Page 48 - Faith: The Way to Happiness

FAITH: THE WAY TO HAPPINESS

success in the examination.
When we look at the other person, we see something very dif-
ferent. Because this person does not submit to fate and trust in it, he
thinks everything he does is under his own control and has devel-
oped according to his own plan. The burden imposed by such think-
ing in an important examination is extremely heavy, and so the
person is unable to escape from this pressure and is highly nervous
and stressed. According to his belief, whether he passes the exami-
nation or not is entirely in his own hands. Since he spent months of
his time working to pass the examination, the fear that if he fails all
this effort will have been in vain is another source of worry for him.
Having no belief in fate may cause stress and tension to have a
negative effect on him. He may not be able to gather his thoughts
and therefore fail to answer questions he understands very well or
even if he can, he may accidentally select the wrong answer on the
answer paper. He may fail an examination which has vital impor-
tance to him simply because of stress and tension. So long as a per-
son who falls into this situation does not see events with the eyes of
faith it is almost impossible for him not to be depressed and filled
with apprehension. Indeed, such a person may even succumb to a
serious clinical depression. Because he thinks that the reason every-
thing happens is down to him, his worry and torment increase still
f u r t h e r. Because he is not devoted to Allah, he is deprived of the
comfort and security which Allah can give his heart. For this reason,
as Allah tells us in the following verse, people who do not submit to
His decree in the full sense can never experience a balanced and
tranquil spiritual state:
That is so that you will not be grieved about the things that
pass you by or exult about the things that come to you. Allah
does not love any vain or boastful man. (Surat al- Hadid: 23)

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