"Oh you who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer, for God is with those who patiently persevere." (2:153)
When failure comes your way, don’t let it get to you. Don’t remain on the floor after the wind of calamity has struck you; pick yourself up as quick as you can. Endure! That way you will stay strong and build your immunity for further calamities. For how will one cope if he can’t live with the first pain?
Don’t absorb calamities, deflect them. The Prophet Muhammad (SWS) told the believers not to absorb calamities, lest your heart becomes black by each calamity causing a black spot on your heart like a straw mat that is woven one by one. On the contrary, to make one’s heart white and pure, one must deflect all calamities that come his way. One mustn’t let life’s problems get to him, but instead he should thwart them away and be resilient. He shouldn’t let those sharp words hurt his heart. Like a cat falling from a ten-story building, he should not let the impact get to him.
As a paradox, his heart should act like a shock absorber. The purpose of absorbing is not to keep it inside, but contrarily to dispose of the injury. Don’t let the pain get to you. Use the shock absorber of your heart.
One can do this simply by ignoring the hurt. Ignore those words that person said to you. Ignore what he or she did to you. Forgive. Forgive and forget.
Above all, remain patient. Persevere during hard times and you will pull through inshAllah.
“When they advanced to meet Jalut and his forces, they prayed: ‘Our Lord! Pour out constancy on us and make our steps firm: Help us against those that reject faith.’” (Qu’ran 2:250)
Like a plant, they stood firmly, and like water, Allah poured upon them patience. They grew in faith thus, and they defeated Goliath.
The believer is much like a plant. He sways with the winds of calamity, but straightens up when the wind dies down. He doesn’t let the wind get to him, because…he’s resilient.
"The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant, which the wind bends lt sometimes and some other time it makes it straight. And the example of a hypocrite is that of a pine tree which keeps straight till once it is uprooted suddenly.” –Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
When someone fails, much of the time he is looked down upon. Our society today teaches our children to only succeed, and throw failure out of the picture. Little does society realize that failure is part of the game of life; sometimes, failure happens before the greatest of success. Indeed, the night always preludes the dawn of a day and its light! Always the night and day cycle, repeating after each other; so don’t be discouraged when you fail; realize that through time, with your effort, you can succeed.
Indeed, the fruits of success taste far sweeter after the darkest of failures. The night and day go hand in hand together, so don’t be discouraged! Remember that as long as you’re still breathing, you have the ability to do good!
Like one who is falls into the rushing rapids of turmoil, sometimes one falls into harsh troubles. Whether its sadness, anxiety, pain, or the prickling of a thorn, know that it doesn’t go unnoticed. It might be very hard at that moment, and you might be washed so far downstream. You might be pushed far down the rapids, struggling to hang on to something. But wait! There may be hope. You can always grab a branch on the river bed when the opportune moment arises. And when you do…you will rise up far stronger than before!
"No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” –Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
When you’re alone in the complete dark, notice something. Notice that you can’t see anything…at first. But after awhile, your eyes will adjust to the darkness. After awhile, you adapt. And suddenly, perception heightens. You start to perceive…the light stronger. And that’s when you know…that’s when you can see…the smallest tints of light in the tiniest of things. Your sight begins to appreciate that which it took granted for once. It begins to thus perceive with stronger clarity, and eventually, everything gets far easier. And what happens after the light flicks on…? Enlightenment! Everything is degrees brighter, and light is dazzlingly bright!
So don’t let the darkness overtake you. Don’t take things to heart. Rise up once it’s all over. And you’ll see that when you do rise, you will arise triumphant.
“Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.
Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.” (Qu’ran 94:5-6)