The suffering of a young man

 

A short story

This story is from our bitter reality, it is not fiction woven, it is the condition of many of our youth… very unfortunately.

In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent

One day somebody knocked on my door, when I opened it, I was facing a young man in the prime of his life not yet past his thirties.

He enthusiastically said: “Can I come in?”

Surprisingly, I replied: “Sure, you are very welcome.”

As soon as he sat on the chair in the sitting room, he started staring at me with his faint eyes… weakened by sleeplessness and worry of insomnia. He said, choked by his tears: “Allah is my witness that I have spent a year pushing myself to come to you, however it always refuses”.

I said: “Welcome, make yourself at home.”

He said, asphyxiated by his tears: “I will go straight to the point, with no further introductions.”

I said: “Go ahead.”

He said: “I suffer from a permanent depression, a persistent heavy heartedness. I suffer from insomnia, emotional distress, an anxiety that I believe is going to destroy my life. I suffer from an ever going emotional gloominess, don’t be surprised because I swear by Allah I have tried three times to kill myself in order to escape the hell of anxiety, emotional depressions, sadness and grief.

However, Allah has protected me… yes Allah’s care towards me and his mercy on me are far reaching.”

I said: “Subhan’Allah (Glorious is God)! You must be going through a tremendous crisis.”

He said: “Yes, by Allah it is so terrible. How can it not be so when I have been so close of dying more than once?”

Then his tears started to flow and he started to cry for a while… when he lifted his head his tears were pouring down.

I said to him; “Take it easy brother.”

He said: “Just give me a moment because you do not know the reason behind my weeping!”

I said: “Brother… do you suffer from a social problem that happened between you and some relative of yours? Or do you have debts that have affected your family? Or is it a family problem between you and your parents, your spouse, or siblings? Or is it some physical disease that has deteriorated you?”

He said: “One thing at a time please, I am not suffering from any of the things you have mentioned.”

I said: “What troubles you then?”

He energetically replied: “My suffering is neither financial, nor domestic, nor social nor physical… my suffering lies within myself.”

I said: “How come?”

He said: “I started my journey at the age of twelve, and I swear by Allah I have not missed any lawful or unlawful matter that I could get hold of except I have done it. And I did not care who approved or disapproved me… my suffering consists of my own desire… my lasciviousness, my temptations… yes… I was a slave of my own desire.”

I said: “Subhan’Allah… and what about the caller of truth?! What about the caller to prayer?! What about the call of your upright natural disposition?! What about your religion and your manners?!”

He said: “Do not be amazed, by Allah I have grown weary of chasing these desires, running after the heels of temptations and drowning in distraction until drunkenness.”

I said: “Why?! Why was this deviation from the path of truth and manhood?!”

He said: “I was looking for peace… yes; I swear by Allah that I was looking for happiness. I thought it was in a glass of wine, but I did not find it. And I thought it was in a pill of drugs, but I did not find it. I even thought it was in lust and promiscuity, but I did not find it… Yes, I could not find it. I swear by Allah I did not leave a door that I thought enclosed happiness except I knocked on it, and tried to go through it. All this was to obtain happiness, peace of mind, calmness and easiness, to be able to sleep at night and rest, to find a remedy for my psychological gloominess that has surrounded me the way a bracelet surrounds the wrist, to the point that I have felt choked sometimes… But then an idea came to me, and I said to myself, it is an experience… let me carry it out and I have nothing to lose greater than what I have already lost. And here I am with you and I ask you for the sake of Almighty Allah to grant me an effective cure for my personal catastrophe. So do not let me down and be my helper and my supporter, after Allah.”

I said: “Since you have come here, said what you had to say, and requested my help and support to overcome the anxiety, grief and sadness you are going through… I have one single condition, in order to indicate to you the origin of the essence of happiness, peace and tranquillity.”

He replied (with hastiness and enthusiasm): “Say whatever conditions you may, and write down all the requests you want, I am simply tired… I swear by Allah I am!”

I said: “My condition, blessed brother, is for you to listen to me while I explain the remedy, and to apply it straight away, in order to obtain an immediate result. And make patience your best provision, since you have endured a lot of pain, sleeplessness, grief and anxiety… then be steadfast just a little. Because time has come for you to learn how to get rid of your gloominess and depression… yes… be steadfast a little and contemplate when Allah says: “Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” [Al-Baqarah 2:153],

 

Transliteration: inna Allaha maAAa alssabireena

So do not be sad...”

So here is the remedy for you blessed brother…

Here is the balm of your cure…

Here is the paradise of this world and the hereafter life…

Here is your worldly pleasure before your heavenly one…

Here is the essence of the elements of peace and happiness.

For you, the one who has worn out himself in order to find the lost treasure… your treasure is found… while your heart is lost… so go forth before you are gone, to revive it with happiness and faith.

And one of our ancestors was right when he said:
“Once faith is lost, neither reassurance is left
Nor worldly life is meant for he whose creed is not revived”

You must know oh blessed one…

That the belief in Allah, his angels, his books, his messengers, the day of resurrection and destiny, be it good or bad, is the origin of the human beings’ happiness. Furthermore it is the believer’s worldly paradise, and its consequence is paradise in the hereafter if Allah wills.

Also you must know that Iman (faith) linguistically is: the opposite of disbelief, meaning belief.

And islamically: it is a creed in the heart, a statement with the tongue and an action with limbs and extremities, increasing with acts of obedience and decreasing with acts of disobedience.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said:
“And I am a witness that people’s belief is a statement, and an action, then a determination with the heart.”

And Imam Al-Shafei said in “Al-Umm”: “The consensus amongst the companions, the next generation after them and those we have reached said: Indeed, Iman is speech, action and intention, being the three indispensably inter dependable”.

And Ibn Rajab said: “There is no rectitude for the heart in the absence of Iman in Allah…”

That being said, you need to know that the basis upon which our actions are accepted before Allah is Iman, since Allah (SWT) says: “So whoever does righteous deeds while he is a believer - no denial will there be for his effort” [Al-‘Anbiya’ 21:94]
{فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ...}

Transliteration: Faman yaAAmal mina alssalihati wahuwa muminun fala kufrana lisaAAyihi

And He says: “And We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.” [Al-Furqan 25:23]
 

Transliteration: Waqadimna ila ma AAamiloo min AAamalin fajaAAalnahu habaan manthooran

Why? Due to the Iman’s absence in them.

The best and purest action in the sight of Allah is Iman, because of what was narrated by Abou Thar, may Allah be pleased with him, related to his question to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): O Messenger of Allah! What action is best? He replied: “Believing in Allah and striving in his sake (Jihad).” [Muslim]
 

It is indeed the cause of guidance, and both worldly and heavenly happiness; since Allah (SWT) says: “So whoever Allah wants to guide - He expands his breast to [contain] Islam;” [Al-An’am 6:125]
 

Transliteration: Faman yuridi Allahu an yahdiyahu yashrah sadrahu lilislami

And because He makes the believers avoid sin, since He says (SWT): “Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.” [Al-A’raf 7:201]
 

Transliteration: Inna allatheena ittaqaw itha massahum taifun mina alshshaytani tathakkaroo faitha hum mubsiroona

Also the famous story of the three men who were blocked by a rock inside a cave is a source of morals and benefits.

Being aware of this, you need to know also that the believer enjoys the companionship of Allah both in general and particular terms.

In general terms: companionship refers to His command over his servants in terms of knowledge, power, administration, authority, and all that which is denoted by the concept of deism. “and He is with you wherever you are.” [Al-Hadid: 4]
 

Transliteration: wahuwa maAAakum ayna ma kuntum

In particular terms: It is exclusive for the Allah’s protégés and his beloved ones, through their help, care, sufficiency, support, assistance, guidance, concord and straightening: “Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good.” [An-Nahl 16:128]
 

Transliteration: Inna Allaha maAAa allatheena ittaqaw waallatheena hum muhsinoona

And Allah (SWT) says: “and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us."” [Surah At-Taubah 9:40]
 

Transliteration: ith yaqoolu lisahibihi la tahzan inna Allaha maAAana

And it is the story of the prophetic migration, an evidence of this companionship.

Whoever is in this condition, Allah (SWT) will defend, support and protect him, since Allah (SWT) says: “Indeed, Allah defends those who have believed.” [Al-Hajj 22:38]
 

Transliteration: Inna Allaha yudafiAAu AAani allatheena amanoo

Protecting them from the harm of evil, and the schemes of the wrongdoers, He (SWT) also says: “Is not Allah sufficient for His Servant [Prophet Muhammad]?” [Az-Zumar 39:36]
 

Transliteration: Alaysa Allahu bikafin AAabdahu

“And (as for) the believers, it was incumbent upon Us to help (them)” [Ar-Rum 30:47]
 

Transliteration: wakana haqqan AAalayna nasru almumineena

Let those who seek to harm the believer, let them down or not support them, be aware of Allah when he says: “] And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.” [Al-Ahzab 33:58
 

Transliteration: Waallatheena yuthoona almumineena waalmuminati bighayri ma iktasaboo faqadi ihtamaloo buhtanan waithman mubeenan

And let them never forget His statement in the Qudsi Hadeeth: “Whoever shows enmity to a friend of mine, I shall be at war with him” [Al-Bukhari]
 

Indeed the people of Iman are worth gratification. Allah’s Messenger says (as indicated by Muslim): “Indeed the people of Paradise will be able to see the people in the apartments above them as they see the shining stars on the horizon in the east and the west, because of the differences in their status.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, this is the status of the Prophets which no one else will reach besides them.” He said: “No, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, they are men who had faith in Allah and believed in the Messengers.”
 

Ibn Sa’di said in (his book) “Al-Tawdeeh”: “And their faith in Allah and belief in the Messengers is both outer and inner, in their beliefs, manners and actions, in the perfection of their obedience to Allah and his Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Their establishment of these matters is their means of achieving their faith in Allah and belief in the Messengers”.

And therefore, Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, said in (his book) “Lata’if-ul-Ma’arif”: “No one has fulfilled the right of Allah eagerly and heart fully except he has seen the happiness in both this world and the hereafter, and vice versa, no one has anticipated his own self’s share over Allah’s right except he has seen hardship in both this world and the hereafter”.



Translated by Wathakker.info website