Reminders Benefit the Believers

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When afflicted with fear or harm, a believer should compare between his fears and the favours and blessings of Allah The Almighty upon him -- whether religious or worldly.

When a person does such a comparison, he will certainly realise the blessings that he has and will see that the disadvantages seem negligible in comparison. As for one's fears and apprehensions, he should weigh the possibility of future mishaps not even occurring, and if this seems more likely, then he should not let the smaller possibility overtake the larger one in his mind. By doing this, one's fear and anxiety will disappear. If it seems like the evil that one fears has more of a possibility of occurring than not, then one should prepare himself for it and strive to prevent it from occurring, or reduce its effects when it does.

A believer should realise verbal attacks will not hurt him, unless he allows himself to be affected by them. As the saying goes, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Indeed, the people who attack others in this manner are only harming themselves. Unless one pays attention to such people and allows them to hurt his feelings mere words will not harm anyone except the one who uses them to attack others; the best recourse in such cases is to ignore them.

Life is an extension of one's thoughts, so if a believer's thoughts and ideas are those that bring benefit to him in this life and the Hereafter, then he will prosper and rejoice; otherwise, the opposite will be the case.

One of the most beneficial ways to get rid of grief is to train oneself not to seek appreciation from anyone except from Allah The Almighty.

Thus, when one is kind and generous to another person – regardless of whether that person is owed a favor or not -- one should realise that he is in fact doing that particular action for the sake of Allah The Almighty (i.e., expecting reward from Him only), so one should be indifferent to receiving any appreciation in return for the favor. Allah The Almighty Says regarding His close and special slaves (what means): {(Saying): We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.} [Quran 76:9] This applies even more when one is dealing with one's children, wife, or anyone else with whom one has a close relationship.

Remember that performing virtuous deeds brings comfort and joy, provided one performs that which he is capable of doing without overburdening himself to the extent that he cannot fulfil the deed.

Look at the bright side of any troubling issue and seek the silver lining instead of dwelling on the gloomy clouds.

Always have beneficial matters on your list of things to do, direct your attention to them and strive to fulfil them. Stay away from harmful matters; by doing so one will keep himself from thinking about matters which will bring grief and sorrow.

Rest properly and concentrate on gathering your energies and thoughts before performing important tasks.

Finish your tasks on time and do not procrastinate or leave things to the last minute, because if tasks are not finished on time then they will keep getting added to those which need to be done in the future and accumulate to the point where they become a great burden.

However, if tasks are finished on time, one will have time to plan carefully for the future and perform all his tasks efficiently.

Choose the most beneficial deeds and list them in terms of priority; distinguish between what one is strongly inclined to do from among them and order this list in terms of this preference, otherwise, one will become bored of performing deeds that he is not inclined towards.

Consult others and then make a detailed study of what you think you ought to be doing in terms of beneficial deeds; after this if one sees that there is benefit in performing these deeds then he should rely on Allah The Almighty and make a start, because Allah The Almighty loves those who rely on Him.

 

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