Table of Contents
Toggle About this Book Publisher’s Note Translators’ Foreword Introduction to the First Edition (Of the Arabic Version) O’ Allah! Contemplate and be thankful The past is gone forever Today is all that you have Leave the future alone until it comes How to deal with bitter criticism Do not expect gratitude from anyone Doing good to others gives comfort to the heart Repel boredom with work Do not be a mimicker Pre-ordainment Verily, with hardship, there is relief Convert a lemon into a sweet drink Is not He [better than your gods] Who responds to the distressed Enough for you is your home Your recompense is with Allah Faith is life itself Extract the honey but do not break the hive Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest Or do they envy men for what Allah Has given them of His Bounty? Accept life as it is Find consolation by remembering the afflicted The prayer…..the prayer Allah [Alone] is sufficient for us, and He Is the best Disposer of affairs [for us] Patience is most fitting Do not carry the weight of The globe on your shoulders Do not be crushed by what is insignificant Be content with that which Allah has given You and you will be the richest of people Thus we have made you a just nation Take a moment to reflect Smile Smile —– Pause to reflect The blessing of pain The blessing of knowledge The art of happiness The art of happiness —- Pause to reflect Controlling one’s emotions The bliss of the Prophetic Companions Repel boredom from your life Cast of anxiety Cast of anxiety – Pause to reflect Do not be sad —- Everything will occur According to pre-ordainment Do not be sad —— Wait patiently For a happy outcome Wait patiently for a happy outcome – Pause to reflect Do not be sad: Seek forgiveness from Allah Often, for your Lord is Oft-Forgiving Do not be sad —– Always remember Allah Do not be sad —- Never Lose hope of Allah’s mercy Grieve not over unworthy things Do not be sad – Repel anxiety Grieve not over being poor D0 not feel sad over fears for what may happen Stop to reflect Do not be sad: overlook the actions of others. Do not be sad — Do good to others Jealousy is not something new Stop to reflect Do not be sad from the want of ample provision Appreciate that, compared to others, your trial is light Do not mimic the personality of others Isolation and its positive effects Do not be shaken by hardships Pause to think about hardships Do not be sad —The fundamentals of happiness Why grieve when you have the six ingredients? The fundamentals of happiness —- Verses upon which to reflect Your best companion is a book The benefits of reading Pause to reject Do not grieve —- There is another life to come Do not feel overly stressed When work piles up Grieve not and ask yourself the following questions Do not despair when you face a difficult situation Contemplate these verses Depression weakens the body and the soul Depression: A cause of ulcers Some other effects of depression What depression and anger do Bear your hardships with serenity Hold a good opinion of your Lord When your thoughts wander Embrace constructive criticism Most rumors are baseless Gentleness averts confrontations Yesterday will never return This life does not deserve our grief Ponder these points As long as you have faith in Allah, don’t be sad Do not grieve over trivialities for the entire world is trivial This is how the world is Strive to help others Do not feel deprived as long as you have a loaf of Bread, a glass of water and clothes on your back Blessings in disguise You are created unique Much that in appearance is harmful is in fact a blessing Faith is the greatest remedy! Do not lose hope Don‘t be sad —- Life is shorter than you think As long as you have life’s basic Necessities — Don‘t be sad Contentment repels sadness If you lose a limb, you still have others to compensate for it The days rotate in bringing good and bad Travel throughout Allah’s wide earth Contemplate these Prophetic sayings In the last moments of life…. Do not let calamity shake you Do not grieve —- This world is not worth your Don’t be sad: Remember that you believe in Allah Pause to reflect Despair not — Handicaps do not prevent success If you embrace Islam, there is No reason for you to be sad Things that bring about happiness The ingredients of happiness You will not die before your appointed time ‘O’ Allah, Who is full of Majesty and Honor….’ Pause to reflect Steps to take if you are fearful of a jealous person Good manners Sleepless nights The evil consequences of sinning Strive for your sustenance, but don’t be covetous The secret of guidance Ten gems for a good and noble life Don’t be sad —- Learn to deal with your reality Don’t be sad —- Sooner or later everything in this world perishes Depression leads to misery Depression may lead to suicide Asking Allah for forgiveness opens locked doors People should depend on you, and not you on them Prudence Do not cling to other than Allah Doing those things that bring you peace Preordainment The sweet taste of freedom Do not pay attention to the tell-tale The curses of the foolish are of no consequence to you Appreciate the beauty of the universe Avarice is of no avail Allah [Alone] is sufficient for us, and He Is the best Disposer of affairs (for us] The ingredients of happiness The fatigue and stress that come with an important position And come to the prayer Charity brings peace to the giver Don’t be angry Supplications of the morning Pause to reflect The Qur’an: The blessed book Don’t aspire to fame, or else you will be taxed with stress and worries The good life Bear trials patiently Worship Allah by surrendering your will to Him From being a governor to becoming a carpenter Mixing with people whose company is Heavy and dull ruins a person’s peace For the calamity-stricken The positive effects of having true Monotheistic faith in Allah Take care of your outside as well as of your inside Seek refuge with Allah I place my complete trust in Him They agree on three points The wrongdoing of the transgressor Khosrau and the old lady A handicap in one area can be compensated For by excellence in another A few words about the foolish Faith in Allah is the way to salvation Even the disbelievers are at different levels An iron will The inborn disposition upon which we were created Whatever is written for you will unerringly come to you Work hard for the fruitful end Your life is replete with priceless moments Pause to reflect Performing noble deeds is the way to happiness Beneficial knowledge and fruitless knowledge Read more, but with understanding And contemplation Take account of yourself Three mistakes that are common In our everyday lives Plan your affairs and take proper precautions Winning people over Travel to different lands Perform the late-night voluntary prayers Your reward is Paradise True love The shari’ah is made easy for you Tranquility and peace Beware of ardent love Some cures for ardent, unbridled love The rights of brotherhood Two secrets regarding sinning (Even if you know them, don’t sin) Seek out sustenance but don’t be covetous Pause to reflect A religion that is full of benefits Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand Stay away from the following four…. In order to find peace, turn to your Lord Two great words of solace Some of the positive effects of experiencing hardship Knowledge Happiness is a Divine gift that does not Distinguish between the rich and the poor Being remembered after death is a second life Invoke Allah with the following A Lord who wrongs not Write your own history Listen attentively to the words of Allah Everyone is searching for happiness, but…. Prepare for bad times by being Thankful when all is well Bliss versus the Fire Have we not opened your breast for you [O’ Muhammad]? A good life What then is happiness? To Him do the good words ascend Such is the Seizure of your Lord The supplication of the wronged The importance of having a good friend Fleeting glory Performing virtuous deeds is the crown On the head of a happy life Everlastingness and Paradise Are there, and not here! Enemies of the Divine way The reality of this life The key to happiness Pause to reflect How they used to live What the wise say about patience The importance of a positive attitude A few words on patience Pause to reflect Don’t grieve you are poor, for your true Value is not determined by your bank balance A word on reading Don’t be sad, and study Allah’s Signs in the creation O’ Allah! O’ Allah! Don’t grieve, for change must take place Do not give pleasure to your Enemy by displaying grief Be fair Optimism versus skepticism O’ son of Adam, do not despair Pause to reflect T he Mutual rivalry for piling up Of worldly things diverts you Blessings in disguise The fruits of contentment Being pleased with Allah For the malcontented there is wrath The benefits one reaps by being contented Do not challenge your Lord A just decree Resentment yields no return Safety is in contentment Dissatisfaction is the door to doubt Satisfaction is richness and safety The fruit of contentment is thankfulness The fruit of discontentment is disbelief Dissatisfaction is a trap of the devil Another word on contentment Overlooking the faults of one’s brothers Take advantage of health and free time Allah protects those who believe Signposts on the seeker’s highway Being blessed with honor is also a test The enduring treasures Determination can overcome Insurmountable barriers Reading in order to learn wisdom And when I am ill, it is He who cures me Take your precautions Verify the facts yourself Resolve to do something and then do it The life of this world Hiding from evil is a temporary solution Remember that you are dealing With the Most Merciful Optimism Life is toil Pause to reflect Treading the middle path saves one from destruction One is judged by one‘s dominant characteristics One’s inborn character It is not enough to be merely intelligent: One needs true guidance as well If one has inner beauty, he will Discern beauty in the universe Relief after hardship You are above jealousy Pause to reflect Knowledge is the key to serenity and ease The wrong way to go about things…. The noblest human being One step at a time Whether you have a little or a lot, Learn to be thankful Three plaques Pause to reflect Be free from worry and fear Deeds of charity Recreation and relaxation Pause to reflect Contemplate the universe Follow a studied plan Do not be disorderly: in your affairs Your value is determined by Your faith and character The bliss of the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them) Pause to reflect A smile every morning An obsession for revenge is poison That flows through a diseased soul Pause to reflect Do not melt into someone else’s personality Waiting for relief from Allah Pause to reflect Guidance: A natural consequence of belief The middle course Avoiding extremes Pause to reflect Who are the righteous ones? Allah is Most Kind to His slaves And He will provide him from [sources] He never could imagine An early: recompense When you ask, ask Allah Precious moments Divine pre-ordainment Death Allah Alone is Ail-Powerful Unexpected relief Allah allows miracles to occur For His righteous slaves Allah is All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs Everything in the universe glorifies Allah Be pleased with Allah A call from the Nakhlah valley The First generation of Muslims Contentment even after being ruined Be resolute in making a decision The believer is firm and resolute The tax on being an eloquent speaker Perfect comfort and rest are in Paradise Gentleness helps you achieve your goals Anxiety does not help Peace of mind is in having The basic necessities of life Be prepared for the worst-case scenario You are doing well you are healthy and have enough food Don’t belittle another person’s efforts Deal with others as you would Have them deal with you Avoid being artificial If you really cannot do something, leave it Do not be chaotic in your life Conclusion
Ibn al-Qayyim enumerated some of the factors that bring about tranquility:
Islamic Monotheism, or worshipping Allah exclusively without associating any partners with him (in worship), and without associating any partners with Him in all qualities that belong to Him alone. The disbeliever and the one who associates partners with Allah, the Almighty, are, for all effective purposes, dead and not alive.
(But whosoever turns away from My Reminder [i.e. neither believes in this Qur’an nor acts on its orders, etc.] verily, for him is a lye of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.) (Quran 20: 124)(And whosoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam…) (Quran 6: 125)(ls he whose breast Allah has opened to lslam, so that he is in light from His Lord [as he who is non-Muslim]?) (Quran 39: 22)Allah, the Exalted, warned His enemies with the following verse:(We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they joined others in worship with Allah, for which He had sent no authority…) (Quran 3: 151)So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah!(Quran 39: 22)(And whosoever He wills to send astray He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky.) (Quran 6: 125)
Useful knowledge, because the most happy, easy-going, and contented kind of person is the scholar. Why should scholars not be, for they are the inheritors of Muhammad (bpuh)?
(And [Allah] taught you that which you knew not.) (Quran 4: 113)(So know [O’ Muhammad] that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah…) (Qur’an 47: 19)
Good deeds. A good deed brings light both to the heart and to the face. Doing good deeds results in being blessed in one’s sustenance, and the hearts of people are naturally attracted to the doer of good.
(We should surely have bestowed on them water [rain], in abundance)(Qur’an 72: 16)
Bravery, for the courageous person is firm and strong and fears Allah alone. Difficulties and hardship neither shake nor disturb him.
Avoiding sins. Sinning ruins 0ne’s peace of mind and makes one feel lonely and in the dark:
“l saw that sins cause the heart to die And addiction brings disgrace to the addicted.”
Not being extravagant in that which is lawful. In other words, one should be moderate in speaking, sleeping, and mixing with people, and likewise one should be abstemious in one’s eating habits.
(And those who turn away from Al-Laghw [dirty, evil vain talk, falsehood and all that Allah has forbidden].) (Qur’an 23: 3)(Not a word does he [or she] utter: but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it) (Qur’an 50: 18)(And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance”) (Qur’an 7: 31)An Arab poet said:”O’ companion of the bed, you have slept excessively, don’t you know that after death is a long sleep.”
