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Attitude in affliction

  • Link to Patience: Be patient with adversities outside your control (e.g., death, injury, illness, or property loss). Whether it's punishment or a trial (bala'), we can cry and feel sadness, but we should remain silent or say, "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return." Avoid complaining to others about your adversities and ensure your first reaction to calamity aligns with faith and acceptance.
  • Link to Gratitude: Be grateful even in affliction. Recognize that it could have been more severe. It is not a test in your religion. It alleviates punishment in the hereafter, and it carries wisdom and goodness for us through Allah's attribute Al-Latif (The Subtle and Kind).
  • Link to Love and contentment:
    • Do not complain about what you cannot control. Instead, embrace contentment and trust that Allah's creation and decree always contain more good than harm. However, if the situation is within your control and you can address the wrongdoing, ensure to admonish against it.
    • Avoid excessive love for anything outside of Allah's decrees and avoid attachments to specific lifestyles.
  • Link to Anger: When things don't go as you wish, say "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (There is no power nor strength except with Allah), seek refuge (isti3atha) in Allah, and avoid letting anger control you.
  • Link to Remembrance of Allah: When you need to complain, direct your complaints to Allah. Speak to Him about your worries and ask for relief and comfort.
  • Link to Asceticism: Stay detached from states of poverty or richness, as both can distract you from Allah. Maintain a focus on spiritual connection rather than material circumstances.
  • Link to Repentance: Consider the possibility that afflictions may stem from your own sins and seek repentance from Allah for guidance and forgiveness.
Remember the Mnemonic: GRADS
  • Gratitude: Be grateful even in difficulty, acknowledging wisdom and relief from greater harm.
  • Remembrance: say "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return", "There is no power nor strength except with Allah", repent and say isti3atha.
  • Anger: Control anger and stay calm through faith and trust in Allah.
  • Don't Complain: Do not complain to others; direct your concerns and worries to Allah. Also, remember to admonish if the harm is preventable.
  • Sadness: Accept sadness as a natural part of life while remaining steadfast.