Page 50 - The Solution To Secret Sorrows

THE SOLUTION TO SECRET SORROWS

In the Qur'an Allah reveals the following with regard to unbe-
lievers: "Let them laugh little and weep much... " (Surat at-Tawba:
82). That is, crying, grieving and feeling sorrow are characteristic of
unbelievers. In the same way, verses of the Qur'an often refer to the
unhappiness and miserable state of unbelievers and the trouble-
filled lives they lead. In the Qur'an, the faithful are encouraged to be
cheerful always; and a great many verses give them good news
about matters that will bring them joy in this world and the
Hereafter. This being the case, if a person who professes faith is con-
tinually filled with sorrow or is in a spiritual state tending towards
the tearful, this indicates that he is superficially evaluating a num-
ber of matters, including submission to Allah, and is not in a truly
religious state of mind.
For these reasons, a person who says he has faith should not re-
gard grieving and being sorrowful as normal for any reason. Rather
than give way to such feelings he should take refuge in Allah. He
should not regard living a life of such torment as natural, when it is
possible to be friends with Allah and live in tranquility by trusting
in Him. As Allah points out in the Qur'an, "They will say, 'Our
Lord, our miserable destiny overpowered us. We were misguided
people. Our Lord, remove us from it! Then if we revert again, we
will definitely be wrongdoers" (Surat al-Muminun: 106-107), we
should take warning from the situation of people, defeated by un-
happiness in the life of this world, who enter the Hereafter in a state
of regret. We should aim to attain a true and unshakable faith.

Irritability and Sulk
Another behavioral defect that causes people to suffer sorrow is
irritability. Irritable people may become offended at any event they
witness or anything they hear under the influence of the spiritual

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