Hawzah News Agency - Question: Please advise me how to bear the difficulties of life! I feel like I am about to perish.
Answer:
Visualizing your own destruction is basically where destruction begins. First, get that negative thought out of your head. Then, ask yourself: “If I don’t tough it out and bear these difficulties, what exactly am I going to do?” Do you really have a better alternative?
Think deeply about that question. You have to accept that life is a grind for everyone; the struggles just look different from person to person. With that in mind, check out this advice:
- Understand the Nature of Life: You should know that this world has been full of challenges since the time of our father Adam (s), and it will stay that way until the very end. The Wise Creator designed life to be difficult so that we would look forward to the Afterlife we were actually created for. Without being tested here, we can’t unlock the eternal blessings of the life to come.
- Learn from Legends: Read the biographies of great, patient figures in history. Look at how they navigated the storms of life to reach the bliss of Paradise—their names and legacies haven’t been forgotten, even after all this time!
- Choose Your Circle: Surround yourself with friends who have a high tolerance level and a lot of patience. Their vibe will rub off on you.
- Get Moving: Make time for exercise in the morning or whenever it fits your schedule. Physical activity helps clear the mind.
- Trust the Source: Rely on Allah and truly believe that He is the ultimate backup for anyone who leans on Him.
- Study the Blueprint: Reflect on verses from the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet (s) and the Ahlul Bayt (s) regarding “patience.” They have laid out the blueprint for what makes us genuinely happy.
For example, Imam al-Baqir (s) shared a powerful moment: “When Ali bin al-Husayn (Imam Zaynul Aabideen, the father of Imam al-Baqir) was close to death, he embraced me and said, ‘O my son, I am advising you with what my father advised me when he was dying, and what his father had advised him: O my son, be patient with the truth, even if it tastes bitter!’”
We have to accept the truth and everything that comes with it. Abu Abdullah (Imam as-Sadiq) (s) once said, “Whoever grabs onto the firmest handhold will be safe.”
The narrator asked, “What is the firmest handhold?”
He replied, “Submission.”
Someone else asked Imam as-Sadiq (s), “How is a believer recognized as a true believer?”
The Imam (s) replied, “By their submission to Allah and by being satisfied with whatever destiny they receive.”
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Source: "For a better future" by Hussain Ansariyan , Q15
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