Learning to Let Go

“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” ― Steve Maraboli

Once, a sister asked me, how should she deal with people who repeatedly hurt her feelings. Have you ever been in that situation? Whilst it's easy to walk away and stay away from acquiantances or even strangers, how do one react if the person is a family member or work-mate or someone you see on a daily basis? Tricky isn't? You can't simply tell the person off as it might jepordise the relationship but at the same time, you can't take the pain anymore. How do you cope with the anger, pain and heartache without confronting the culprit? What do you do when you know that talking to this person will not make a difference but could possibily make things worse?

Well....I'm no expert but I did find myself in such situation a few years back. One thing for sure, it's not a nice situation for anyone to be in. At that time, I felt torn between trying to maintain the peace and to fight for justice and my own sanity. Keeping everything bottled up is also not solution as one can only take in so much before exploding. The negativity will only pull you down and make you feel depress.

"Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you;"
Surah Al Baqara 2:185

My advice is....let it go. Let all the negative emotions go. Sometimes we need to experience hate in order to learn to forgive. Forgive the person and move on. Don't let this person occupy a space in your heart. Trust me, this person is just not worth your attention or losing sleep over. Once you let go, you will not be affected with anything that this person does to you.

"but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind."
Surah Al Maida 5:13

Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,"Be merciful to others and you will receive mercy. Forgive others and Allah will forgive you."Narrated by Imam Ahmad

We must accept the fact that we can never please everyone and that there are bound to be someone who simply hates us. Sometimes, the problem lies not with us but within the heart of that person. Envy, hatred, dislike and grudges are all diseases of the heart that has the potential to blacken one's heart if one is not careful.

If a person does not like you, don't be sad or angry or depress. Just shrug it off, accept the fact and move on. Believe me, you can't make everyone like you. Even our beloved Prophet Muhammad pbuh had 'haters' during his time and yet, he is the best amongst all of us. Aim to please your Creator and not His creations.

Also, always think well of God. If a person has nothing but negativity towards you, then perhaps God is showing you that this person is not someone you should have in your life. As much as you can, keep away from them but if you can't, don't let them get to you.

Worst case scenario, if it still bothers you, just pretend that the person is mentally impaired. That way, hopefully you will be able to deal with it better.

Most important of all, always remember that God Almighty is always near....

"He said: "Fear not: for I am with you: I hear and see (everything)."
Surah Ta ha 20:46