Turning Negative Feelings into a Driving Force

A positive driving force that pushes you to rectify your mistakes, correct your situation, and start a new page with your Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. In reality, my brothers, this way of dealing with regret should be a rule in dealing with negative feelings in general. There are many situations that generate negative feelings. Let us review some models of them, the wrong way of dealing with them, and then the correct way of turning them into a positive driving force.

Dealing with Negative Feelings

Questions of Destiny

First, you may be tested, and Satan will cast into your heart questions about destiny to unsettle your tranquility and submission. The mistake is to indulge in these questions and turn away from your Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, while continuing in your sins and mistakes. What have you gained? You have not improved your situation nor have you submitted your heart to your Lord, may He be glorified and exalted.

Rather, the correct approach is to think well of your Lord and leave aside the question "why," which will not benefit you in any way. Gather your Islamic strengths and seek help from Allah the Almighty to drive away these satanic thoughts that threaten your faith. Read the Quran and books of knowledge, contemplate, remember Allah and supplicate to Him, and rid yourself of your sins and mistakes. What will happen then? This doubt will turn into certainty, and this distance from Allah will turn into a turn towards Him.

My Personal Experience

Brothers, this talk is the result of an experience I went through. I would envy brothers of mine in captivity who suffered more than my sufferings. I felt that their psyches were more stable than mine. I would ask them to delve deeper and extract the secrets of their hearts to see if Satan was attacking them to unsettle their tranquility and submission. I concluded that some of them enjoyed continuous contentment, and Satan did not bring these questions about destiny into their thoughts.

I would envy them and be annoyed with myself, saying to it: Every time Satan attacked my heart to try to disturb it regarding destiny, I would gather what I knew from the Book, the Sunnah, situations, poems, and contemplations to repel his attack. I would compose a poem or a thought with which I would prove myself and repel Satan's attack first, then I would share it with those around me. No sooner had the dust of the battle cleared than I saw my enemy retreating defeated, and my love for my Creator had increased, and my faith had been purified, and the certainty of Allah's wisdom and mercy had struck deeper roots in my heart.

The negative feeling itself, if left alone, will sour your relationship with Allah, and if you deal with it in a proper manner, it will turn into love, faith, and certainty. Thus, you turn the weapon of Satan against him and repel his evil plot against him. Perhaps he will say afterwards: "I wish I had not tempted him at all."

Evidence from the Quran and Sunnah

Verse of Surah Al-Hajj

I mentioned my story with Satan's temptations to one of my brothers in captivity, and he said to me: This meaning can be sought and inspired from the Book of Allah. I said to him: Where? He said in His saying, may He be glorified and exalted: {So Allah will cancel what the devil throws in, then Allah will make firm His verses. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. That He may make what the devil throws in a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and those whose hearts are hard. And indeed, the wrongdoers are in a distant opposition. And that those who were given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, so they believe in it, and their hearts humble themselves to Him. And indeed, Allah guides those who believe to a straight path.} [Al-Hajj: 52-54].

Notice: {So Allah will cancel what the devil throws in, then Allah will make firm His verses.} Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, nullifies the act of Satan, and the word of Allah remains true and beneficial knowledge in the hearts. While {That He may make what the devil throws in a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and those whose hearts are hard.} A hard heart and a sick heart is tempted by the devil's doubts and attacks, a heart mixed with desires and attachment to the world, and its owner did not take care of the beneficial knowledge that repels temptations.

On the other hand, he fears that it will remain in his heart and corrupt his faith, so he wants to come with a sound heart. He gathers his faith to repel the attack, increasing his certainty of the truth of the verses of Allah the Almighty and that they are the truth, {And their hearts humble themselves to Him.} The heart prostrates, humbles, and is reassured by the wisdom of Allah the Almighty, and the eye of the heart does not deviate to any doubt or temptation after that. His faith is no longer a general submission from a person to whom no doubt has been presented to refute it, but the doubt has been presented, and he did not let it settle in his heart, but he refuted it and blocked its path. And after it was a source of disturbance, it became a source of certainty.

Words of Ibn Al-Qayyim

There is beautiful speech by Ibn Al-Qayyim with the same meaning: "Thus, whoever knows innovations, shirk, falsehood, and its ways, hates them for Allah, warns against them, and pushes them away from himself, and does not allow them to scratch the face of his faith or leave him with a doubt or a doubt, but rather increases with his knowledge insight into the truth and love for it and hatred for it" -meaning for false things- "and aversion to them, is better than those who do not occur to him or pass through his heart."

Contemplate with me, my brother, beautiful speech and a deep meaning: "Thus, whoever knows innovations, shirk, falsehood, and its ways, hates them for Allah, warns against them, and pushes them away from himself, and does not allow them to scratch the face of his faith or leave him with a doubt or a doubt, but rather increases with his knowledge insight into the truth and love for it and hatred for it" -for false things- "and aversion to them, is better than those who do not occur to him or pass through his heart."

And note, brothers, this does not mean that our speech is limited to scholars who have delved into interpretation, jurisprudence, and religious sciences, but worshiping Allah and fearing Him and hoping for His mercy is all knowledge. He, may He be glorified and exalted, said: {Is one who is devoutly obedient during the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?"} [Al-Zumar: 9]. This worship, fear, and hope all drive to performing duties and avoiding prohibitions. {Indeed, those who fear [Allah] - when an evil suggestion touches them from Satan, they remember [Allah], and at once they have insight. And their brothers - they increase them in error; then they do not stop.} [Al-A'raf: 201-202].

So if this piety is combined with delving into religious sciences, it increases your eligibility to master this skill, the skill of turning temptation into certainty. The negative feeling itself, the questions and doubts that Satan raises, if you leave them, they will corrode, sour, corrupt, and destroy, and if you think well of Allah, they will turn into strength, expansion, certainty, and tranquility.

Dr. Muhammad Daraz, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his valuable book "The Great News": "Every doubt raised against the clear truth, the truth will turn it into an argument for itself, adding it to its arguments and evidence."

Hadith of Temptations

Finally, a great hadith narrated by Muslim that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Temptations are presented to the hearts one by one" -meaning in a continuous manner- "so any heart that drinks them" -meaning the heart sick with desires- "a black spot is placed in it" -black spots- "and any heart that rejects them" -the believer's heart- "a white spot is placed in it, until they become two hearts: one white like the white of eggs, no temptation will harm it as long as the heavens and the earth endure, and the other black, dark like a pitcher, not recognizing good nor denouncing evil except what it has drunk of its desire."

Deal with temptations in the right way to reach the stage where your heart becomes white like the white of eggs, and no temptation, doubt, or temptation will harm it as long as the heavens and the earth endure. And as the proverb says: "The blow that does not kill you strengthens you."

Summary

Are there any other negative feelings that we can turn into a positive driving force? Yes, but to not prolong this for you, we will present them in the next episode, God willing.

Summary of the episode: Do not let the whispers of Satan about the wisdom and mercy of God settle in your heart, but rather seek refuge in God, supplicate to Him, worship Him, repent from your sins, arm yourself with beneficial knowledge, and think well of your Lord, the Most High. And then, these whispers will be a cause for increasing your certainty and love for God, the Most High. Peace be upon you and the mercy of God.