One of the Salaf said, “When I am afflicted with calamity, I praise Allāh four times: I praise Allāh for it not being worse than it is, I praise Allāh for nourishing me with the ability to bear it patiently, I praise Him for granting me the accord to say, ‘To Allāh we belong and to Him we return,’ and I praise Him for not making the tribulation in my religion.”
Looking to relief through patience is an act of worship since tribulation never remains forever.
Patiently bear every calamity, take heart,
Know that harm never endures forever.
Be patient, just as the nobles were patient:
It is a fleeting event; here today, gone tomorrow.
If the most severely afflicted person were to be dipped but once in the bliss of Paradise and then asked, “Have you ever seen calamity?” He will reply, “My Lord, no!” [1]
Hawā is the inclination of one’s nature to what suits it and that should not be criticized when what is sought after is lawful. However, it should be dispraised when one is excessive in following Hawā. That said, when Hawā is criticized in an absolute manner, it is because most of it is either impermissible, or because people usually interpret lawfulness, and hence indulge in it in excess.
Just as hereditary disposition is hidden (1), “bad characteristics are [also] hidden;” (2) because character is transferable, and [first] impressions are major abductors of hearts, and people are like the flocks of birds, naturally disposed to imitating one another; so beware of associating with whosoever is to this liking; for it is indeed destruction, and “prevention is better than cure.”
It is reported from Al-Hasan Al-Basri that a man said to him, “You have gossiped about me.” He (Al-Hasan) said, “You have not reached such a position that you can control my hasanaat!” 1
Confidence is tranquility, and it increases with time and intuition. The heart attaches itself to one whom it trusts, thus it becomes reliant upon him. Similarly, if the heart reaches Allaah, it becomes lovingly subservient to him. Consequently, he will be the only source of aid for this heart.
Al Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad said,
“Today, everyone is an ‘aalim and they’re always saying nahnu (we).
“We try to keep our body healthy, and while we know we cannot see bacteria and viruses, if we are told that a certain place might contain them which may make us sick and might even kill us, we would avoid that place to protect our body. Doubts are also invisible at first, but we do not worry about protecting our faith the same way as we do the body. We fail to realize that what we hear and read can later affect our faith. That those same things can lodge onto the heart – creating a sick heart, or even a dead one. We think we can spot all dangers. We can’t. So we stay away to protect our deen from the dangers we cannot identify.“
Tawheed First 