In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most
Merciful.
Bismillahir Rahmanir
Rahim,
I spent a part of my life abroad for studies. Some of it was pretty sad. I
was away from home, family and friends, and I wasn’t really able to make
friends easily, especially with people of other races. It was very lonely, and
often I would get very depressed.
Human beings are very social creatures. We don’t like being alone. Even
the most introverted people, and incidentally I count myself among them, need
others around. There’s not even much need for conversation, just being there in
the same room gives one a warm feeling.
‘If a person were condemned to spend months in isolation, cut off from all
normal activities and interpersonal relationships, a substantial depression
would result.’ says Dr. David Burns, author of Feeling Good. ‘Even young monkeys slip into a retarded,
withdrawn state if they are separated from their peers and confined to a small
cage.’
It’s bad enough when we find ourselves in situations of loneliness, but
it’s worse when we deliberately put ourselves in such a situation. When people
are depressed, they go into a state of inertia, termed by Dr. Burns as
‘do-nothingism’. You just can’t gather enough energy to get up and make
contacts, and you don’t even want to. That sort of problem needs attention.
It’s definitely not healthy to ignore it.
There’s a way of getting rid of this feeling of loneliness. It needs
strength of faith and willpower. In the beginning of surat a-Baqara, Allah Ta’ala introduces the Quran to
us thus:
Alif, Lam, Meem. This is the Book about which
there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - Who believe in the
unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them… [Quran, 2:1-3]
Notice the first characteristic of the Muttaqeen: they believe in the unseen. No matter
where we are, no matter in what desolate conditions, we are never alone. There are at least
two angels with us at any given moment, one on the left and the other one the
right, taking our records of good and evil deeds. We all know it, but since
they are in the unseen, we don’t often realize and feel their presence.
If we obey Allah Ta’ala and
worship Him wholeheartedly, He sends to us guardian angels, to protect us from
all evil:
For each one are successive [angels] before and
behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah . [13:11]
There are other angels who roam around the earth, seeking out gatherings
in which Allah’s name is being invoked. ‘They
sit with them and fold their wings round each other, filling that which is
between them and between the lowest heaven.’ [Muslim]
Angels come and go in day and night shifts. ‘Then those who have stayed
with you over-night, ascent unto Allah Who asks them, and He knows the answer
better than they, "How have you left My slaves?" They reply, "We
have left them praying as we found them praying."’ [Bukhari]
When one recites the Quran, angels come and listen.
Every one of us has a qareen from Jinns and one from the angels.
The angel encourages us to do good.
The angels love those who do good and pray for them. In particular, they
pray for the following groups of people:
- those who
teach people good things
- those who wait
for prayer in congregation
- those who pray
in the first row
- those who fill
the gaps in the rows
- those who eat suhoor
- those who send
blessings upon the Prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam (did you just have an angel pray for you?)
- those who
visit the sick
So next time you feel lonely, do some of the things which will summon more
and more angels around you in sha
Allah.
Courtesy of Understandquran.com
