Life can be so consuming! Family issues, health problems, financial difficulties, weddings, funerals… all can so easily take over one’s mind and life. And amidst all these pre-occupations, you notice that your heart is hardening! But you think to yourself: “Once I resolve this problem, I’ll pay attention to my heart”, “Once I get everything in order, I’ll be able to focus on my own spirituality”… 

But here’s the problem:  every time an issue is resolved, another one rushes in. I finally realized that a life without stress and issues is not real. Could my only solution then be to live as a monk, in some remote cave with no Wi-Fi, on top of some high mountain? Would that bring me the ultimate tranquility?

But then what about the Prophet (S)?He hardly had any time to rest, had all sorts of issues to deal with (financial, marital, political, etc…), yet, he was able to achieve the highest level of spirituality. The same could be said about earlier Prophets (Abraham, Moses, Jesus,…), and countless great people in our history (The Companions, Ibn Hanbal, Salahuddin, Al-Banna, the Ghazalis,…). They all had highly eventful lives, they greatly impacted their world in positive ways, yet they all achieved great spirituality!

Of course, some others did choose the “monk” option. And though it might work for them, they are not the best of believers. The Prophet said:

اَلْمُؤْمِنُ اَلَّذِي يُخَالِطُ اَلنَّاسَ, وَيَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ خَيْرٌ مِنْ اَلَّذِي لَا يُخَالِطُ اَلنَّاسَ وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَاهُمْ

“The believer that mixes with people and tolerates their harm is better than the one that isolates himself and cannot tolerate their harm.” (Hadeeth Hassan narrated by Ibn Omar in Ibn Majah)

So how did those great people do it?
It’s important to remember that Islam did not come down to deal with an ideal, unrealistic world.  Having worldly issues is expected. God does state in the Quran:

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

We have certainly created man into hardship (Surat Al-Balad, verse 4)

One is expected to deal with such issues, while still achieving the great goal of spiritual purity and enrichment. Spiritual growth could still be achieved, even when one is struggling to make ends meet. Actually, a heart going through challenges is softened, and with a little bit of mind gymnastics, the challenge itself can become a tool to grow spiritually.

Specifically, I must resist the constant pressure to separate God from my daily challenges. I have to continuously remember

1) that everything comes from God and nothing happens randomly in this world; and

2) that all relief comes from Him; after all, true spirituality was not meant to be achieved in an isolated cave!