Don't Be Sad - By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni (A Few Excerpts from the Book about Happiness)

This website contains a few excerpts from the popular book "Don't be Sad" (original in Arabic) that discusses Happiness from an Islamic perspective.

There may be some grammatical errors in translation. You can download the actual E-book for free from islamhouse.com

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Stop to reflect

Do not be sad: for sickness is a transient state of being; the sin can be forgiven; the debt will be repaid; the captive will be released; the beloved one who is abroad will return; the sinner will repent; and the poor will be increased in their wealth.

Do not be sad, for do you not see how the black clouds disperse and the violent winds subside? Your hardships will be followed by comfort and your future is bright.

Do not be sad, for the blaze of the sun is extinguished by luxuriant shade; the thirst of noon is refreshed by fresh water; the pangs of hunger find relief in warm bread; and the anxiety of sleeplessness is followed by calm repose; the pains of sickness are soon forgotten after the return of health. It is only upon you to forbear for a short time and to be patient for a few moments.

Do not be sad, for even doctors, wise men, scholars, and poets are weak and unable to defy or change that which has been decreed. Ali ibn Jabla said:

"Perhaps a way out will come, perhaps,
We comfort ourselves with perhaps,
So do not despair when you meet
With affliction that weakens your spirit,
Since the closest one comes
To relief, is when he loses all hope?"

Do not be sad: select for yourself that which Allah has chosen for you.

Stand if He causes you to stand and sit if He orders you to sit. Show patience if He has made you to be poor and be thankful if He makes you to be rich. These points are understood from the statement, "I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as a Religion, and with Muhammad as a Messenger." And an Arab poet said:

"Do not weave a plan for yourself,
The people of plotting are destroyed,
Be contented with our decree,
We are worthier to plan for you than you yourself."

Do not be sad: overlook the actions of others.

They can lay no claim on giving benefit or harm, death or life, reward or punishment.

Ibraheem ibn Adham said:

"We live such a life (of amazing pleasure in the worship of Allah) that if the kings knew about it, they would fight us over it with swords."
Ibn Taymiyah said:

Sometimes the heart is in such a state, that I say: if the people of Paradise experience this, then they indeed have a wonderful life. He said on another occasion:

"The heart sometimes dances rapturously, from the happiness of remembering Allah and of feeling close to Him."

He also said upon entering prison, as the guards were closing the doors upon him:

So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and outside it will be torment.} (Qur'an 57: 13)

He said while he was in prison:

What can my enemies do to me? My garden and my paradise are in my breast; wherever I go they are with me. If my enemies kill me, I become a martyr and if they banish me from my country, I go abroad as a tourist; and by imprisoning me, they allow me to have solitude (so that I can worship Allah)." A wise person once said:

"What has he found who has lost Allah, and what has he discovered who has found Allah? They can never be equal; the one who has found Allah has found everything and the one who has lost Him has lost everything."

Do not blindly feel grief; instead, make sure you know the value of the thing over which you feel sad.

The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said:

"For me to say, `How perfect is Allah, All praise is for Him, there is none worthy of worship except Him, and Allah is the greatest,' is more beloved to me than all that the sun rises upon."

Of rich people, their castles, houses, and wealth, one of our pious predecessors said:

"We eat and they eat. We drink and they drink. We see and they see. We will not be called to account and they will be held accountable (i.e. for their wealth, how it was acquired and how it was spent)."

In the words of a poet:

"The first night in the grave causes one to forget, the castles of Khosrau and the treasures of Caesar." Allah said:

(And truly you have come unto us alone [without wealth, companions or anything else] as we created you the first time. (Qur 'an 6. 94)

The believers say:

(This is what Allah and His Messenger [Muhammad] had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth. (Qur'an 33: 22)

And the hypocrites say:

Allah and his Messenger promised us nothing but delusions! (Qur'an 33: 12)

Your life is the product of your thoughts. The thoughts that you invest in will have an indelible effect upon your life, regardless of whether they are happy thoughts or miserable thoughts. A poet said:

"Fear does not fill my heart before the occurrence of that which is feared,
And I don't become overly distressed if that event does occur."