7. Keep hope and be optimistic

Over the past few years, the world has faced many terrible natural disasters. The tsunami in the Pacific Ocean, hurricanes in the Atlantic, and mudslides and earthquakes across Asia took tens of thousands of lives, crushed or washed away houses and cars, uprooted trees and crops and destroyed many dreams. Earth, wind and water do not differentiate whether you are living on a tropical Indonesian island, in New Orleans, USA, or on a fault line m Pakistan. The only difference lies in the people themselves. Consider the case of two people who have survived one of these great calamities; both have lost their entire families, their homes, money - everything.

Both are facing the unknown, sunuunded by poverty, corruption and serious health hazards. Now, consider that one of them is a believer and the other is not. What do you think their reactions will be? Of course, both will be in a state of deep sorrow and grief - we are human after all; but the believer with his faith and complete trust in Allah will be certain deep inside that all those belongings were never really his: they belong to Allah; He gave them to the believer and He can take them back any time. The believer knows that every event - whatever pain it may bring - 65 This anecdote, along with several others related in this book, is one of many such stories circulating via email.

The author is unknown to me, and I hope I am excused for using it as an illustrative example. also brings with it a valuable lesson and a deeper meaning. S/he is not attached to his worldly acquisitions, s/he knows that this life is but a big test, a transient step that will lead to an ultimate joy ifs/he follows Allah's straight path and has kept hope, patience and perseverance. The believer knows that his or her great reward is in Paradise, not on this earth. 66 In contrast, the unbeliever would be totally devastated, overwhelmed by calamity; his or her affliction would be unbounded and unbearable. S/he would keep blaming misfortune, and cursing fate. The unbeliever's worldly possessions are the only meaning in his or her life: losing those means losing all hope.

S/he fails to see the meaning behind any test he or she may be faced with during his or her lifetime; s/he feels bitterness, enmity, rancour, and distress and experiences a hostile and resentful attitude towards the whole world, and as a result is likely to fall apart, get depressed, irritable and fall prey to various physical ailments. 67 The degree of hope and optimism one has depends on one's level of faith. Disasters and tragic events only increase the believers' faith and submission to Allah. They feel an inner peace and are thankful even for difficult situations (seeing them as tests of their faith and patience) and supplicate for Allah's help and guidance. «It was narrated by Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet (~) passed by a women who was weeping beside a grave. He told her to fear Allah and to be patient. She did not recognize him and said: "Go away, for you have not been afflicted with a calamity like mine!" When she found out later that he was the Prophet Muhammad, she went to his house and told him, "I did not recognize you." He said, "Verily, patience should be shown at the first stroke of calamity."» 68 66 Yahya, 2003c. 67 Ibid. 68 Bukhari and Muslim.

That is the true sign of faith and belief in Allah. Allah describes these believers, saying: ~Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke Allah in fear and hope, and they spend [charity in Allah's Cause] out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do) (Quran 32: 16-17) During the time of the Prophet (~). it was related that a woman once cut her finger with a knife, whereupon she smiled with relief. Her servant was beside her and was astonished at her reaction; the woman told her: "When I visualized the reward for my patience, I forgot my pain. " 69 Harun Yahya wrote a beautiful book entitled Hopefulness in Islam.

In his book Yahya explains how the believers see benefits in everything that happens to them. They know deep inside that Allah wills only what is in their best interest. They believe in His unlimited Mercy and precious guidance and are certain that their rewards are somehow there, waiting for them. 70 From the Quran we learn: 69 'Abd al-Kati, (JKll ...y. rs- . ~). n.d. 70 Y ahya, 2003c. ~Say, 'Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Mawla [Master, Helper and Protector]. And in Allah let the believers put their trust) (Quran 9: 51) Studies show that people who complain a lot - who always worry, disapprove, deprecate, grumble and make a fuss out of every little event in their lives - are the ones who are more prone to encountering difficult situations and events.

Pessimism will show in their daily living as troublesome circumstances and recurrent problems. Each morning upon waking up, remind yourself that you have the choice either to be happy and optimistic or to be in a bad mood. Of course, all of us should choose to be happy, to feel hope and look forward to whatever life is offering that day. Always look for the positive side of each situation you encounter. Each time something goes wrong, you can choose to be the miserable, afflicted sufferer or the strong, unbeatable survivor and 'student of life' - to dwell on your loss or to overcome, to learn a positive lesson from the experience.

Life is all about choices; your attitude, your perception and awareness are the things that really count. You choose how to deal with each event, how to accept your own destiny, how to interpret your lessons and experiences; you even choose how other people affect your feelings. With each rising sun, the newly born day gives you the choice to live your life fully and to be happy. Do not worry about tomorrow - it is enough to learn from and deal with the present moment.