Difficulties or tribulations are something every human will have to face. None of us is free from the cage of hardships. The tribulations we confront are meant to teach us lessons and those events moulded us into the person Allah SWT wants us to be.

“And we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits , but give good tidings to the patient.” [Qur’an 2:155]

Some of us when afflicted with trials, we tend to focus on the negativity side of the events.

Our minds seem to conjure the worst case scenario which proportional to catastrophic thinking. The countless nights where you overthink about your life, where did you go wrong, why everything just going downhill, why everyone has been blessed with what they pray to the Almighty. All the contemplation has led yourself to think as if you accomplished nothing and your efforts were in vain. Trust me there is nothing wrong by being this way because it is human to be in this state of mind. If you feel like everything is falling apart, here a few steps that I personally apply to calm myself during trials:-

Perform the Tahajjud Prayer (The Night Prayer)

Tahajjud is the night prayer.

The night prayer helps me go through my difficulties and Alhamdulillah by doing so, my heart feel light and my mind becoming more positive. If you still new in Tahajjud or having trouble in waking up, I recommend, try at least once a week. It will get easier with time.

“Hold tight to night prayer, for it was the way of the righteous before you, a way of drawing closer to your Lord, an expiation for wrong deeds and a shield from sin.” [Tirmidhi]

Read the Quran.

Qur’an is the word of Allah SWT and the promise of Allah SWT is true.

Don’t just read them, understand the meaning. When we understand the ayah, we can relate the ayah to your situation. In other words, during a stress response, we are able to remember the ayah on our minds. Furthermore, the Qur’an draws you closer to The Almighty as you will get to know Him better. The more you read the Qur’an the more you fell in love with Allah SWT. The more you get to know Our Creator the more you will be in peace, this because our hearts need Allah SWT, our hearts knows only He can heal what we feel inside.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “the superiority of the speech of Allah compared to all other speech is like the superiority of Allah over His creation.” [Tirmidhi]

Go to the mosque

When I went through hardships, my heart is in chaos. I feel so disheartened by this world. I’m looking for a place to escape. My parents often go to masjid for Maghrib and Isyak prayer so I followed them. The feeling of calmness that the mosque gives me is out of this world. My heart feels so calm and I walked out of the Masjid with

a peaceful heart. Furthermore, praying with the congregation in the mosque the reward is 27 times better the reward of praying alone. With this in mind, going to the mosque not only can calm our hearts but we can also receive a reward from The Almighty.

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (RA) reported: The Prophetﷺ said, “When you see a man frequenting the mosque, testify that he is a believer because Allah says: ‘Allah’s mosques are visited only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.’’’ [Tirmidhi]

Read positive or inspirational materials.

There is a variety of sources inspiring book or reading materials nowdays. In order to survive in this world, we need to encourage ourselves to see things in positivity. In order to keep self positivity, read inspirational quotes, Islamic quotes or books. Pick the ones you feel connected and place a mark on them, with this method you can refer to the quotes or page back. These materials are able to redirect your mind into what is important in your life instead of focusing on things that don’t matter.

Talk to someone about your problems.

Bottled up our problems can lead to stress. It’s like filling a bottle of water until it’s overflowing. Talk to someone about our problems will make us feel relieved. Sometimes we just need someone to listen to what running on our mind. They might benefit us with a few beacons of wisdom to get us through the harsh times. In fact, their bits of advice can help us to see things from different perspectives.

Don’t give up and trust The Almighty.

This world is designed to test us. The real test in this life is when our plan don’t go according to us. We think we have everything figured out, we want them to flow perfectly but in reality, we don’t know what the best for us, we don’t know whether the things that we planned are good or bad for us. Only Allah SWT knows what best and bad for us. Don’t assume when one plan didn’t work out another plan won’t. We live in this world to be free, don’t let a few setbacks make you feel disheartened. Don’t give up too quickly, Allah SWT will give what He knows best for us and when the right time to give us. If we give up, we gain nothing from Allah SWT. He wants to see whether we will still trust Him if things don’t go our way. Have trust in our Creator and don’t give up on your dua. Finally, Keep on striving to be the best version yourself.

“Never give up hope of Allah’s Mercy. Certainly no despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve.” [Qur’an 12:87]

External source:

Fathiyah Zulkiflee

How to Calm Your Soul During Difficulties