The Road to Inner Peace and Tranquility
However, like anything in Islam, the road to tranquility is not a state of being. It is a path that has to be walked upon and deeds that need to be done for us to reach that station where we are at peace with ourselves.
Part of the desire to achieve tranquility has been embedded in ourselves. Allah put inside of us an emptiness that can only be filled by Allah. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim writes a profound paragraph on this.
“In the heart, there is a sense of untidiness which can only be gathered by turning to Allah. In the heart, there is a sense of loneliness that can only be removed by coming closer to Allah. And in the heart, there is fear and anxiety, which only leaves by fleeing to Allah. And in the heart, there is a sense of regret, which can only be removed by being satisfied with Allah.”
Tranquility and inner peace can only arrive when we reach a position where we know the reality of our life, and the Majesty of Allah. It is understanding the verse of Surah Ar-Rahman where Allah says:
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍۢ , وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
Everyone that is thereon will pass away; There remaineth but the Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory.— M. Pickthall
{Quran 55:26-27)
Everything that is done without seeking the pleasure of God will just go, but that which is done seeking His pleasure and His Grace, will endure and live on. This changes our perspective on life completely.
Death, loss, heartbreak, and detachment are no longer as painful as they used to be, because at the end of the day, expectations come down to zero.
When one expects nothing, everything they get is a source of pleasure, and everything they do not get is not something that is that troublesome.
The focus in life becomes Allah, Master of the Universe, not how many likes one gets on Facebook, who likes their picture, who gave a compliment, etc.
Life seems much more than these petty issues. One learns to forgive those who hurt them, cherish those who love them, and to subdue the ego, because what use is an ego for one who is going to be worm buffet six feet under the ground two days later?
