A Life of Security

Abdullah ibn Umar reports this tradition of the Prophet: “When the door of dua (prayer) is opened to anyone of you, it is as if all the doors of divine mercy have been opened. The best dua in the eyes of God is pertaining to health and security (aafiah).” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3548)

Dua in actual fact is an expression of one’s helplessness vis-à-vis God. The truest expression of helplessness is produced only by complete acknowledgement of the greatness of God. As a result of the discovery of God’s greatness, the feeling of total helplessness is born within one. Performing a dua is, in actual fact, a way of expressing one’s feeling of helplessness.

Aafiah means a life of freedom from illness and a peaceful life in the world. In worldly life health and peace are undoubtedly the greatest blessings of God. To excel in anything one needs this kind of aafiah. Finding a life of health and security is not a human achievement; it is bestowed on an individual by God. It is because of this importance of aafiah that a person should keep praying to God for it.

Aafiah (well-being) has nothing to do with wealth or material sources of comfort. Aafiah relates entirely to mental peace. This mental peace is granted to a person by special divine blessing. A person can truly engage in the remembrance of God, dua, worship and God-realization only when he is blessed with a life of peace and security. In this case, it would be right to say that the greatest thing that we should ask of God is aafiah, rather than wealth or material comforts.