Heartbreak and Divine Manifestation
In Islamic Sufism, sadness is not a psychological crisis or despair; on the contrary, it is a sublime station that detaches the heart from worldly attachments and opens it to God. Based on the prophetic tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “I am with those who are heartbroken,” Sufi scholars believe that Allah manifests Himself in broken and sorrowful hearts. The heart only breaks when it is purified from the desires of the ego, pride, and passions; it is then that this heartbreak becomes the greatest means for divine compassion and mercy to dwell there. A perfect believer does not frown in times of hardship and distress; because he knows that this heartbreak brings him one step closer to his Creator.
Sadness as a Sultan
Sadness is a powerful emotion that, when it settles in the heart, uproots all other transient loves from it. As Attar said, “Sadness is such a sultan that when it settles somewhere, it will never allow anything else to settle there.” Because a sorrowful heart restrains the body from worldly pleasures and delights. A truly sorrowful person is one who does not fear sadness or distress; for he accepts sadness itself as a gift from God. If sadness does not lead to sin, then every kind of it is a great virtue for the believer.
The Balance of Acceptance and Sadness
Crying and feeling sorrowful are the most beautiful signs that the heart softens with compassion and divine fear. Sufi mystics who say, “There is nothing more virtuous than crying,” state that the rust of the heart is wiped away by tears. However, this sadness does not mean rebellion against fate or complaint. The servant who reaches the station of acceptance along with sadness learns to rejoice in the bitterness of adversity and to feel love even within trials. A heart that grieves only for Allah, weeps for its own sins, or for being distant from God, has rejected all the false joys of the world and found true spiritual joy in this blessed sadness.