We tend to live by setting our minds towards the expectation of some things to manifest, in which such manifestation is expected to bring joy and fulfillment to us. It may come in tangible or non-tangible form, and as this said manifestation can be an object of morals or decentness, it’s possible that it can be a thing that defies every sense of decency, depending on one’s inclination to life.
Our longing expectations of certain situations are heart desires, and often when they are not fulfilled or absence of proving signs of them been fulfilled soon, we end up losing hope and disappointed on their fruition. This is a situation of the mind despairing on hope for a positive result. It may be as mild as just being negative without necessarily giving up on the expectations and it may come as a full blown loss-of-hope that nothing can reverse the mind back to coming to terms with the fact that there can still be ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’, pointing to the need to still possess some hopes of positive light.
Life is a place which is enjoyed by having one’s heard desires fulfilled and in life itself are some things it possesses, which are known to be desired to be possessed, in order to bring comfort and fulfillment. These desires have been tagged as the sweetness of life and possession of them, as believed by some, means living a purposeful life, while their lack means to live in destitution. These desires range from living to non-living material things, as well as non-material things.
For the believer, it’s okay to want the sweetness of the world, but his connection to the fact the Creator’s majestic existence and ability to do whatever he asks from Him, will shield him from overwhelming despair. A mind which is so attached to the benefits of this transient world, with little to no bond with the Almighty, spiritually, is bound to despair at disappointments more often, but a mind that has the reverse of the just described mindset as its case, will often be contented with its position of not-yet-fulfilled, while it yearns positively for a grant of its fervent request soon.
Despair at any slight event of delayed want or request reveals a personality that lacks the understanding of the ways of Allah and that which is shallow in the thought that what we desire may come late or may never come to us, depending on Allah’s will on us. This is a virus that, if it persists, may eventually ruin the mind to totally lose every bit of threshold to bear discomfort. Our last resort should not be to lose hope in unpleasant situations, as it can pave way for the whispers of Shaytan to let the guards down and even stop striving. When what we want don’t come, another way we can stay firm is to believe that a better thing than what we requested may be coming to us, and Allah SWT knows what we know not.
Ismail Abogunde, Editor-in-Chief at The Muslim Voice, Nigeria. Contact: abogundedarey@gmail.com
