Quran and Stress

As part of an exercise to work on self-reflection, I thought of sharing some of my reflections on the Quranic passages that I read on the day-to-day, as a sort of journal. This is by no means an in-depth understanding of the word’s of God via an Islamic perspective. This is just an average Muslim’s thoughts on what he thinks he needs to do after hearing God’s words.

In the 90th chapter of the Quran, called the City, or Al-Balad, there is a verse that talks about God having created man to be in stress [verse 4]. This got me thinking about my life and how anything that has ever happened that was worthwhile, was because of the stress involved. It is through stress that we create opportunities for growth.

Its an analogy that relates to fitness as well. When you stress your body with the appropriate intensity and volume, you give it the opportunity to grow and become strong(er). Our bodies are naturally energy-conserving, physical structures, and so it causes PAIN to put ourselves under stress. Yet, when we do so, we are able to become stronger, handle greater stress, and reach what might be considered pipe dreams, over the course of a lifetime.

When we accomplish those dreams, or milestones, we feel a gush of confidence in ourselves. Our self-esteem rises and we get a greater level of self-value.

God warns in the same chapter that we as human beings should be grateful for what we have and to acknowledge an accountability to God. In a way, we should thank God for the stress that he gives us. He is giving us opportunities to grow and become stronger versions of ourselves. He is giving us opportunity to become vessels of servitude and greatness such that the way we live our lives become examples of God’s greatness.