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Tranquility was a characteristic of Ibrahim (Abraham), may Allah exalt his mention, in his confrontation with his father, his people, and An-Namrooth (Nimrod) the tyrant. Tranquility was also his characteristic when he left his wife Hajar, may Allah be pleased with her, and his only son Ismaa‘eel (Ishmael), may Allah exalt his mention, in Makkah. It was also his characteristic when he was about to slaughter Ismaa‘eel, may Allah exalt his mention. Ibraaheem, may Allah exalt his mention, was indeed composed and assured during all incidents and affairs in his life.
Tranquility was also the characteristic of Musa (Moses), may Allah exalt his mention, in his confrontation with Pharaoh. Likewise, he showed tranquility when he was encouraging the children of Israel to be firm. He said (what means):
{“Seek help through Allah and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.”}
[Quran 7:128]
He was also tranquil when he was facing certain destruction; the sea was before him and Pharaoh was behind him. Thereupon, the Children of Israel said what is mentioned in the verse (what means): {Indeed, we are to be overtaken.}[Quran 26:61] However, Moosa, may Allah exalt his mention, replied saying what is mentioned in the verse (what means):
{No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.}
[Quran 26:62]
Tranquility was the characteristic of Yusuf (Joseph), may Allah exalt his mention, in his confrontation with his brothers and the woman who tried to seduce him. He was also tranquil when he was imprisoned, and after assuming a position of leadership in Egypt and when he supplicated to Allah The Exalted saying what is mentioned in the verse (what means):
{“My Lord, You have given me [something] of sovereignty and taught me of the interpretation of dreams. Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous.”}
[Quran 12:101]
Tranquility was one of the attributes of the Prophet, 
, that was mentioned in the previous scriptures, such as where it is stated: “I [Allah The Almighty] will send an illiterate messenger; he will be neither impolite, rough nor noisy in the markets. He will not be obscene or vulgar. I will make him tranquil and good.”
, and the hearts of the believers. Tranquility implies spirit and power; hence, it reassures those who are frightened and consoles those who are distressed. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “We would say that tranquility was materialized in ‘Umar’s, may Allah be pleased with him, tongue [speech] and heart.”
saying: ‘When the Iqaamah is pronounced, do not go to prayer running; you should walk calmly with tranquility. Pray what you catch in congregation and complete what you miss.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim], also said:“When the Iqaamah is pronounced, do not get up until you see me. Then get up with tranquility.”[Al-Bukhari, also said: “Make things easy for people, and do not make things difficult for them, and make them tranquil [with glad tidings] and do not repulse [them].”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim], said to the people on the evening of ‘Arafah during the Farewell Pilgrimage: “O people! Proceed with tranquility.”
, said: “That was tranquility, which descended as a result of the recitation of the Quran.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim], also said: “Any group of people who assemble in one of the Houses of Allah to recite and study the Quran, tranquility will descend upon them, mercy will overwhelm them, angels will surround them, and Allah will make mention of them [to the angels].”[Muslim], said: “Pride and arrogance are the characteristics of camel owners, whereas, tranquility and dignity are characteristics of sheep owners.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
said in his book Madaarij As-Saalikeen, “Whenever Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah found things difficult, he would recite the verses mentioning tranquility. I heard him say about a difficult situation that happened to him during his sickness, ‘When I got very sick, I asked those who were around me to recite on me the verses that speak about tranquility. Once they did, I recovered completely.’” also said, “I read these verses and I found that they had a great influence on the assurance and tranquility of the heart.وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ نَبِيُّهُمۡ اِنَّ اٰيَةَ مُلۡکِهٖۤ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِيَکُمُ التَّابُوۡتُ فِيۡهِ سَکِيۡنَةٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ وَبَقِيَّةٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ اٰلُ مُوۡسٰى وَاٰلُ هٰرُوۡنَ تَحۡمِلُهُ الۡمَلٰٓـئِكَةُ ؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيَةً لَّـکُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
“And their Prophet said to them: “The Sign of his dominion is that in his reign the Ark, wherein is inner peace for you, will be brought back to you, and the sacred relics left behind by the house of Moses and the house of Aaron borne by angels. Truly in that is a Sign for you, if indeed you are people of faith.””
(Surah Al Baqarah:Ayat 248).
According to this noble verse, objects relating to divine persons, such as prophets, are holy and bring tranquility; thus, Muslims consider everything that belongs to the Holy Prophet and his family as sacred objects.
Their Prophet proclaimed, "The sign of the blessings of Talut's kingship over you is that Allah will give you back the Tabut (wooden box) that has been taken from you." Allah said:
(wherein is Sakinah from your Lord) meaning, peace (or grace), and reassurance. `Abdur-Razzaq stated that Qatadah said:
(wherein is Sakinah) means grace. In addition, Ar-Rabi` said that Sakinah means mercy. This is also the meaning given by Ibn `Abbas, as Al-`Awfi narrated.
Allah then said:
(...and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind,)
Ibn Jarir related that Ibn `Abbas said about this Ayah:
(...and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind, ) Meaning, Moses' staff and the remnants of the Tablets. This is the same Tafsir of Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ar-Rabi bin Anas, and `Ikrimah, who added, "And also the Torah." `Abdur-Razzaq said that he asked Ath-Thawri about the meaning of,
(...and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind,)
Ath-Thawri said, "Some said that it contained a pot of manna and the remnants of the Tablets, while some others said that it contained (Moses') staff and two shoes (and refer to 20:12)."
Allah then said:
(...carried by the angels.)
Ibn Jurayj stated that Ibn `Abbas said, "The angels came down while carrying the Tabut between the sky and the earth until they placed it before Talut while the people were watching." As-Suddi said, "The Tabut was brought to Talut's house, so the people believed in the prophethood of Sham`un (Simeon) and obeyed Talut"
The Prophet then said:
(Verily, this is a sign for you) testifying to my truth in what I was sent with, my prophethood, and my command to you to obey Talut,
(if you are indeed believers. ) in Allah and the Hereafter.
- The perfect tranquility
Tranquility has different levels, but the best and most complete is that of the heart because it is created only as a result of a good relationship with God while the other levels of tranquility are provided by other factors such as sleep, sexuality, yoga, etc. Allah has said that He has sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers; as He sent down His Book to His Messenger:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوٓا۟ إِيمَـٰنًۭا مَّعَ إِيمَـٰنِهِمْ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًۭا ٤
“It is He who has sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they may add faith to their faith. To Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
(Surah Al Fath: Ayat 4).
According to this verse, tranquility has a descending nature on the part of God; therefore, it has the divine spirit, and when it descends upon a heart, in fact, a heavenly state will be dominant and man will enjoy it infinitely.
Allah sent down the Sakinah into the Hearts of the Believers.
Allah the Exalted said,
(He it is Who sent down As-Sakinah), meaning, tranquility. Qatadah commented, "Grace into the hearts of the believers", that is, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, on the Day of Al-Hudaybiyyah. The companions were those, who accepted the call of Allah and His Messenger and obeyed the decisions of Allah and His Messenger. When their hearts felt content with acceptance and were at peace, Allah increased their faith, joining it to the faith they already had. Al-Bukhari, and other Imams, relied on this Ayah as proof that faith increases and decreases in the hearts. Allah the Exalted said next that had He willed, He would have inflicted defeat on the disbelievers, Allah says;
(And to Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth) and had He willed to send only one angel to them, that angel would have brought destruction to all that they had. However, Allah the Exalted willed Jihad and fought to be established for, and by, the believers for great wisdom, clear reasons, and unequivocal pieces of evidence that He had in all this. This is why Allah the Great said next,
(and Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise.) Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,
(That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to Gardens under which rivers flow to abide therein forever,) We mentioned the Hadith that Anas narrated in which the Companions said, "Congratulations, O Allah's Messenger! This good news is for you, so what good news do we have" Allah the Exalted sent down this Ayah,
(That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to Gardens under which rivers flow to abide therein forever,) meaning they will remain in Paradise forever,
(and He may expiate from them their sins;) Allah will not punish them for their errors and mistakes. Rather, He will forgive, absolve, and pardon them and cover the errors, grant mercy and appreciate,
(and that is with Allah's supreme success.) Allah the Exalted said in a similar Ayah
,
(And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.) (3:185) Allah said,
(And that He may punish the hypocrites, men and women, and also the idolators, men, and women, who think evil thoughts about Allah,) who question the wisdom in Allah's decisions and think that the Messenger and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, might be killed and exterminated. This is why Allah the Exalted said,
(for them is a disgraceful torment. And the anger of Allah is upon them, and He has cursed them) He has cast them away from His mercy;
(and prepared Hell for them -- and worst indeed is that destination.) Allah the Exalted and Most Honored asserted His ability to take revenge from the enemies of Islam and all disbelievers and hypocrites;
(And to Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.)
PS- What is the story behind the "Ark of the Covenant" in Islam?
I am reading the whole Quran for this Ramadan. I have only ever read two-thirds of it.
I was reading "The Cow" chapter and some of the verses talk about the story of the leaders of the Children of Israel who came after Moses, and how they asked one of their prophets to set up a king for them and they would fight in God's cause yet when they were commanded to fight all but a few of them turned away. Then it says:
'Their prophet said to them, "God has now appointed Talut (Saul) to be your king," but they said, "How can he be a king over us when we have a greater right to rule than he? He does not even have great wealth." He said, "God has chosen him over you, and has given him great knowledge and stature. God grants His authority to whoever He pleases: God is magnanimous, all-knowing." Their prophet said to them, "The sign of his authority will be that the Ark of the Covenant will come to you. In it there will be the gift of tranquility from your Lord and relics of the followers of Moses and Aaron, carried by the angels. There is a sign in this for you who believe.'
So what exactly is the story behind the Ark of the Covenant? I know that a historical Christian military, the Knights Templar, went on a quest to find it from King Solomons's temple/castle. Legend has it that it is being protected in one of the oldest church grounds in Ethiopia.
