There are many nurseries on my way to the office. Observing them has always been a source of comfort for my eyes and heart. Their colorful flowers, the beautiful plants, lush trees expose the person passing through the path with a happy mental state.
There is also a traffic signal on this path. Whenever I stop at this signal, I turn all my attention to this beautiful world of flowers and greenery. This attention and concentration makes me familiar with another reality. That is, there are many unpleasant things in this beautiful scene. There are also worms and thorns in the flowers. The color and fragrance of flowering plants is also accompanied by the filth of manure. The lush branches that swing at the height of the trees are raised on the support of a relatively ugly and ill color stem. These and many such essential facts are an integral part of this world.
These facts expose us to a law in the world of God. That is, the principle on which Allah created this world is the principle of trial. Therefore, there is ugliness with beauty, smell with fragrance and worms & thorns with flowers. Similarly, there is always sorrow with grief, difficulty with easiness, comfort with inconvenience and despair with hope. But just as in the world of flowers, we can enjoy colors, fragrance, beauty and greenery by accepting negative realities; similarly, a man can take advantage of worldly blessings by courageously accepting bitter realties rather than being anguished.
In God’s world, there will always be negative circumstances with happy situations. The secret of happiness is to always look at good things. After trying to change what can be changed, everything that is unpleasant should be ignored. That is the secret of real happiness in this world.
Translated by Muzamil Nazeer