My condolences to Peshawar School Attack Victims

"O Ibrahim! The eyes shed tears and the heart aches but I will not say anything that displeases Allah. If it was not a certain promise from Allah, that we will follow you in death and meet you in the Hereafter,  I would have wept more and become more grieved by your separation."
These are the words of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as he mourned the death of his infant son, Ibrahim. The Prophet (s.a.w) had fixed his kind lips on the rosy face of his son and bade him goodbye teary eyed and heart broken but with full submission to the Will of Allah.

It is not easy to cope with death of a loved one. Many of us are grieving the deaths of many children in Peshawar school attack. The Prophet (s.a.w) witnessed the death of his six children yet he remained both gentle with his heart and firm in his faith.

The first thing a Muslim should realize is that Allah is our Owner and Master. When He gives us a child or any material blessing, it is out of His immense Mercy and Care. We may be the child's mother, aunt or sister but the child ultimately belongs to Allah. Everything we own is temporary loaned to us by Allah.  When Allah retracts His Blessing, it is His in the first place. We all come from Him and inevitability, we all will return to Him (inna lillahi wa inna ilyihi raji'un). Thankfully, this world is not our forever home; every happiness and sadness here is short lived. Thus, should not be distracted by the ephemeral achievements or setbacks in this world when we are en route to the incessant joys of the Hereafter.

Second, everything happens by the permission of Allah.  The Qur'an beautifully comforts us: “All things (good and bad) are from Allah.” (Quran 4:78). Once we realize that the difficulty is from Allah, and Allah is the Most Loving (Al-Wadud) and the Most Kind (Al-Barr), we will have confidence that there is some good in whatever difficulty Allah has decreed.

Third, Allah tests those whom He loves most.  The Prophet (s.a.w) said: “The greatest reward comes with the greatest trials.  When Allah loves a people, He tests them.  Whoever accepts this, wins His Pleasure”  (Al-Tirmidhi). The Prophet (s.a.w) consoled further: “The path to Paradise is surrounded with difficulties.” Any person who is patient over the difficulties in her life, she will be rewarded with forgiveness of all of her sins to such an extent that she will be saved from the punishment of Hell-fire.  Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said: “Trials will continue to befall the believing man and woman—with regard to themselves, their children, and their wealth—until they meet Allah with no sin on them” (Al-Tirmidhi).

To conclude, life in this world is a traumatic events and moments of happiness in between. Our every day life will be coupled with misery and little bit of bliss. When it comes to social media, you will find a lot sadistic slogans and graphic pictures created not out of respect for the dead but cause a sensation. They want us to be horrified so they can jack up their ratings and  make more money. Don't cause yourself more grief and stress (research shows media can cause PTSD). Don't let the media make you fearful of the tests from Allah. Read and try to understand a little bit from the the Qur'an everyday because Allah promises that the Qur'an is "instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the hearts and guidance and mercy for the believers." (Qur'an, 10:57).