Nowadays it is obvious that every individual more or less is struggling in the hands of loneliness, unhappiness and being concerned which leads us to depression.
As individuals of the modern world we are easily irritated when we are stuck in the traffic, when the neighbor bothers us or the weather is not as what we wish it to be. All of us is used to expect everything to be as we wish it to be. We are inclined to comprehend unexpected events negatively when events occur against our desires or planes. It is not as easy to getting rid of those negative feelings as easy as falling into them. Our minds are always busy with the wrong or good things we had done in the past and we are always concerned about the possibility of having more in the future or losing the good things we have. These feelings, and seeing events from a negative point of view or expecting or being afraid of loosing have encircled us so much that this mood has detached us from being liveliness and being happy with little things. How bitter is that, the human that once had been Ferhat whom has broached the mountain in order to reach his beloved now is hardly getting over the little difficulties of life. This issue has been concerning for those who are studying societies or working with individuals in their fields such as sociologists, physiologists, psychiatrists and theologians.
Those who have fell into depression are trying to find their cures by the drugs written by psychiatrists. But at some point these drugs becomes deficient because of being negative all the time, which opens the door to many another other diseases. Because of these reason which has mentioned above, in most countries many of the thinkers and philologists and also theologians are writing books or giving seminars about the importance of positive thinking.
One of the most significant examples of these kinds of works is Pollyanna, which is familiar with western societies. Pollyanna had thought us the positive way of thinking and to accept things as they are.
However, the positive way of thinking and interpreting events in positive way may be admissible for western societies as a highest point of positive thinking, yet in Islamic thinking this can only be accepted as first steps of being positive and assented.
As it is familiar with everyone, Pollyanna had an accident and lost her positive view towards the situation that she was in. To speak with Islamic terms, it was not the event that was negative; it was her viewpoint that was negative.
We can also comprehend from the changes in Pollyanna’s view that it is very easy to tell other what to do however the main thing to do is to depose what you say.
Being positive means to know that when we face an event, which is hard on our nafs (self) we have to realize that there are many benefactions for us in the event that we don’t comprehend clearly. When a Muslim faces an event which she/he finds it as it hard on her/his nafs (self), she/he remembers the verse: “ You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not.” (1:216) When a Muslim remembers this verse; she/he hesitates to comment on the event negatively nor positively. She/he just says, “What happens is good, God knows the best.” This is like the story in Masthnawi: “ One man had broken his arm, and when he pressed his hand against his arm his pain was perishing. So he begins to live like, this with a broken arm. However a doctor sees him, and understands that he has to be cured so the doctor says, “Please let me fix your arm, a little operation will cure you.” But the man with broken arm was so afraid of operation that he agreed to live with a broken arm, in pain all his life.” The thing that has to be cured is that if he had accepted that little operation that will fix him he would find health in his hole body but he rather surrender to his fear of operation which can be seen as a symbol of the events that, we see as unpleasant. Just like as in this story if we can be little patient towards the things that comes hard on us, maybe there will be many good things will come through the event. This is the truth that is explained as “There is benefactions in every event.” It is also stated in a verse like this: “So truly where there is hardship there is also ease; truly where there is hardship there is also ease.” (94:7)
Even if a person feels sadness about any condition he should remember the verse which says: “But for those who are on God’s side there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (10:62). Muslim cannot fell into depression because getting stuck at the events that occurred at the past causes grief and sadness. And to have concerns and fears about the future cause apprehensiveness and fear. However a Sufi is whom has freed Herself/himself from worldly desires which leads them to a state where there is nor concerns or fears. A Sufi has thrown her/his self to the sea of God that is why they are always in the presence of God. Desires bring sorrows. And a Sufi has reached all his/her desires by reaching God and after reaching has occurred there is nothing more to desire. With this state a Sufi turns into love itself, by reaching the beloved. It is obvious that one whom has cleared her/his self from worldly desires would be protected from sorrows and fears.
Westerns had built their positive way of thinking in their system of values. We want to explain “There is benefactions in every event” in a series of writings which positive view in Western understanding. In these writings Qur’an, Sunnah and the way of Great Mystics will guide us, inshaallah.