Between the Forces of Sakina (Tranquility) and Anguish

The human being was created, honored, dignified, and has been given the keys to the eternal, blissful life: “to whoever of you wills to take the Straight Way.” (81:28) Even in the short life of this world, and despite the constant struggle and toiling inherent within it – “O, Humanity! Indeed, you are laboring restlessly toward your Lord, and will ˹eventually˺ meet the consequences” (84:6) – a person can live a blissful life, if he/she just adheres to the divine truth of existence. In fact, the sweet taste of the joyful life is attained, for the guided one, with the help of the divine force of Sakina (tranquility/serenity). This force keeps supplying the soul with hope, patience, power and focus in the worship. It helps one unlock the dimension of eternity, to step into it and embrace its spirit, while his/her body is still bound to the gravity of the earth. One needs to closely study the lives of the prophets (pbut) to be able to grasp the meaning of the peaceful life in the shade of the divine force of Sakina. The prophets (pbut), despite the often rough and rigid life they encountered, were always earnestly thanking their Lord in complete humility, exalting Him and glorifying Him. It is a fact that reflects their profound inner joy. The Prophet (pbuh) called it “Qurrat’ Al Ayn” (the delight of the eye), which he (pbuh) used to constantly enjoy, especially during his prayers.

Everyone, in his/her real life struggle, is between two forces. The first one is the Sakina mentioned above, and the second one is the force of “anguish.” The latter is inflicted upon those who have distanced themselves from the realm of the divine. They have built for themselves a bubble in which whims, desires, and lusts steer life and define the path, giving, then, a full pass to the forces of evil to govern their lives. “They have taken other gods, instead of Allah, seeking strength ˹and protection˺ through them. But no! Those ˹gods˺ will deny their worship and turn against them. Do you not see that We have sent the devils upon the disbelievers, inciting them [to evil] with [constant] incitement?” (19:81-83). The comfort and peace enjoyed by the partisans of this path, as they are founded on shaky, temporary, vulnerable and delusional gounds, soon vanish. In fact, the fear of losing everything crawls under their skin, instilling grief in the heart and suffering in the soul, changing, then, comfort into anguish!

What should the believer's focus be, in order to avoid falling into a path that would end up drowning him/her in the dark sea of anguish, and instead receive the divine gift of Sakina? The answer is quite obvious, but the implementation requires sincerity and serious endurance. Focus needs, indeed, to be directed toward the Nafs (soul/ego/self)! In fact, the Prophet (pbuh) said in a Hadith: “Your worst enemy is your Nafs, which lies between your sides.” The Nafs, if left without guidance, led by its whims, would stand as a veil to Allah’s (swt) bounties and blessings, obstructing the possiblity of seeing of Allah (swt) with the heart. It condemns itself to fall into anguish. But, if it willingly submits to purification and honorably helps the heart, then the whole soul enjoys a journey to Allah (swt) enveloped by a sweet taste of life.

One should learn, then, how to detect the signs alerting the person of which path his/her Nafs is heading toward. It depends, in fact, on the source of one’s feeling of tranquility. If the heart finds its repose and a feeling of tranquility overwhelms it by following a worldly gain – i.e: knowledge, fame, power, wealth – then, a veil between the person and his/her Lord is raised. The thicker this veil, the more blindness affects the heart, to the point that people become “deaf, dumb, and blind, so they will never be able to return ˹to the Right Path˺” (2:18). At this level, anguish suffocates the soul, throwing it into agony, causing one to live in a closed, dark bubble, unable to see Allah (swt). The reliance is, at this time, solely on the Nafs. What an evil path! 

The Prophet (pbuh) used to invoke Allah (swt), “O Allah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye, and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshiped, except You.” Take the example of Qarun, whose temporary joy was gained from his abundant wealth and his Nafs was screening him from Allah (swt). The bubble he created for himself inspired him that he was better that Musa (pbuh) and that his own skills and power raised him to where he was. “He said, 'I have been granted all this because of some knowledge I have.' Did he not know that Allah had already destroyed some from the generations before him who were far superior to him in power and greater in accumulating ˹wealth˺? There will be no need for the wicked to be asked about their sins.” (28:78). But look at his end: “Then, We caused the earth to swallow him up, along with his home. There was no one to help him against Allah, nor could he even help himself.” (28:81). That is, indeed, the outcome of anyone who lets his/her Nafs stand as a veil between him/her and Allah (swt). To purify the Nafs and help it become a bridge to seeing Allah (swt), instead of a being a veil, one needs to strive wholeheartedly to find tranquility in the worship of Allah (swt) and His remembrance, “those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Surely, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort” (13:28).