Cast off anxiety

Do not be sad, for your Lord says:

(Have We not opened your breast for you [O’ Muhammad]?) (Qur’an 94:1)
The message of this verse embraces all those who carry the truth, who see the light, and who tread the path of guidance.

(Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord [as he who is non-Muslim]? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah!). (Qur’an 39:22)

Therefore there is a truth that causes the heart to be opened and a falsehood that causes it to harden.

(And whosoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam.) (Qur’an 6”125)

So the acceptance of and adherence to this religion is a goal that cannot be achieved except by the one who is blesses,

(Be not sad [or afraid], surely Allah is with us.) (Qur’an 9:40)

All those that have faith in Allah’s care, guardianship, and mercy speak the words that are related int his verse.

(Those [i.e. believers] unto whom the people [hypocrites] said, ‘Verily, the people [pagans] have gathered against you [a great army], therefore, fear them’. But it [only] increased them in faith, and they said: ‘Allah [Alone] is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs [for us].) (Qur’an 3:173)

His being Sufficient for us frees us from dependence upon others, and His Guardianship protects us.

(O’ Prophet [Muhammad]! Allah is Sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.) (Qur’an 8:64)

(And put your trust in the Ever-Living One Who dies not...) (Qur’an 25:58)

(And endure you patiently [O’ Muhammad], your patience is not but from Allah. And grieve not over them [polytheists and pagans, etc.]. And be not distressed because of what they plot. Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him [keep their duty unto Him] and those who are good-doers.) (Qur’an 127:128)

Allah being with them in this verse refers to a special blessing for his obedient worshipers, in terms of protection, care, support, and guardianship. This is in proportion to the level of their faith, actions, and efforts.

(So do not become weak [against your enemy], nor be sad, and you will be superior [in victory] if you are indeed [true] believers.) (Qur’an 3:139)

(They will do you no harm, barring a trifling annoyance: and if they fight against you, they will show you their backs, and they will not be helped.) (Qur’an 3:111)

(Allah has decreed: ‘Verily! It is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious’. Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty.) (Qur’an 58:21)

(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our messengers and those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism] in this world’s life and on the day when the witnesses will stand forth [i.e. Day of resurrection].) (Qur’an 40:51)

(And my affair I leave to Allah. Verily, Allah is the All-Seer of [His] slaves. So Allah saved him from the evils that they plotted [against him’]... ) (Qur’an 40:44-45)

(And in Allah should the believers put their trust.) (Qur’an 3:122)

Don’t be sad: live today as if it were the last day of your life. With this frame of mind and outlook towards life, you have no reason to allow sadness or anger to steal the little time you have. In a hadith, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said:

“When the morning comes upon you, then do not expect to see the evening, and when you see the night, do not expect to see the morning.”

In other words, live with heart, body, and soul for today only, without dwelling upon the past and without being anxious about the future. An Arab poet said:

“The past is lost forever, and that which is hoped for is from the unseen, so all that you have is the present hour.”

Being preoccupied with the past and dragging past woes into the present – these are the signs of an unstable and unsound mind.

A Chinese proverb reads: “Do not cross the bridge until you reach it.”

In other words, be anxious over events only when they come to pass. One of our pious predecessors said,

“O’ son of Adam, verily, you have only three days: Yesterday, and it has forsaken you; tomorrow, and it has yet to arrive; and today, so fear Allah and obey Him in it.”

How can he truly live who carries with him the concerns of the past, the present, and the future? How can one find peace, while constantly recollecting that which has already occurred? One plays a past event back in his mind, feels its pain, and yet benefits nothing from the process.

The meaning of, ‘when the morning comes, do not expect to see the evening, and when the evening comes, do not expect to see the morning,’ is that we should not have lofty or long-term hopes for this world. Expect death and do your best in doing good deeds. Do not let your concerns and ambitions surpass the limit of that day in which you live, a code that will allow you to concentrate and spend all of your energies on being productive each day. Use time efficiently and concentrate all of your efforts on achieving something today, by improving your manners, taking care of your health, and improving your relations with others.