Optimal Ways of Attaining Inner Tranquility and Serenity

06/03/2017| IslamWeb

This life is not our eternal dwelling but a short-lived and ephemeral abode. A person is destined to face sundry pains, suffering, hardships and sorrows in this transient life, as there are many reasons that lead to boredom, dullness, irritation and anxiety. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {We have certainly created man into hardship.} [Quran 90:4]

Indeed, everyone faces suffering and hardships in their lives. Misery and adversities are inherently characteristic of this ephemeral life. However, what distinguishes people in this regard is the way they handle their suffering and hardship and the methods and strategies they employ to deal with the reasons for their dullness, irritation, and anxiety.

Despite all the available conveniences, luxuries, and amenities that we enjoy today, and although we possess all that we need in order to relish a comfortable life and worldly bliss, boredom and anxiety is still growing among people! This should drive all those who seek happiness to start looking for the real reasons that help one attain happiness, inner tranquility and serenity, peace of mind, stability, and to find ways to eradicate all traces of boredom and anxiety.

Undoubtedly, among the best methods of gaining inner tranquility and serenity and helping one to endure hardships and calamities are:

1- Sincere faith and righteous deeds: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.} [Quran 16:97]

2- Adapting one's heart and preparing oneself mentally to endure unfavorable situations, adversities and calamities makes it easy for one to face them. It also lessens and diminishes their intensity and severity, and helps one to move on and endure whatever happens to him. On the other hand, if one expects only good and favorable results in all his worldly affairs, this feeling can actually incur many crises and hardships.

3- One should give up all illusions and phobias, as giving in to them is one of the greatest reasons for feelings of embitterment in this life. Indeed, one of the well-known phobias that many people experience is the fear of the future and of the unknown. People tend to occupy themselves with anticipating their future and are neck-deep in their plans and concerns, instead of living in the present. Accordingly, this results in missing the opportunity to rectify one's present because of the concerns and fears for a tomorrow that he may not even live through. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {... And more appropriate for them [would have been]* Obedience and good words. And when the matter [of fighting] was determined, if they had been true to Allah, it would have been better for them.} [Quran 47:20-21]

One should not give in to such illusions and phobias; instead, one should put his trust in Allah, the Exalted, turning only to Him. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers.} [Quran 5:23]

4- One should not give too much weight to troubles, exaggerate one's problems and make a mountain out of a molehill, since this creates unnecessary anxiety and confusion. This is also the reason behind absentmindedness and distraction, causing one to be lost and engrossed in endless problems that crop up one after the other, creating a vicious cycle.

5- One should bear in mind that hardships and calamities, no matter how long they last, will soon come to an end – they are ephemeral, like life itself. No one maintains the same living conditions all through; change is a norm in this life. Indeed, such conviction makes one full of hope and helps one to endure adversities and tribulations. Patience helps one to overcome any difficulty and is the best of all blessings.

6- One should remember Allah The Almighty all the time.