Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalam-o-alaikum

We as a family have been continuously subjected to some problem or the other on a regular basis- it just does not seem to end. My husband and I are both working and are earning quite well yet there seems to be no BARAKAT. We are always into problems be it financial, social in terms of family/ friends or health related issues. My husband despite being just 34 years old has all this while been extremely patient and has taken everything in his stride as allah`s wish but off late it has started affecting his health. Life is getting difficult and complicated by the day. I will not say that we are very religious but we try our best to follow at least the basics of Islam like praying 5 times a day, fasting, offering zakat/ sadaka etc. Kindly let me know as to how we can achieve peace of mind and heart, prosperity and normalcy in our lives.

Jazakallah Khair

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Contentment secret

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

If one asks any individual what is truly his heart’s desire, or what is he truly searching for, or why does he try so hard to earn and gather wealth, etc.; if one truly searches deep, you will, in all probability, get only one universal answer!: Everyone running the ‘rat race’ of life, is searching for ‘contentment’!!!

A student thinks that if he studies hard for so many years and obtains his desired degree and qualification, he will be able to get a good job and that will give him that desired ‘contentment’! A youth thinks that if he marries a good woman and has a family, he will attain that desired ‘contentment’! A businessman thinks that if he earns much money, he will attain ‘contentment’! Every person, regardless of his nationality, race, color, language, status, wealth, etc., every single human being is in search for this illusion of ‘contentment’! But when the person reaches his goal which was supposed to give him the ‘contentment’ he so desires, he only realizes that he is not content, and makes another goal, and when he reaches that and is not content, makes another one! But this illusion of ‘contentment’ always remains beyond his reach. At one stage, the person has changed and chased so many goals in the hope of attaining contentment, only to realize that he is not content…until finally, desperation and depression sets in!

All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Who has guided the believers towards the ONLY thing that will bring contentment to one’s heart! The whole world is desperately searching for this state of one’s heart, but little do they realize that Allah Subhanah has reserved this state of contentment only for those who unconditionally submit to Him and His Guidance! The one secret every human being is searching for, and the absolute antidote of depression and desperation is secured in this One Beautiful and Glorious Verse of the Al-Quran:

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 28-29:

The people who have accepted (the Message), their hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Note it well!, that it is Allah’s Remembrance Alone that brings contentment to the hearts! Blessed are those who have accepted the Message and done righteous deeds. They will have a good end.

Thus, my beloved sister in Islam, the one and only thing in this whole wide world that can truly bring contentment to your heart, and take you far far away from the state of depression and hopelessness, is the constant Remembrance of your Lord Creator, Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds!

Remember your Lord as much and as often as you can, Praise and Extol Him as much as is easy for you, read the Glorious Quran as much as you can with understanding, obey, follow, and completely submit yourself to the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, strive to do deeds which will bring about the Pleasure of your Lord and abstain from doing deeds that bring about His Anger and His Wrath….for Allah is our witness sister, nothing, and I repeat and reiterate, absolutely nothing in this world can bring ‘contentment’ to one’s heart except the Remembrance of Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds!

The more one strives to get closer to their Lord through His constant Remembrance, the closer one will get to contentment; and the further one is away from the Remembrance of their Lord Creator, the further runs the ‘contentment’ of their hearts! Reaching the state of ‘contentment’ is as simple as that!!!

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan