– Tahura Iffat
Parli, Maharashtra
In the journey of our life we suffer from pain and hardship. The Qur’an openly addresses the emotional challenges we experience and provide guidance that supports our inner healing. The Qur’an teaches us that every hardship carries opportunities of the path to Healing and the key to unlocking it is Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah). The Qur’an tell us, “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (The Qur’an 13:28). This divine promise transforms into more than a ritual; it becomes medicine for the soul. The Qur’an said:
وَاِذَا سَاَلَـكَ عِبَادِىۡ عَنِّىۡ فَاِنِّىۡ قَرِيۡبٌؕ اُجِيۡبُ دَعۡوَةَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ
“And if My servants ask you, O Prophet, concerning Me, tell them that I am quite near to them. I hear and answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls to Me.” (The Qur’an 2:186)
Also, Allah the Exalted gives us, in the Qur’an, examples of those who transformed their wounds into healing through the remembrance of Allah. When we study those examples, we find a divinely inspired blueprint for healing. They show how a believer holds on when life becomes overwhelming. Take the example of Prophet Ayyub.
وَاَيُّوۡبَ اِذۡ نَادٰى رَبَّهٗۤ اَنِّىۡ مَسَّنِىَ الضُّرُّ وَاَنۡتَ اَرۡحَمُ الرّٰحِمِيۡنَ ۞
“And Job (Ayyub), when he called out to his Lord, ‘Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful’.” (The Qur’an 21:83)
Even with unbearable suffering, Prophet Ayyub held on to hope in Allah. And when we turn the pages of the Holy Book, we see another example of Prophet Yaqoob. We discover that he endured deep grief. He lost his two beloved sons and his eyesight by this point. Yet at that moment of breaking, he expressed his sorrow only to the one who heals the heart.
قَالَ اِنَّمَاۤ اَشۡكُوۡا بَثِّـىۡ وَحُزۡنِىۡۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَاَعۡلَمُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ۞ يٰبَنِىَّ اذۡهَبُوۡا فَتَحَسَّسُوۡا مِنۡ يُّوۡسُفَ وَاَخِيۡهِ وَلَا تَايۡـئَسُوۡا مِنۡ رَّوۡحِ اللّٰهِؕ اِنَّهٗ لَا يَايۡـئَسُ مِنۡ رَّوۡحِ اللّٰهِ اِلَّا الۡقَوۡمُ الۡكٰفِرُوۡنَ ۞
“He said, ‘I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah and I know from Allah that which you don’t know. Oh my sons, go and find out about Joseph (Yusuf) and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” (The Qur’an 12:86-87)
The Qur’an gives us a model of Prophet Ibrahim. He endured emotionally the pain that would break our hearts. Leaving his family and being tested with the sacrifice of his beloved son. Yet his response was pure Tawakkul.
وَاِذِ ابۡتَلٰٓى اِبۡرٰهٖمَ رَبُّهٗ بِكَلِمٰتٍ فَاَتَمَّهُنَّ ؕ قَالَ اِنِّىۡ جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ اِمَامًا ؕ
And [Mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. (Allah) said, “Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.” (The Qur’an 2:124)
Prophet Yunus also experienced fear and isolation in the darkness of a Whale, but his turning to Allah with Dhikr:
لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ ۖ اِنِّىۡ كُنۡتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ ۞
“There is no God but You, Glory be to You! I have done wrong.” (The Qur’an 21:87)
And Allah saved Him. It teaches us that even when we stuck and overwhelmed, remembrance reconnects the hearts and brings hope.
The Qur’an often addressed grief and sadness of Prophet Muhammadﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ remembered Allah in every situation whether it is minor or major and whether the loss of loved ones, the suffering in Makkah or the sorrow of Ta’if. The Prophet ﷺ turned to dhikr. His grief transformed into resilience. That teaches us dhikr is the shelter of believers. Allah says:
فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّـفۡسَكَ عَلٰٓى اٰثَارِهِمۡ اِنۡ لَّمۡ يُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِهٰذَا الۡحَـدِيۡثِ اَسَفًا ۞
“Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.” (The Qur’an 18:6)
Surrender Your Heart to Allah
Every Prophet turned wholeheartedly to Allah. Allah was their source of comfort and healing. When we give our heart to anything else except Allah, the pain only grows in our heart until we turn back to the Almighty.
Ikhlas is seeking Allah without distraction. Sidq is seeking Him without the ego, the Nafs in the way. When the heart turns back to Allah with Ikhlas and Sidq, it begins to heal.
And there can be no healing without being honest with yourself and Allah. How can we begin to heal a wound if we keep it hidden or cover it up, from ourselves and from Allah the Exalted?
Allah tells us these stories of Prophets because they apply to us, to our traumas, to our grief, to our sadness or loneliness. And Allah gave that comfort to His Prophets. He also gives that comfort and heals us.
