He who perseveres triumphs
Mishaal Al-Saeed
Some, and indeed many, experience from time to time what is known as “disappointment.” Disappointment means failing to attain what one has sought and desired, even though one hoped for its realization. This leaves a person feeling sad, broken, betrayed, and dissatisfied. Disappointment can lead to frustration and become a source of psychological stress, causing the individual to live in a vortex of anxiety throughout the day. This state is unacceptable; in fact, it is precisely the wrong approach. Relief is linked to patience, and whoever is patient will attain their goals. However, this is not always the case for everyone, and tolerance for disappointment varies from person to person. Yet, those with strong wills, firm as mountains and unshaken by winds, overcome the crisis by reminding themselves that what God has decreed will happen, whether we like it or not.
To those who have gone through this experience, we say: Where do you stand in relation to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “How wonderful is the affair of the believer! His affair is all good, and this is not granted to anyone except the believer. If he experiences ease, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he is patient, and that is good for him.” (Reported by Muslim).
Ibn Khallikan, in his work *Wafayat al-A’yan*, stated: “There are two lines that no one recites when afflicted by a calamity except that God relieves his distress. They are the words of Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Suli:
‘Often, a youth finds himself constrained by a calamity,
Yet with God lies its solution.
When it tightens its knots and seems to close in,
It opens, though I thought it would never ease.’
Let us remember that after hunger comes satiety, after thirst comes relief, after wakefulness comes sleep, after illness comes health, after breaking comes strength, after sorrow comes joy, and after night comes the dawn’s break.
One of the sages said: Hardships and tribulations, however immense, do not endure for their victims, nor do they remain forever upon those who suffer them. Rather, they are strongest when they intensify and darken, and they are closest to dissipating, easing, and brightening, bringing ease, comfort, relief, and peace. A life of prosperity, brightness, and radiance follows. Divine aid and grace arrive at the peak of hardship and trial. Every dark night is followed by a truthful dawn.
Let us adorn ourselves with patience during the intensification of trials. Our noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised us to frequently recite: “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah” (There is no power nor strength except with God).
I conclude with the words of God, the Exalted: “And whoever fears God – He will make for him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon God – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, God will accomplish His purpose. God has set a measure for all things.” (Surah At-Talaq, 65:2-3).
May you remain safe and sound.
