Islamic Optimism

That reminds me of an article by Hala Bader al-Humaidhi in the Gulf Times entitled, "Lighten up, forgive yourself!" who wrote, "Wisdom does not appear out of thin air, it can take time and experience and for that, one has to be patient. While being patient; one has to be optimistic as well because without positive vibes everything is rendered bleak. Islam preaches optimism and patience for this very reason. No person ever ascended to the status of a hero without first suffering from the past and then learning from it."

So too, Arfa Sarfaraz Khan, President of the United Muslim Sisters of Latrobe Valley, told me,  "I believe optimism is the strength for survival, so I try to stay optimistic. And my faith, Islam sees optimism as a strength and pessimism as a sin."

And an interesting article by Shaykh Abdullah Waheed entitled "Optimism in Times of Adversity: How The Prophet Did It",  concludes with a prayer, "We ask Allah to grant us the ability to maintain our optimism in our adversities. We ask Allah to grant us an understanding of Islam so that we may help others overcome their adversities. We ask Allah to relieve the adversity of the Ummah."

Mona Mobarek in "Hardships met with optimism"

"The Quran for Muslims is a healing power and a great source of comfort for those who read and understand its meaning and message. This is why Muslims who practise their faith sincerely, are eternal optimists. No matter what they are facing, there is a strong conviction that everything is temporary and that good and bad come in cycles. We believe with hardships comes ease so after all that how can one not have hope and comfort knowing God is the ultimate source of hope."

Eman Sakina in "Positive thinking and optimism is the command of Allah"

"Positive thinking and optimism are most important as they relate to our prayers, supplications, and acts of worship. A prayer or supplication that is offered with certainty that Allah will answer is far more effective and beneficial than a weak prayer. For this reason, the Prophet told us to pray to Allah in the certain knowledge that he will answer.  The believers should be optimistic and not pessimistic or cynical. There are no omens in Islam (or signs that predict the future), but believers are always expecting the best from Allah even if they do not know exactly how it will be."