Be Good Even if You Don't Receive Good

By: Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim   Source: IslamiCity Sep 4, 2021 No Comments
Man pulling curtain of darkness to reveal a new better world (photo: iStock by Getty Images).


This is a beautiful advice by the great scholar Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya (rahimahullah):

"A friend will not (literally) share your struggles, and a loved one cannot physically take away your pain, and a close one will not stay up the night on your behalf. So look after yourself, protect yourself, nurture yourself and don't give life's events more than what they are really worth. Know for certain that when you break no one will heal you except you, and when you are defeated no one will give you victory except your determination. Your ability to stand up again and carry on is your responsibility. Do not look for your self worth in the eyes of people; look for your worth from within your conscience. If your conscious is at peace then you will ascend high and if you truly know yourself then what is said about you won't harm you.

Do not carry the worries of this life because this is for Allah. And do not carry the worries of sustenance because it is from Allah. And do not carry the anxiety for the future because it is in the Hands of Allah.

Carry one thing: How to Please Allah. Because if you please Him, He Pleases you, fulfils you and enriches you.

Do not weep from a life that made your heart weep. Just say, "Oh Allah compensate me with good in this life and the hereafter."

Sadness departs with a Sajdah. Happiness comes with a sincere Du'a. Allah Does Not forget the good you do. nor Does He Forget the good you did to others and the pain you relieved them from. Nor Will He Forget the eye which was about to cry but you made it laugh.

Live your life with this principle: Be good even if you don't receive good, not because for other's sake but because Allah Loves those who do good."

Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb al-Zurʿī l-Dimashqī l-Ḥanbalī (1292 - 1350 CE / 691 - 751 AH), commonly known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya ("The son of the principal of [the school of] Jawziyyah") or Ibn al-Qayyim ("Son of the principal") for short, or reverentially as Imam Ibn al-Qayyim in Sunni tradition, was an important medieval Islamic jurisconsult, theologian, and spiritual writer.

Related Suggestions

Arafah Supplication (English)
When to Not Say "Insha'Allah"
The Most Comprehensive Du'a Ever Narrated
Read these Powerful Duas for Palestine in Times of Crisis
Laylatul Qadr Dua (English Translation)
Words vs Action: Supplication for Gaza and Humanity
Dua (Prayer) For Laylatul Qadr
The Powerful Night of Ramadan
Preparing For Laylatul Qadr
The Quran and the Power of دعاء (Dua’a)  
The Three Stages of Ramadan
Prophet's Sermon on the Month of Ramadan
 
COMMENTS DISCLAIMER & RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
The opinions expressed herein, through this post or comments, contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of IslamiCity. These are offered as a means for IslamiCity to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of being an educational organization. The IslamiCity site may occasionally contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. IslamiCity is making such material available in its effort to advance understanding of humanitarian, education, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and such (and all) material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.