On the Bright Side

Four people look at the same piece of land in the countryside, yet each of them sees something different. The hunter sees the animals, the farmer sees the plants and vegetation, the artist sees the colours and scenery, and the businessman sees a plot of real estate with the potential to be developed. In the example above, each person looked at the same land, but what he actually saw was influenced and determined by his unique perspective in life.It is an undisputed fact that we cannot control the world around us, deciding what we would like to occur, when it should happen and exactly how it should transpire, according to our liking and convenience. Likewise, we cannot travel back in time and alter what has already come to pass. However, what we CAN do is alter our perspective.Instead of looking at the thorns with the rose, let us look at the rose that has come with the thorns.The thorns in life are many in number and varied in form. The loss of jobs or income... marital discord... family strife... the loss of loved ones... robberies and hijackings... the suffering of sickness... – these are just some of the many challenges and calamities that befall people in life. Indeed, in trying times, it is easy to lose hope and fall into despondency (especially when entire families and communities are afflicted, and the suffering is widespread, such as in the case of the Coronavirus). However, this will only happen if we allow ourselves to fixate on the thorns. Let us instead look for the roses among the thorns – by looking“On the Bright Side”. Indeed, the immense rewards promised for exercising sabr (patience), the sins that are expiated through undergoing hardships and the lofty ranks acquired by those who remain steadfast in the face of challenges, and other similar virtues, are such coveted ‘roses’ that they will draw all attention away from the thorns – provided we have the perspective to see these roses. It is for the same purpose that this book was prepared – to lift our spirits, bolster our courage and soothe the pain of our suffering by showing us the Islamic perspective that one should adopt when beset by tragedies and calamities, thus allowing us to open our eyes to these beautiful roses.It should be borne in mind that this book was prepared by gathering and collating separate articles, incidents, etc. which were prepared by our team of ‘Ulama on different occasions. Thus, each chapter and article is independent and does not necessarily continue from the preceding chapter or article, or flow on to the succeeding chapter or article.May Allah Ta‘ala grant ‘aafiyah (ease and comfort) to one and all, and may He make it easy for each and every person to manage their challenges, Ameen