The Key to Relief from Distress

When Allah, the Exalted, addresses the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, saying, “Indeed, We know that your heart is distressed by what they say” (15:97), and, “Indeed, We know that what they say grieves you” (6:33), it makes one wonder: If distress can afflict the heart of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then what about everyone else?

This is so that the servant may understand that distress, sadness, worry, anguish, and regret are all things that a person encounters throughout life, and that they are part of the nature of this life. However, their effects can be detrimental if one does not manage them in accordance with divine guidance. Among the effects of these emotions are discouragement and the weakening of resolve, which can lead to lethargy, withdrawal into oneself, and fleeing from reality. At times, one may even resort to cowardice as an escape from distress and anguish.

The Quran teaches how to deal with anguish and distress so that the servant may protect themselves from falling into the snares of a life of hardship and becoming consumed by worry, distress, and sadness. Practically, it is unlikely for such distress to overcome the believer to the point of diminishing their quality of life, as they have at their disposal the key to relief.

So, what is the key to relief?

From the verses mentioned above, we can derive three initial elements:

The first: Allah’s knowledge that His servant is in distress. This is the station of awareness and knowledge of one’s condition. It consists of bringing to mind that the Most Generous, the Most Merciful, is fully aware of the condition of His servant, and that knowing He is aware of His servant’s condition brings peace to the heart and removes worry.

The second: Knowing how to confront distress. It is to turn to Allah, the Exalted, the One who relieves afflictions and possesses the force of tranquility that He bestows upon whomever He wills of His servants. When tranquility descends into the heart, it relieves worry, lifts anguish, brings a smile, strengthens resolve, and increases one’s holding firmly to Allah. The result of this is what Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said concerning His servants: “So Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers and bound them to the word of righteousness, and they were most deserving of it” (48:26). The result is steadfastness, glad tidings, and victory.

The third: Examining the cause of the anguish. Allah, the Exalted, says, as a continuation of the verses mentioned above: “And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allah that the wrongdoers reject” (6:33).

When the servant examines the cause of the anguish and finds that it is connected to the very foundation for which they believed, for which they remained patient, and for which they submitted themselves to Allah — that is, standing and striving for truth — then fleeing to Allah, who defends the believers, is the way to console oneself in the face of the obstinacy of the wrongdoers, the schemes of those who plot, and the rejection of the wrongdoers.

At that point, the remembrance of Allah produces its effect, becoming the assurance that brings tranquility to the heart, as Allah, the Exalted, says: “Surely, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find tranquility” (13:28).

But this is true in the case of the believer who journeys toward Allah with sincerity, resolve, and steadfastness. So, what is the criterion that enables the servant to benefit from and partake of the divine provision that removes worry, lifts anguish, and helps the servant remain steadfast on their journey toward Allah?

First: An Honest Pause for Self-Reflection: What Does the Self Prioritize in Its Life?

The weight a servant gives to what matters in life is what determines and shapes the emotions and inner state. Consider the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: all his concern was directed toward one matter — calling people to The Lord of the worlds. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Perhaps you would consume yourself with grief that they are not believers” (26:3). And He says: “Perhaps you would consume yourself with grief over them if they do not believe in this message” (18:6). Thus came consolation from Allah, along with guidance and victory.

As for the one who prioritizes the life of this world, they have no share in benefiting from the divine provision of tranquility, divine protection, support, guardianship, and victory. Allah, the Exalted, says: “But as for the one who transgressed and preferred the life of this world, then indeed, Hell will be his refuge” (79:37–39). And He says: “Rather, you prefer the life of this world, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting” (87:16–17).

Among the greatest examples mentioned in the Quran of preferring what is right is the statement of Pharaoh’s magicians: “Never will we prefer you over the clear proofs that have come to us. So decree whatever you are going to decree” (20:72).

When the believers are illuminated by the light of the message, they quickly undergo a transformation from the ignorance and harshness of disbelief to the wisdom and steadfastness of faith. A truthful example of this transformation can be witnessed in the case of Omar Ibn Al Khattab and the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, who believed in the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

The greatest battle a servant wages in life is, therefore, a battle within the self: a struggle to tip the scale of preference toward the Hereafter over this world. Through this, the servant becomes liberated from the attraction and gravity of this lowly world and begins to prefer what Allah loves and is pleased with over what their own selves desire. Allah, the Exalted, says: “They give preference to others over themselves, even though they are in need” (59:9).

So, what happened within the souls of the magicians that elevated them from the level of ignorance and disbelief to the level of wisdom and deep faith, causing them to prefer the clear proofs from Allah over Pharaoh’s threat?

It is a quality that the believer must strive to acquire after attaining the degree of faith, which is the Ikhbat — humble submission and receptiveness to the truth. Allah, the Exalted, says: “And so that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, and thus believe in it and their hearts humbly submit to it. Indeed, Allah guides those who believe to a straight path” (22:54).

Ikhbat is humility before the truth. It removes the self’s share of arrogance and self-exaltation, replacing it with humility and tranquility in the heart toward what Allah has revealed. Thus, its deepest longing becomes the pleasure of Allah, just as Ibrahim asked to see how Allah gives life to the dead, seeking an increase in reassurance and, consequently, in Ikhbat: “And [mention] when Ibrahim said, 'My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.' [Allah] said, 'Have you not believed?' He said, 'Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied'” (2:260).

Among the signs of those who possess Ikhbat are the heart trembling when Allah is mentioned, which is a sign of reverence; patience when worry, anguish, and trials descend, which is a sign of knowing Allah; establishing prayer, which is a sign of submission and seeking help; and spending from what Allah has provided, which is proof of faith, a sign of its soundness, and an aspiration to attain the highest degrees of purification.

The result of this is Allah’s glad tidings to them. Allah, the Exalted, says: “And give glad tidings to the humble and submissive” (22:34).

After this verse, Allah mentions the four qualities of those who possess the Ikhbat mentioned above. He says: “Those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, who are patient over what befalls them, who establish prayer, and who spend from what We have provided for them” (22:35).

These qualities are the ultimate key to relief from distress. Thus, it is the increase in Ikhbat that stabilizes emotions and guides one to find consolation in divine companionship.