Then he wept more and said, "The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your separation." (1)
إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلاَ نَقُولُ إِلاَّ مَا يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا، وَإِنَّا بِفِرَاقِكَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَمَحْزُونُونَ
Thus spoke God's apostle Muhammad as his small child wheezed and gasped for breath. Traditions explain that the wet nurse's husband was a blacksmith, and all of the smoke and debris from his work had taken a toll on his health.
The Prophet took the baby, kissed him, and his eyes began to shed tears. A disciple asked 'O Prophet, even you are weeping?' to which he replied 'This is mercy' and then spoke what was quoted here at the beginning.
Separation from those you love is always difficult, to grow apart by the circumstances that arise, whether you are the one leaving, or you are left behind as they need to go. It is an indescribably sad period of time when you need to count down the days until the final separation, and you try to appreciate the moments with them for as long as they last, but it is no longer the same as before when you were not aware that there is separation to come.
In reality, there is always a count down to separation. The time that you live with your parents, the time that all of your siblings live in one home with you, the time that you live near your closest friend, the time that you work at a certain company, the time that you are married to someone, the time that you live on earth, and so on.
Separation can become painful when you realize it to be true. Every moment that passes will never come back, and the next moment will be something new. Knowing all of this, it is hard for many people to deal with the emotions they carry, and they sometimes begin to feel that there is no point in seeking anything since there will always be an end to it.
Instead of going down this nihilistic way of thinking, try to appreciate the pricelessness of the present moment. You are existing, alive, healthy enough to read this text and interpret it, and you are a beneficiary of the countless blessings in your life. You have the potential to do so many things of your choice, going places, meeting people, building things, pondering over and imagining anything, and most of all, to dream and make it come true.
This potential to actualize your dreams, to be the change you want to see in the world, to improve yourself to the optimal state, are all open to you. For me, this way of thinking has taken me out of despair and apathy into the excitement and curiosity needed to follow my visions and work toward making a lasting contribution.
I try to think of separation as inherent to all things, which helps deal with it a bit better. You can become more present, engaged and focused with such a perspective.
The divine guidance and prophetic teachings as safeguarded in the Quran and Sunnah, modeled by the Prophet and his disciples and household, are the place that I turn to for consolation, inspiration, purpose and insight.
References
(1) - Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari
