Sadness as a Divine Grace
In daily life, sadness, heartbreak, and despair are generally seen as negative situations to be avoided. However, in Sufi ethics, these states are sacred means that bring the servant closest to God, cleansing the rust from the heart. Abdülkadir Geylani (QS) bases his explanation of the sorrow and disappointment as a special favor of God to His servant on the divine decree found in a hadith qudsi: “I am with those who are brokenhearted for My sake.” When the human heart is cleansed of worldly desires, false hopes attached to creation, and the walls of pride, it breaks and becomes desperate. It is at that very moment that this broken and sorrowful soul becomes the purest place for divine mercy to manifest.
The Breaking of Idols in the Heart
By its nature, the heart is only the presence of God (God’s gaze). However, people gradually fill it with false idols such as worldly love, greed for wealth and property, and the desire for reputation. In order to dedicate his beloved servant’s heart solely to Himself, Allah Ta’ala sometimes shakes that servant with severe trials. Geylani (QS) states, “When a heart opens to worldly existence and becomes a guest of nearness to Truth, it will not make requests from servants,” expressing that calamities are like a sledgehammer breaking the idols in the heart. When the heart of a servant who is shaken by disasters and hardships, loses loved ones, or experiences worldly disappointments breaks, all false loves within flow out, making way for absolute love of God.
The True Resurrection Arising from a Broken Heart
For the seeker of truth, crying and being sorrowful is a sign that the heart has come to life with mercy and divine awe. The servant who seeks refuge in Allah Ta’ala in moments of weakness and helplessness attains the secret: “Surrender to His power; if you desire union with Him, act accordingly.” A believer whose tears wash away his worldly ambitions rises up with a brand new spiritual strength from that disappointment. Now, the fleeting sorrows of the world cannot destroy him, nor can false joys spoil him. He has entered the protection of an infinite power, the sole Comforter, God, and has found true tranquility by becoming aware of his own impotence.