This is an excerpt from one of Farhat Hashmi’s speeches. Its translated more or less meaning. My notes are in brackets.
We should close the doors of the past and future. Try to live in the present. Forget the past and stop thinking about the future. Tomorrow is yet to come so why worry about it now? Yesterday that has already went away why think about it? Both are not in your hands (control). Value what is in your hands (control).
And if you look at any illness prevention is better. As we all know proverb ‘prevention is better than cure’. Because depression has stages. If you are in the first stage, getting upset at small things, susceptible to getting sad quickly. Immediately be self aware, ‘no I shouldn’t be investing myself so much into this. What is the reason? Why am I doing this (to myself)?’. Understand what is the cause why you are getting depressed. Give that ’cause’ less importance and significance in your life. Tell yourself this shouldn’t be my priority. If you compare anything against your own self, then forsaking that ephemeral thing might result in something better but forsaking oneself (mental well being) will never result in something better.
“And what will his wealth avail him when he falls?” (92:11)
If human being is destroyed, then wealth is of no benefit (ie human is more important than wealth). What benefit will any blessing of this world bring? (Nothing if you are mentally destroyed everything loses its utility) Thus, we should focus on prevention. Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, immediately ask yourself what is the cause? And address there itself and you are not going to ruminate over it.
We should know ourselves (self aware) to know which things do I fear. One of means to depression is fear. You will see that many fall into depression because they are constantly worried about the unknown. As I said earlier close the doors of the past and future. Only keep the door of the ‘present’ open. For example you live in big house. You are living in one room. It would be wise to close the door of other rooms (you are not using). Why would you leave them open? If they get dirty, you would need to clean them everyday. Until those rooms are not utilized its best to keep them closed. Only keep the room you are in clean. (Similarly) you are now living in the present. Look towards present. Today! is what is valuable. What can I do today? What can I do today that would be beneficial?
Fear is usually associated with what will happen in the future. We believe that everything is in hands of Allah. But our faith in Allah and unseen is not strong. We don’t want to let go control of the future to Allah but we want that to be in our hands. We think decisions and benefit are in our control. While in reality, nothing is in our control. We don’t own have what we have at this very moment (it may not be with us in the future). We are so weak that we are not in control as to what would happen this very moment. There are so many changes happening in this world. Did anyone know that these winds, rain and cold would suddenly envelop the country? No one knew this. 2-3 days earlier people didn’t even think this would happen.
It could be 2-3 days earlier you are looking at the heat outside and get worried, start thinking ‘oh its getting hot’. I can speak for myself if it gets little warmer I start worrying right away ‘Ya Allah’. I place burden on my mind, its going to get hot and I won’t be able to deal with it. Then I became self aware and pacify myself who knows what will happen tomorrow? If I kept ruminating about it, then truly I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything that day. Because I fear heat and if gets really hot I start worrying and lose my ability to work properly. But today its cold, there was no need for me worry so much earlier. Who knew weather would have changed so much? Truly, we don’t know the thing which we fear for in future, will it even exist then or not?
sheikhonderun.wordpress.com
We should close the doors of the past and future. Try to live in the present. Forget the past and stop thinking about the future. Tomorrow is yet to come so why worry about it now? Yesterday that has already went away why think about it? Both are not in your hands (control). Value what is in your hands (control).
And if you look at any illness prevention is better. As we all know proverb ‘prevention is better than cure’. Because depression has stages. If you are in the first stage, getting upset at small things, susceptible to getting sad quickly. Immediately be self aware, ‘no I shouldn’t be investing myself so much into this. What is the reason? Why am I doing this (to myself)?’. Understand what is the cause why you are getting depressed. Give that ’cause’ less importance and significance in your life. Tell yourself this shouldn’t be my priority. If you compare anything against your own self, then forsaking that ephemeral thing might result in something better but forsaking oneself (mental well being) will never result in something better.
“And what will his wealth avail him when he falls?” (92:11)
If human being is destroyed, then wealth is of no benefit (ie human is more important than wealth). What benefit will any blessing of this world bring? (Nothing if you are mentally destroyed everything loses its utility) Thus, we should focus on prevention. Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, immediately ask yourself what is the cause? And address there itself and you are not going to ruminate over it.
We should know ourselves (self aware) to know which things do I fear. One of means to depression is fear. You will see that many fall into depression because they are constantly worried about the unknown. As I said earlier close the doors of the past and future. Only keep the door of the ‘present’ open. For example you live in big house. You are living in one room. It would be wise to close the door of other rooms (you are not using). Why would you leave them open? If they get dirty, you would need to clean them everyday. Until those rooms are not utilized its best to keep them closed. Only keep the room you are in clean. (Similarly) you are now living in the present. Look towards present. Today! is what is valuable. What can I do today? What can I do today that would be beneficial?
Fear is usually associated with what will happen in the future. We believe that everything is in hands of Allah. But our faith in Allah and unseen is not strong. We don’t want to let go control of the future to Allah but we want that to be in our hands. We think decisions and benefit are in our control. While in reality, nothing is in our control. We don’t own have what we have at this very moment (it may not be with us in the future). We are so weak that we are not in control as to what would happen this very moment. There are so many changes happening in this world. Did anyone know that these winds, rain and cold would suddenly envelop the country? No one knew this. 2-3 days earlier people didn’t even think this would happen.
It could be 2-3 days earlier you are looking at the heat outside and get worried, start thinking ‘oh its getting hot’. I can speak for myself if it gets little warmer I start worrying right away ‘Ya Allah’. I place burden on my mind, its going to get hot and I won’t be able to deal with it. Then I became self aware and pacify myself who knows what will happen tomorrow? If I kept ruminating about it, then truly I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything that day. Because I fear heat and if gets really hot I start worrying and lose my ability to work properly. But today its cold, there was no need for me worry so much earlier. Who knew weather would have changed so much? Truly, we don’t know the thing which we fear for in future, will it even exist then or not?
Relief from Depression Part 3
This is an excerpt from one of Farhat Hashmi’s speeches. Its translated more or less meaning. My notes are in brackets. We should close the doors of the past and future. Try to live in the present.…
sheikhonderun.wordpress.com
