidotes that you think might help.
There is though one kind of “good” sadness, and that is when sadness becomes a person because he did something bad that might upset God such as missed a prayer or something. Because this kind of sadness would most probably bring you closer to God and make you want to make up from what you did or what you missed.
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Chapter: “ابتسم ” – “Smile”
A smile or even a simple laugh can be such a great cure and an antidote to your worries and sadness, and could have miraculous effects on your spirit and heart.
So smile and laugh but be careful not to exaggerate in your laughing because that’s not called for in Islam. Islam was built on being moderate, and everything in a Muslim should be moderate so for example laughing so loud that you fall on the floor and make a big noise, that is definitely some thing not called for in Islam.
The Scholar “Ahmed Amin” says in his book “Fayed Al Khater”: “ Those who smile in life and for life are not only happier in their lives but also are better in performing their jobs, more capable in handling responsibility, better equipped to deal with problems, worries and hard times, and more likely to achieve greater things for them selves and for others”
There are those who can create sadness and worries out of everything and anything, and there are those who can see hope and create happiness out of everything and anything.
If you believe that you where born for small things in life, then you shall only achieve small things, if you believe that you where born for great things, then you will always feel the need to go one step further, to break the barriers and bring down the walls that limit you and you shall achieve great things.
A person who trains for and runs a 400 meter race, will not feel tiered or week if he enters a 100 or 200 meter race, because your spirit gives you as much energy and power as you decide you are capable of. So define your goals and what you want, and make it big and higher in purpose, and don’t worry even if it seems impossible, because as long as you are taking everyday one step towards it, - you are getting closer and your goal is nearer to achievement.
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Chapter: - “لا تحزن فإن ربك غافر الذنب وقابل التوب ” – “Don’t be sad, God forgives our sins & accepts those who repent”
Although this is not one of he big chapters in the book or one that the author wrote a lot about, it is probably one of my favorites, because it just shows us how Allah is so Merciful, Forgiving, and Beautiful that he forgives us for all our sins if we repent and ask for forgiveness no matter what it is that we did.
In this chapter I will not translate any of what the writers own words, instead I will just include 2 verses from the Koran and a hadeeth that the author included that talk about Gods Mercy:
“قل يا عبادى الذين اسرفوا على انفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله ان الله يغفر الذنوب جميعا انه الغفور الرحيم ”
Say: O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving the Merciful
(Al Zomor: 53 )
“ومن يعمل سوءاً أو يظلم نفسه ثم يستغفر الله يجد الله غفوراً رحيماً ”
And whoever does evil or acts unjustly to his soul, then asks forgiveness of Allah, he shall find Allah Forgiving, Merciful
(Women: 110)
Also, the Prophet (PBUH) said that God said:
“God says: O’ son of Adam, if you ask me and pleaded I shall forgive you no matter what you did, O’ son of Adam, if your sins reach the skies and you ask me for forgiveness, I shall forgive no matter, O’ son of Adam, if you come to me with sins as much as the Earth, then you come to me worshiping no one but me, I shall give you as much as the Earth forgivness”
Disclaimer:
I would like to apologize if this translated material ran longer than I thought and took too much of your time to read, but I hope that you found some of it useful, and I would like to leave you with these final thoughts from the book:
Do not be sad, for you are truly blessed – you are a Muslim. You believe in Allah, his Prophets, Angels and the Day of Judgment. While there are billions who live and who have lived who don’t. The fact that you are a Muslim, whether you are born into a Muslim family or converted, that fact alone is definite proof that God loves you, for you are lucky, God has chosen you among those he wants to save at the day of Judgment. Even if you are not that good, even if you do not follow the teachings of Islam the way you should, you are still blessed because you know the road to take and all you need to do is take it.
Do not be sad, for no matter what you did or how much sins you have, if you truly repent and ask God for forgiveness – God shall forgive you, no matter how much you did it before and how much you asked God for forgiveness yet did it again – still God forgives. Allah tells us, as long as we keep repenting and asking for forgiveness, he shall forgive, and he shall never stop forgiving us until we stop asking.
Do not be sad for Allah is truly Great, truly Merciful, truly Forgiving, truly Generous, and truly Beautiful.
Alhamdolelah
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Some Ad3eya or prayers that one should say when he is sad:
P.S: please note that the number (7) in some of the words is to replace the (H) sounding letter in the Arabic language & the number (3) is a substitute for a sound that doesn’t exists in the English language but can be pronounced as a double (A).
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لا اله إلا الله العظيم الحليم ، لا اله إلا الله رب العرش العظيم ، لا اله إلا الله رب السماوات ورب الأرض ورب العرش الكريم يا حى يا قيوم لا اله إلا أنت برحمتك استغيث .
Arabic Pronunciation:
“La ilah ila Allah al 3azeem al haleem, la ilah ila Allah rab al 3arsh al 3azeem, la ilah ila Allah rab al samawat wa rab al ard wa rab al 3arsh al kareem, ya 7ay ya kayoom, la ilah ila ant bera7matek astagheeth”
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اللهم رحمتك أرجو فلا تكلنى الى نفسى طرفة عين وأصلح لى شأنى كله لا اله إلا أنت
Arabic Pronunciation:
“Allahoma ra7matok argo, fala takeleny ila nafsy tarfat 3ayn, wa asle7 lee shany koloh, la ilah ila ant”
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استغفر الله الذى لا اله إلا هو الحى القيوم واتوب إليه .
Arabic Pronunciation:
“Astaghfar Allah al lazy la ilah ila howa al 7ay al kayoom wa atoob ilayh”
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لا اله إلا انت سبحانك انى كنت من الظالمين .
Arabic Pronunciation:
“La ilah ila ant, sob7anak, eny kont min al zalemeen”
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اللهم انى عبدك ابن عبدك ابن اميك ناصيتي بيدك ماض فى حكمك عدل فى قضائك أسألك بكل اسماً هو لك سميت به نفسك او أنزلته فى كتابك او علمته احداً من خلقك او أستأ ثرت به فى علم الغيب عندك ان تجعل القرآن ربيع قلبى ونور صدرى وجلاء حزنى وذهاب همى .
Arabic Pronunciation:
“Allahoma eny 3abdok, ibn 3abdok, ibn omatek, naseyaty beyadek, mady fee 7okmek, 3adl fee kada-ek, as-alok bekol esm howa lak, samayt behe nasfek awo anzaltaho fee ketabek, awo 3alamtaho a7adan min khalkek, awo estathart behe fee 3elm al ghayb 3andak, an taj3al al Koran rabee3 kalby, wa nour sadry, wa jala 7ozny, wa zahab hamy”
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اللهم انى اعوذ بك من الهم والحزن والعجز والكسل والبخل والجبن وضلع الدين وغلبة الرجال .
Arabic Pronunciation:
“Allahoma eny a3ooz beka min al ham wa al 7ozn, wa al 3ajz wa al kasal, wa al bokhl wa al jobn, wa dala3 al deen wa ghalabat al rijal”
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حسبى الله ونعم الوكيل
Arabic Pronunciation:
“7asbona Allah wa ne3ma al wakeel”
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