اللَّهُمِّ إنِّي أعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الهَمِّ والحَزَنِ، وأعُوذُ بكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةَ الدَّينِ وقَهْرِ الرِّجالِ

Prophet's Guidance on treating shock from disasters and calamities

فَصْلٌ فِي هَدْيِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي عِلَاجِ حَرِّ الْمُصِيبَةِ وَحُزْنِهَا

Islamic medicines for trials & calamities (Museebah)

قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذا أَصابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ راجِعُونَ أُولئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَواتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ البقرة. آية ١٥٥

Ibn al-Qayyim wrote : Allah, the Exalted, said: "And give good tidings to the Sabereen, those who, when disaster strikes them, say, 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.' Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided." (Quran 2:155-157)

وَفِي «الْمُسْنَدِ» عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ تُصِيبُهُ مُصِيبَةٌ فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، إِلَّا أَجَارَهُ اللَّهُ فِي مُصِيبَتِهِ، وَأَخْلَفَ لَهُ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا (أخرجه أحمد ومسلم في الجنائز)

In the Musnad, it is reported that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ  said: "There is no one who is struck by a calamity and says, 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. O Allah, reward me in my affliction and replace it for me with something better,' except that Allah will reward him in his affliction and will replace it for him with something better."

And this statement is among the most effective remedies for the afflicted and the most beneficial for him in his immediate and future affairs. It contains two great principles that, if the servant understands them, will bring him solace in his affliction.

One of them is that the servant, his family, and his wealth truly belong to Allah Almighty, and He has given them to the servant as a loan. So, if He takes them back, it is like a lender taking back his property from the borrower.

The second principle is that the servant’s ultimate return is to Allah, his true Master, and he must inevitably leave the world behind him and come to his Lord alone, as he was created the first time without family, wealth, or clan, but with his good and bad deeds. So, if this is the beginning and end of the servant and what he is entrusted with, how can he rejoice over what he has or grieve over what he loses? Reflecting on his beginning and end is one of the greatest remedies for his ailment.

We shall write some remedies as a solution for resisting the impact of calamities & afflictions (sickness is one of the afflictions sent on the human).

Medicine / Remedy # 1 ~ is to have the certain knowledge that what has befallen a person could not have missed him, and what missed him could not have befallen him. Allah says:

مَا أَصابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَها إِنَّ ذلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ لِكَيْلا تَأْسَوْا عَلى مَا فاتَكُمْ وَلا تَفْرَحُوا بِما آتاكُمْ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتالٍ فَخُورٍ الحديد ٢٢

"No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being - indeed that, for Allah, is easy. So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor rejoice in pride over what Allah has given you. And Allah does not like every self-deluded and boastful person" (Hadeed:22-23).

Medicine / Remedy # 2 ~ is to look at what a person has been afflicted with and find that Allah Has an alternative for him, something similar or better, and if the afflicted person is SABIR (patient) and content, he believes that what Allah has Decided for him is lesser than the loss many times over. Had Allah willed, He could have made the affliction’s impact more severe & greater.

Medicine / Remedy # 3 ~ is to extinguish the fire of calamity by the coolness of comforting those who are afflicted, realizing that he is not alone in his affliction. He should look to his right and see only trials, and then look to his left and see only regrets. If he searches the world, he will find it full of those who are tested, either by the loss of something beloved or the occurrence of something disliked. The sorrows of the world are like dreams in sleep or a passing shadow. If this life makes one laugh a little, it makes one cry a lot; if it brings joy for a day, it brings sorrow for an era; if it gives a little pleasure, it denies much; if it fills a house with delight, it also fills it with grief; if it brings a day of joy, it hides a day of misery.

قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ-: لِكُلِّ فَرْحَةٍ تَرْحَةٌ، وما ملىء بيت فرحا إلا ملىء تَرَحًا. وَقَالَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ: مَا كَانَ ضَحِكٌ قَطُّ إِلَّا كَانَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ بُكَاءٌ.

Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "For every joy there is a sorrow, and no house is filled with joy but it is filled with sorrow." Ibn Sirin said: "No laughter ever came without tears following it."

Medicine / Remedy # 4 ~ is to know that anxiety does not bring back the happiness; rather, anxiety multiplies itself further, and in reality, it is an increase in the illness.

Medicine / Remedy # 5 ~ is to know that missing out on the reward of patience and submission, which is prayer, mercy, and guidance (صَلَواتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ والهداية) that Allah has guaranteed for patience and returning to Him (saying إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ) is greater than the calamity itself.

Medicine / Remedy # 6 ~ is to know that your anxiety will make your enemy happy, delight the Sheytaan, sadden your family & friends & anger your Lord, anxiety will weaken your heart & body. But if you remain Sabir (patient) and seek the reward from Allah, you will defeat Sheytaan, drive him away humiliated, you will please Allah, make your family & friends happy, sadden your enemy, & you will lift the burden off your family members, and console them before they console you. This is the greatest steadfastness and perfection.

Medicine / Remedy # 7 ~ is to know that what follows SABR (patience) and seeking reward from Allah, in terms of pleasure and joy, is many times greater than what you would have had if the calamity had remained. And it is sufficient for you that the House of Praise (Bayt al-Hamd) is built for you in Paradise for praising Allah. So, you should consider which of the two calamities is greater? The immediate calamity or the calamity of missing out on the House of Praise in the eternal Paradise?

Tirmidhi reported (in a Hadith attributed to the Prophet):

يَوَدُّ نَاسٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنَّ جلودهم كانت تقرض بالمقاريض في التدنيا لِمَا يَرَوْنَ مِنْ ثَوَابِ أَهْلِ الْبَلَاءِ أخرجه الترمذي في باب الزهد

"On the Day of Resurrection, some people will wish that their skins had been cut with scissors in the world, due to what they see of the reward of the people who were afflicted." Some of the pious predecessors said: لولا مصائب الدنيا لوردنا القيامة مَفَالِيسَ

"If it were not for the calamities of the world, we would come to the Hereafter bankrupt."

Medicine / Remedy # 8 ~ is to bring comfort to your heart with the spirit of hope for compensation from Allah. For everything that is lost, there is a replacement except Allah; if you lose Him, there is no compensation, as it is said: For everything, if you lose it, there is a replacement, but if you lose Allah, there is no substitute.

Medicine / Remedy # 9 ~ is to know that your share of the calamity is what it brings forth for you. Whoever is content will have contentment, and whoever is angry will have anger. Your share from it is what it brings forth for you, so choose the best or worst.

If the calamity brings forth anger and disbelief, you will be recorded in the register of the doomed. If it brings forth impatience and negligence, leading to abandoning a duty or committing a prohibited act, you will be recorded in the register of the negligent. If it brings forth complaint and lack of patience, you will be recorded in the register of the losers. If it brings forth objection against Allah and criticism of His wisdom, you will knock on the door of disbelief. If the calamity brings forth patience and steadfastness for Allah, you will be recorded in the register of the SABIREEN. If it brings forth contentment with Allah, you will be recorded in the register of the content. If it brings forth praise and gratitude, you will be recorded in the register of the grateful, and you will be under the banner of praise with those who praise Allah. If the trial (Museebah) brings forth love and longing to meet his Lord, you will be recorded in the register of the loving and sincere ones.

وَفِي مُسْنَدِ الْإِمَامِ أَحْمَدَ وَالتِّرْمِذِيِّ، مِنْ حَدِيثِ مَحْمُودِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ يَرْفَعُهُ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا ابْتَلَاهُمُ، فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَى، ومن سخط فله السّخط زاد وَمَنْ جَزِعَ فَلَهُ الْجَزَعُ 

In the "Musnad of Imam Ahmad" and Tirmidhi, from the Hadith of Mahmoud ibn Labid, who attributed it to the Prophet: "Indeed, if Allah loves a people, He tests them. Whoever is content will have contentment, and whoever is angry will have anger." It is added: "And whoever is impatient will have impatience."

Medicine / Remedy # 10 ~ is to know that even if the afflicted person’s impatience reaches its peak, the end result will be forced patience, which is neither praiseworthy nor rewarded. Some wise people said:

الْعَاقِلُ يفعل في أوّل يَوْمٍ مِنَ الْمُصِيبَةِ مَا يَفْعَلُهُ الْجَاهِلُ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَصْبِرْ صَبْرَ الْكِرَامِ، سَلَا سُلُوَّ الْبَهَائِمِ. وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ مَرْفُوعًا, الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَةِ الْأُولَى, وَقَالَ الْأَشْعَثُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ: إِنَّكَ إِنْ صَبَرْتَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا، وَإِلَّا سَلَوْتَ سُلُوَّ الْبَهَائِمِ

The intelligent person does at the beginning what the foolish person does at the end. On the day of calamity, the intelligent person does what the ignorant person does after days. And in the "Sahih," it is reported (in a Hadith attributed to the Prophet صلى اللہ عليه وسلم : "SABR (patience) is at the first shock." Al-Ash'ath ibn Qais said: “Observe patience with Faith and await the reward from Allah Alone, otherwise, you will he bowed to forget just as the animals do”"

Medicine / Remedy # 11 ~ is to know that the most beneficial medicine for the afflicted person is to agree with Allah in what He loves and is pleased with for him. The essence and secret of love is to agree with the beloved. So, whoever claims to love someone and then is displeased with what he loves and loves what he is displeased with, has testified against himself of lying and has alienated himself from his beloved.

وَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا قَضَى قَضَاءً، أحب أن يرضى به، وكان عمران ابن حُصَيْنٍ يَقُولُ فِي عِلَّتِهِ: أَحَبُّهُ إِلَيَّ أَحَبُّهُ إِلَيْهِ

Abu Darda Radi Allaho Anh said: "If Allah decrees a matter, He loves for it to be accepted." And Imran ibn Husayn Radi Allaho Anh would say during his illness: "What Allah loves is dearer to me. This is a remedy that only works with lovers of Allah, and not everyone can treat himself with it.

Medicine / Remedy # 12 ~ is to balance between the greatest pleasures and enjoyments, and the most lasting of them: the pleasure of enjoying what a person has been afflicted with and the pleasure of enjoying Allah’s reward for him. If the balance is in favor of the latter, let the afflicted person praise Allah for His guidance. But if he prefers the lesser from every aspect, let him know that his calamity in his mind, heart, and religion is greater than his calamity in his worldly life.

Medicine / Remedy # 13 ~ is to know that the One who has afflicted you with calamity is the Wisest of the wise and the Most Merciful of the merciful. And that He did not send the calamity to destroy you with it, nor to punish you with it, nor to ruin you, but He afflicted you to test your SABR (patience) and contentment with HIM, your faith, to hear your supplications and pleas, and to see you humbled at His door, seeking refuge in Him, with a broken heart before Him, raising your complaints to Him. Sheikh Abdul Qadir said: "Calamity did not come to destroy you; rather, it came to test your SABR and faith.

Medicine / Remedy # 14 ~ is to know that if it were not for the trials and calamities of this world, the servant would be afflicted with the diseases of arrogance, pride, tyranny, and hardness of heart, which are causes of his destruction sooner or later. So, it is from the mercy of the Most Merciful that He sometimes treats His slaves with the medicines of calamities, which serve as a preventive measure for the afflicted person against these diseases and preserve the health of his servitude, and cleanse him of corrupt and harmful elements. Glory be to Allah who shows mercy through afflictions and tests some people with blessings, as it is said: Allah may bless through trials, even if they are great, And He may test some people with blessings.

If it were not for the fact that Allah treats His servants with the medicines of trials and tribulations, they would have transgressed, wronged, and become haughty. When Allah intends good for a servant, He gives him a drink from the cup of tribulation and trials according to his condition, cleansing him of destructive diseases. When He purifies and refines him, He qualifies him for the noble ranks in this world, which is servitude to Him, and the highest rewards in the Hereafter, which is seeing Him and being near Him.

Medicine / Remedy # 15 ~ is to know that the bitterness of this world is itself the sweetness of the Hereafter; Allah transforms it in this way. And the sweetness of this world is itself the bitterness of the Aakhirah. It is better for you to move from temporary bitterness to eternal sweetness than the opposite. If this is not clear to you, consider the saying of the truthful and trusted one:

"حُفَّتِ الجَنَّةُ بالمَكَارهِ، وحُفَّتِ النَّارُ بالشَّهَواتِ"

“Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and Hell is surrounded by desires.”Most people prefer the temporary sweetness over the eternal sweetness that does not cease. They cannot endure the bitterness of an hour for the eternal sweetness, nor the humiliation of an hour for the eternal honor, nor the hardship of an hour for the eternal ease.

  كُلٌ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ

"Everyone acts according to their own nature, intentions, or way of life" (17:84).

Every person pursues what aligns with their character and what they are destined for. Do not assume that the explanations provided here about the cures are excessive. They are detailed because both doctors and patients deeply need this knowledge. And Allah knows the best.

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