The more one ponders over the apparent and hidden favours from Allah The Almighty upon him, the more he will realise that his Lord has granted him abundant blessings and protected him from a number of evils; this will certainly remove grief and anxiety and bring happiness and contentment.Thus, take heed of the advice of the Prophet  when he said: “Look to those who are lower than you (i.e., those who possess less than you) and do not look to those higher than you; this will make you appreciate the bounties of Allah upon you.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Such people get the support and assistance of Allah The Almighty which makes fear vanish, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {“Be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are the patient.”} [Quran 8: 46]


The virtuous and the sinful, and the believer and the disbeliever are the same when it comes to conditioning oneself to becoming brave, which is the natural ability to calm oneself during moments of terror. Due to the believer's strong faith, perseverance and reliance on Allah The Almighty, he emerges stronger than others in difficult situations and this reduces his fear and anxiety and ultimately makes matters easy for him. As Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {“And don't be weak in the pursuit of the enemy; if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allah (for the reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not}.” [Quran, 4: 104]


However, the one who is devoid of strong faith will be the opposite; he becomes anxious, nervous, confused and full of fear; indeed his anxiety and paranoia team up against him. If this type of person does not possess the worldly means to tackle his fear and affliction, then he will collapse because he does not possess the faith which would enable him to persevere during tough times.


Another example of this is when certain frightening or disturbing events occur, such as emergencies or accidents. One finds that a person with sound faith is calm, steadfast, and able to cope with the situation and handle the hardship he is going through; such a person has conditioned himself to receiving such afflictions and this makes his heart stronger and more steadfast, which gives him tranquillity.


These examples show the great difference between a person who has strong belief and acts accordingly, and another who is not at this level of faith. Due to the strong belief of the true believer and his contentment with whatever Allah The Almighty has decreed, if he is afflicted with sickness, poverty or any other affliction, he is tranquil and content and has no desire for anything which has not been decreed for him. Instead, he looks at those less fortunate than him rather than those who are more fortunate and by doing so he becomes happier, even more than one who is discontent despite possessing all the riches of this world.


Many people receive affliction with fear, discontent, sorrow and despair; their life becomes miserable, they panic and become short tempered. Such a person fails to think about the reward that he should be hoping for, nor does he exercise patience that would bring about contentment and thus make life easier for him.


There can be several reasons for this state of mind: the fear of losing the things one desires and cherishes or the greed to acquire more of the same, because man will never reach a point where he is fully satisfied in life.


Different people can have completely different reactions when something good or bad befalls them, and their reactions depend on the strength of their belief and the extent of their righteous actions. One person may receive goodness with gratitude and evil with perseverance, which brings him peace of mind and happiness, causing his grief, anxiety and misery to disappear. Thus, this becomes a cause of positivity in his life. The second person receives goodness with arrogance and transgression; his manners degenerate and become evil; he receives this goodness and utilises it in an unthinking manner; it does not give him any peace of mind and his mind is always restless and agitated.


The Prophet  said: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer! All of his affairs are good and this is the case for nobody except a believer. If he is blessed with prosperity he thanks (Allah) and that is good for him; and if he is afflicted with adversity he perseveres and that is also good for him.” [Muslim]

Having hope in Allah The Almighty bears fruit to the following:

• It makes one strive more and exert greater effort in performing acts of worship.

• It makes one even more inclined to be constantly obedient to Allah The Almighty.

• It makes one enjoy drawing closer to Allah The Almighty, and makes one experience the thrill of supplicating to Him.

• It makes one express his servitude to and need for his Lord, and makes him realise that he cannot do without the favours and kindness of his Lord, even for a period that is as rapid as the blinking of an eye.

• Allah The Almighty loves that His slaves ask favors of Him and supplicate to Him; He is angered by those who shun supplicating and asking Him. The one with hope usually supplicates much more than others who are not, and Allah The Almighty is angry with those who do not harbor any hope in the mercy and kindness of Allah The Almighty. Thus having hope rescues one from the wrath of Allah The Almighty.

• Hope is what makes the person enjoy his journey towards Allah The Almighty and the Hereafter; it makes him steadfast upon the path because had it not been that people hoped for Paradise and that their rewards be multiplied, then nobody would have been able to continue on their path towards Allah The Almighty and the Hereafter.

• It makes one increase in his love for his Lord, because the more he gets what he asked and hoped for, the more his love for his Lord will increase and the more grateful he becomes to his Lord – which is one of the implications of the state of servitude.

• Hope makes one reach the state of being thankful; which is what servitude is all about.

• Hope makes one research more into the Names and Attributes of Allah The Almighty.

• Hope is interconnected with fear of Allah The Almighty, because the one who hopes for the mercy of Allah The Almighty and His Paradise will fear that he may not be doing enough to be worthy of them; this is indeed a wonderful relationship between the two different states of the believer’s heart: hope and fear.

• When one hopes for something and Allah The Almighty grants it to him, this encourages him to ask for more and strive harder to please Allah The Almighty, which consequently increases his level of faith and brings him close to the All-Merciful.

• The more hope that slaves harbor during this life, the more they will rejoice when attaining what they have hoped for in the Hereafter, and the best and highest of all causes for rejoicing is seeing Allah The Almighty and attaining His pleasure.

Furthermore, Allah The Almighty wishes that His slaves fulfil the other ranks of servitude, such as humbling themselves before Him, relying on Him in everything, seeking His support, fearing Him, persevering through His decrees and thanking Him for His bounties. Thus, Allah The Almighty decreed that people sin in order for him to fulfil these ranks, so His slaves seek the forgiveness of Allah The Almighty and humble themselves before Him in order to be forgiven. If people did not sin, they would not feel the need to humble themselves before Him or seek His forgiveness, nor would they repent to Him; this is why Allah The Almighty tests people with these sins, in order to purify their hearts by this humility and seeking His pardon. Thus, a very important aspect of servitude is fulfilled.

After the slave sins, he humbles himself before Allah The Almighty, and then begins to have hope that Allah The Almighty will forgive his sin. This results in the slave’s heart becoming more attached to his Lord.

There are three types of hope, two of which are praised and one dispraised:

1. The hope of an obedient person who hopes for the reward from Allah The Almighty.

2. The hope of a sinful person who hopes for the forgiveness of Allah The Almighty.

3. The hope of a negligent person who continuously sins and then hopes for the forgiveness of Allah The Almighty, without exerting any effort to attain His forgiveness. This is a false hope and wishful thinking, which deceives no one but the one who harbours it; it is by no means considered to be real hope in Allah The Almighty.