Hadith Regarding Relief for Sadness, Worry, Grief and Trials
1. It was narrated by Ibn Sina on the authority of Abi Qutada (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah, Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“whoever reads the verse of the Throne (ayat al-kursi) and the khawatam of Surat al-Baqara at the time of distress, Allah will help him.”
2. It was narrated by Imam Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with him) on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah , encouraged the saying of this supplication at the time of distress: "La illaha il Allah al-Haleem al-Kareem, Subhanallahi rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Adheem wal Hamdulilahi Rabb al-‘Alameen (there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the Gentle and Generous. Glory is to Allah the Lord of the Great Throne, and all praises be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.)"
3. It was narrated by Imam Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with him), Bukhari, and Muslim, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet Of Allah, r, encouraged the saying of this supplication at the time of distress: La illaha il Allah al-Haleem al-Kareem, La Illaha Il Allah Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Adheem, La Illaha il Allah Rabb al-Samawat al-Sabi‘ wa Rabb al-‘Arsh al-Kareem (there is none worthy of worship except Allah the Gentle and Generous. There is none worthy of worship except Allah the Lord of the Great Throne. There is none worthy of worship except Allah the Lord of the Seven Heavens and the Lord of the Generous Throne.)"
4. It is narrated by al-Khatib on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that if the Prophet Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were concerned with a matter he would find the Prophet Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praying, wiping his head with his right hand, and saying: "Bismillah al-ladhi la illaha ghayrahu al-rahman al-raheem, allahumma adhhab ‘anni al-hamm wal huzn. (In the name of Allah there is no god other than Him, the Merciful and Compassionate, O Allah take away worries and grief.)
5. It was narrated in Kitab al-Du‘a of Imam Tabarani on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah enoble his countenance) , that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered him to say at times of distress and hardship: "la illaha il Allah al-Haleem al-Kareem, Subhanahu wa ta‘ala, tabarak Allah rabb al-‘arsh al-‘adheem, wal Hamdulilahi rabb al-‘Alameen (there is none worthy of worship except Allah the Gentle and Generous, Glorious is he and Most High, Blessed be He the Lord of the Great Throne, and all praises be to the Lord of the Worlds.)"
6. Imam Tabarani also narrated on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught him to say the following words at times of fear: "la illaha il allah al-haleem al-kareem, Subhan Allah wa tabarak Allah rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Adheem, wal Hamdulilahi Rabb al-‘Alameen".
7. It was also narrated by Imam Tabarani, on the authority of Asma bin ‘Amis (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gathered Bani ‘Abdul Mutallib and said to them, “When any of you experience any worry, depression, distress, sickness, pain or calamity then he should say; "Allah rabbi la ushrik bihi shay’in" (Allah is my Lord I do not associate any partners with him) three times. It was said that these were the last words of Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him) before his death.
8. It was narrated by Imam Tabarani on the authority of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gathered Bani Hashim and told them that when any of them experienced depression or worry that they should say seven times, "Allah Rabbi la Ushrik bihi Shay’in".
9. It is narrated by Ibn Abi Dunya on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet Of Allah r, encouraged the reading of this supplication at the time of distress:" La Illaha il Allah al-Haleem al-Kareem. La illaha il Allah al-‘Alee al-‘Adheem. La Illaha il Allah Rabb al-Samawat al-Sab‘i wa Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Adheem". (There is none worthy of worship except Allah the Gentle, the Generous. There is none worthy of worship except Allah the Most High the Great. There is none worthy of worship except Allah the Lord of the Seven Heavens and the Lord of the Great Throne.)
10. It is narrated by al-Hakim on the authority of Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet of Allah r, said “Shall I not inform you of something, that if a distress or calamity falls upon you will be relieved by Allah? The supplication of Dhun Nun – "La Illaha illa Ant Subhanaka inne Kunta min al-Dhalimeen." (There is none worthy of worship except You, Glory to you if that I were from the transgressors.)
11. It is narrated by Abu Na‘im on the authority of Shadad that the Prophet of Allah r, encouraged the saying of "Hasbi Allah wa Ni‘mal Wakeel"(Allah is my protector and what a great guardian) at the times of distress.
12. It was narrated in Kitab al-Du‘a of al-Tabarani on the authority of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah, r, said “I do not forbid any of you, if the affairs of his living become difficult, to say if he leaves his house, "Bismillah ‘ala Nafsi wa Deeni wa Maali, Allahumma riddani bi qada’ik, wa barakli fi qadri, hatta la uhib u‘ajil ma akhirt, wa la tu’akhir ma ‘ajilt". (The name of Allah on my self, my religion, and my property. O Allah make me pleased with your divine decree, and bless my fate, until I do not love for you to make quick what you have destined to come to me slowly, and I do not love for you to make slow that which you have made come to me quickly).
13. It was narrated in Imam Dhahabi’s Tubb al-Nabawi on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that if one has found himself increased in worries then he should increase in the reading of "la hawla wa la quwattah illa billahil ‘alee al-‘adheem" (there is no power nor strength except with Allah the Most High the Great.)
14. It was narrated in Imam Dhahabi’s Tubb al-Nabawi that when the Prophet Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was worried he would raise his head and say"Subhanallah al-‘Adheem" (Glory to Allah the Great).
15. It was narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “No Muslim is touched by any worry, or sadness, and says: "Allahumma inne ‘abduka, wa ibnu ‘abduk, wa ibnu amatik, nasiyati bi yaddik, madin fi hukmak, ‘adlun fi qada’uk, asaluka bi kulli ismun huwa laka, samayta bihi nafsik, aw anzalatu fi kitabik, aw ‘alamtahu ahadan min khalqik, aw istatharta bihi fil ‘ilm al-ghaybi ‘indak, an taj‘al al-qur’an al-‘adheem rabi‘a qalbi, wa nura sadri, wa jala’a huzni, wa dhahaba hammi." (O Allah, I am your bondservant, son of your bondsman, and son of your bondswoman. My forelock is in Your Hands; Your judgment is continuously being carried out upon me; Your sentence upon me is just. I ask You with every name that is Yours, with which You have named Yourself, brought down in Your book, taught to one of Your creation, or have preferred for Yourself in the hidden knowledge, with You: that You make the Qur’an the spring of my heart, and the light of my chest, and the dispelling of my sadness, and deportation of my concern) except that Allah dispels his worry and replaces his sadness with relief.
16. On the authority of al-Dahhak (may Allah be pleased with him): "Kunta wa takoon, hayyun la yamoot, tanam al-‘ayun, wa tankadar al-nujoom, wa anta hayyun qayyum, la ta’khidhuka sinatun wa la nawm, ya hayyu ya qayyum." (You are and you will be, Living you do not die! Eyes sleep, and stars appear, and you are Living and Sustaining, Sleep nor Slumber overtake you, O Living, O Sustaining)
17. On the authority of Ubai bin Ka’ab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said; ‘I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I supplicate often, so how much of my supplication should I devote to you?’ He replied, ‘as you desire’. I said, ‘a quarter of it?’ He said ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ I said, ‘half of it?’ He said, ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ I said, ‘two-thirds of it?’ He said again, ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ Finally I said, ‘and if I dedicate my supplication in its entirety to you?’ He said, ‘then your worries will be fulfilled, and your sins forgiven.’
18. It has been narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) visited a sick person and asked him, ‘What do you expect from Allah?’ The sick person said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I expect good.’ He Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then said, ‘Expect from Allah what you will, for indeed Allah Blessed and High [deals] with the believer as the believer expects Him to.’
19. On the authority of Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ask Allah the Victorious and Majestic of his favors, for indeed Allah loves being asked, and the best of worship is waiting for relief from Allah Most High.
20. On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: waiting for relief from Allah Most High is worship.
21. On the authority of Muhammad ibn Ali, that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught Ali (may Allah enoble his countenance) a supplication to supplicate from every worry, and Ali (may Allah enoble his countenance) used to teach it to the people and it is: "ya kanatin qabl kulli shay’, ya makun kulli shay’, wa ya kanatin ba‘da kulli shay’, af‘al bi (then state your need)".
22. On the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah enoble his countenance) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: the best of actions of my ummah is waiting for relief from Allah the Victorious and Majestic.
23. Also on the authority of Ali (may Allah enoble his countenance) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Ali “So know that victory is with patience, and relief is with distress and that with hardship comes ease.”
24. On the authority of Sahl ibn Sa‘d al-Sa‘di (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), “Shall I not teach you words which you can find relief through?” He said “yes, O Messenger of Allah.” “Preserve Allah so that he can preserve you, preserve Allah and find him in front of you, you will know Allah through hope, and he will know you through hardships, so if you ask, as from Allah, and if you ask help, ask help from Allah, the pen has written what has happened and what will happen, so if all of created struggled to benefit you with something they would not benefit you if Allah had not written it for you, Victorious is He and Majestic, you cannot have power over Him, so if you can do for Allah with truthfulness and certainty, so do, and if you cannot then indeed patience over what you dislike is very good, and know that victory is with patience, and relief is with distress, and that with hardship comes relief.”
25. On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “indeed help is from Allah Victorious is He and Majestic, which is given to the slave by the strength of his ability, and indeed patience, is given by the strength of his hardships” and he added, “indeed relief is given by the strength of his hardships.”
26. On the authority of Musaylama ibn Mukhlad (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: whoever covers (the faults) a Muslim, Allah covers (his faults for) him in this world and the next and whoever lifts distress upon a distressed person, Allah lifts upon him distress from the distress of the Day of Reckoning, and whoever is there at the need of his brother, Allah is there at his need.
27. On the authority of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: whoever covers (the faults of) his Muslim brother, Allah covers (the faults of) him on the Day of Reckoning, and whoever lifts from his Muslim brother a distress from the distress of the world, Allah lifts upon him a distress from the distresses of the Day of Reckoning, and indeed Allah is of the assistance of his slave, as much as he is in assistance of his brother.
28. On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever is there at the need of his Muslim brother, Allah will be there at the time of his need, and whoever gives relief to the distress of a Muslim, Allah relieves with it distress from the distresses of the Day of Reckoning, and whoever covers (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah covers (his faults) on the Day of Reckoning.
29. On the authority of Ali (may Allah enoble his countenance) , that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever increases in asking forgiveness, Allah will make relief from him from every worry, a way out from every hardship, and provision from where he does not even imagine.”
30. On the authority of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Say;" la hawla wa la quwwatah illa billah "(there is neither power nor strength except with Allah), it is the cure for ninety nine illnesses, and it makes worries easy.”
31. On the authority of Sufyan ibn Sa‘id al-Thuri (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said “O Messenger of Allah, tell me something.” So he said, “O Sufyan, when you find your provision much then increase in asking Allah for forgiveness (istighfar), and when a matter you dislike comes upon you, then increase from saying there is no power nor strength except with Allah (la hawla wa la quwwatah illa billah), and if Allah gives you blessings then increase with praising Allah (al-Hamdulilah).
32. On the authority of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Three men from Bani Isra’il walked, when rain came down upon them they went to a cave, and so a rock blocked the cave, and so they said ‘so let us, each man from us, ask Allah from the best of our actions.’ So the first man said ‘O Allah I had a pretty cousin, and I desired her, and so I spent upon her one hundred dinars, and so when I sat with her in a meeting of man and woman, she said to me ‘fear Allah O cousin, do not consummate except with its right’, so I got off of her, and I left the one hundred dinars, O Allah you know that I did such an action fearing You, so reward me from You, so relieve us.’ So one third of the rock opened. The second man said, ‘O Allah you know that I had two mature and elder parents, who I used to visit in the mornings, evenings, and all times of day, and so I went to them one night, and I found them sleeping, and so I disliked waking them up, and I also disliked leaving them because I had to feed them, and so I stood there until they woke up and then I fed them, O Allah you know that I did such an action fearing You, so reward me from You, so relieve us.’ So the second third of the rock opened. The third man said: O Allah you know that I hired a worker, and so when I paid him his due, he said ‘I worked more than this!’ and so he did not take the pay, and he said, ‘between you and I there will be a day that the oppressed will take their due from the oppressors,’ and so he left, then I went and bought sheep for his due, and I raised them and fed them, and they increased and multiplied, and then after a period, he came to me and said to me ‘You still owe me my due, I did this and that in this and this time’ and so I said ‘take all of these sheep, they are for you’ and so he said ‘you ban me from my due and now you ridicule me?’ so then I replied ‘no take them, as they are yours!’ and so he took them and then started to make supplication for me. O Allah you know that I did such an action fearing You, so reward me from You, so relieve us.’ So the rock moved in totality. The men then left walking.”
33. On the authority of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) on his father (may Allah be pleased with him) on his grandfather (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said “Shall I not inform you and tell you of something, when a distress or hardship from the world falls upon one of you men, and he supplicates with it, Allah will relieve him.” So they said, “yes” So the Prophet Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “the supplication of Dhun Nun, there is none worthy of worship except You, Glory to You that I be from the transgressors! (la illaha illa ant subhanaka inne kunta min al-dhalimeen).
34. The supplication for relief, and it was given by Abu Hamad Dawud ibn Nasir-li-Din-Allah, and his name is Ahmad ibn al-Hadi lil-Haq Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Qassim ibn Ibrahim al-Ma‘raq bi Tabatiba, ibn Isma‘il ibn Ibrahim ibn Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, and he said to me that his family had its roots in the Prophetic Household (may Allah enoble his countenance) , and it was narrated upon the Commander of the Believers Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah enoble his countenance) , and it was said that this came from the People of the Prophetic House (may Allah enoble his countenance) : "la illaha il Allah Haqqan Haqqan, La Illaha il Allah ta‘adan waraqin, la illaha il allah aymanin wa sidqan, ya munazil al-rahma min ma‘adiniha, wa minshi al-baraka min amakiniha, asalaka in tusalee ‘ala Muhammad ‘abduka wa nabiyyik, wa khiratika min khalqika wa safiyak, wa ‘ala aleehi masabih al-dujja, wa a’imatal huda, wa an tufarj ‘anni farajan ‘ajilan, wa tuneelani salahan, li jam‘i amri shamilan wa taf‘ala bi fi deeni wa dunya’a ma anta ahlu ya kashif al-karb ya ghafir al-dhanb, ya Allah, ya rabb".
35. It was narrated by Ayyub ibn ‘Abbas ibn al-Hasan the Wazir of Muktafi – that Ayyub was seen in Ahwaz, in the year 350, that he said: Ali ibn Hamam told me in a chain that I do not remember, that one of the ‘Ara’ib people came to the Commander of the Believers Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah enoble his countenance) while he was very stressed and in hard times and many children, so it was said to him: “I urge you to seek forgiveness (istighfar) for indeed Allah Most High says, “Ask forgiveness of your Lord, indeed he is Forgiving…” So the man returned one more thime and he told him “O Commander of the Believers (may Allah enoble his countenance) , I have asked much forgiveness, and I still do not find relief from what I am experiencing.” Ali (may Allah enoble his countenance) said, “Maybe you are not perfecting your seeking of forgiveness.” So the man said, “teach me!” So Ali (may Allah enoble his countenance) said, “make your intention sincere, obey your Lord, and say: "Allahumma inne astaghfiruka min kulli dhanb qawi ‘allayhi badani fi ‘afiyatik, aw nalathu yadi bi fadli ni‘matik, aw basata ilayhi yadi bi sabighi rizqak, aw itakalta fi ‘inda khawfi min, ‘ala anatik aw athaqta fihi bi hilmak, aw ‘awaltu bihi ‘ala karami ‘afwak, allahumma inne astaghfiruka min kulli dhanb, khunta fi imanati, aw bakhisat bihi nafsi, aw qudamat fihi lizati, aw atharat fihi shahadati, aw sa‘idit fihi li ghayri, aw istawghayt bihi man taba‘ani, aw ghalabat fihi bi fad’ail haylati, aw ahalat fihi ‘alayk ya mawla’i, falam tu’akhidhini ‘ala fi‘ali idha kunta subhanak karahan li ma‘siyati, lakin sabaqa ‘ilmak fi bakhtiyari, wa ista‘mali maradi wa ithari, fahlamat ‘anni, lam tadkhulani fihi jabran, wa lam tahmilani ‘alayhi qahran, wa lam tadhlimani shay’in, ya Arham al-Rahimeen, ya Sahibi ‘ind Shiddati, ya Mo’nsi fi Haddati, wa ya Hafidh ‘ind Gharbati, ya Wali fi ni‘mati, Ya Kashif Kurbati, wa ya Sam‘I Da‘wait, wa ya Arham ‘Abrati, wa ya Maqeeli ‘Ashrati, ya Ilahi bil Tahqeeq, ya Raani al-Watheeq, ya Raja’i fi al-Deeq ya Mawla’I ya Shaqeeq, wa ya Rab al-Bayt al-‘Atiq, Akhrijani min halq al-madayq illa sa‘a al-tareeq, wa faraj min ‘indaka qareeb watheeq, Akshif ‘anni kulli Shidda wa dayq, waakfini mi ateeq wa ma la taeeq, allahumma faraj ‘anni kulli ham wa karab, wa akhrijani min kulli ghamm wa huzn, ya faraj al-hamm, ya kashif al-ghamm, wa ya munzil al-qatar, wa ya mujeeb al-da‘wat al-mudatar, ya rahman al-dunya wal akhira war raheemaha, sal ‘ala khiratika Muhammad al-Nabi wa ‘ala Aleehi al-Tayibeen al-tahireen, wa faraj ‘anni dayq bihi sadri, wa‘eel ma‘ahu sabri, wa qult fihi hayati wa da‘afat lahu quwwati, ya kashif kulli dar wa baleeya, wa ya ‘alim kulli surra wa khafiya, ya arhman al-rahimeen, wa’food amri il Allah, in Allah al-Baseer bil ‘ibad, wa ma tawfeeqi illa billah, ‘alayhi tawakalat wa huwa rab al-‘arsh al-‘adheem".[3] So the ‘Ara’ib said “I have done this seeking of forgiveness much, so Allah took away my sadness, and gave me much provision, and my problems have gone.”
36. On the authority of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said, “I do not pay attention about my current situation, whether I like it, or whether I dislike it, this is because I do not know if the good is in what I like or if it is in what I do not like.”
37. On the authority of Abu ‘Abd al-Sammad al-‘Ami (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said “I heard Malik ibn Dinar (may Allah be pleased with him) say during his illness, and it was the last of the words that I heard him say, ‘How near are blessings to misfortune, they take turns, and in the end they both perish.’”
38. It was narrated that Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah enoble his countenance) said, “patience is like a guarantee of success, and the one who relies on Allah is not disappointed.”
39. On the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah(may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to look at a rock in front of his face, and say “If hardship came such that it would be underneath this rock, then ease would not come until it (hardship) would leave it (the rock). Thus, Allah revealed “Indeed with hardship comes ease, indeed with hardship comes ease.”
40. On the authority of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said, “I do not pay attention about my current situation, whether I like it, or whether I dislike it, this is because I do not know if the good is in what I like or if it is in what I dislike.
41. On the authority of Hamid ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Himyari that he said, “My father was suffering from kidney stones, and I would suffer from the major distress from his intense pain; so I went to Jerusalem, and found Abi ‘Awwam, and told him what was wrong with my father, and so he ordered him to supplicate with this supplication: “Our Lord who’s throne be in the heavens, our Lord who’s name is Holy in the heavens, your will be done in the heavens and the earth, and just as your mercy is in the heavens, so be it on earth, forgive us our sins and transgressions indeed you are forgiving and merciful, O Lord grant us mercy from your mercy, and healing from your healing, on what is upon so-and-so of pain.” (Rabbana al-ladhi fis sama’i ‘arshu, rabbana fil sama’i taqaddas ismu, amruka mad’i fil sama’i wal ard, wa kama rahmatika fil sama’a faj‘alaha fil ard, ighfir lana dhunubana wa khatayana, innaka ant al-ghafur al-raheem. Allahumma anzil rahmatin min rahmatik, wa shifa’an min shifa’ak ‘ala ma bi fulanin min waj‘a.) so he said that his father made this supplication, and the sickness went away.”
42. It was narrated upon Ali ibn Abi Talib, that he said “the best actions of those who experience many problems are waiting for relief from Allah Victorious and Majestic, and patience upon divinely decreed trials.”
43. It was also narrated upon him, that he said, “the intelligent does not fear the first hardship, nor does he become happy from his first good event, for maybe the thing which makes you happy will go away, and maybe the thing that makes you sad will be made easy.”
44. ‘Abdullah ibn Tahir complained to Sulayman ibn Yahya that he feared a calamity is about to strike him, so it was said to him: “O Prince, let your heart not be filled with fear if something happens, if something you disliked happens instead of something you like happening, for indeed after it maybe what you like will happen, and the thing you dislike will go away, so you will be one who is filled with depression and fear. So with this advice the man said you have relieved me of what I feared.
45. It was narrated upon Hasan al-Basri, “Good is that which there is no evil in, it is thankfulness with relief, and patience with problems, how many are those who have a blessing and are not thankful? And how many are those who are faced with problems and are not patient?”
46. Qadi Abu Husayn narrated in his book Kitab al-Faraj Ba‘d al-Shidda, and said that he was told by many of the righteous that they said that on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If I am in a hardship and I expect good times afterwords, it is more beloved to me than that I be in good times, and expect hardship afterwords.”
47. Qadi Abu Husayn also narrated in his book, yet without a chain of transmission that Ali said at times of intense hardship “this is relief,” and at times of hard calamities he would say “this is hope,” and at the times of difficulty he would say “this is ease!”
48. Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to swear by Allah that no servant expects the best from Allah Most High except that He gives him the best.
