I have chosen the following two Qur’anic verses that both characterize loss (or hard time) as well as indicate how best to deal with those times. These thoughts are ones that I grew up hearing and ones that I certainly find my mind turning to in times of loss and hardship. I thought it might be a great addition to the resources page considering we didn’t dwell on religion too much, though the lessons here are (of course) applicable outside the realm of religion as well. Let me know if I need to choose something else instead.

“For indeed with hardship there will be ease.” Qur’an 94:5

This verse speaks to the Islamic idea that every soul will be tested in one form or another in this life, but that with “every down there is an up.” It gives hope for better times to come while also recognizing the true and natural place of hardships in this life. No hardship lasts forever.

“...but give glad tidings to the patient ones. Who when afflicted with calamity say ‘truly to Allah we belong and truly to him we will return...’” Qur’an 2:155-157

This verse speaks to one of the most important Islamic ideals: patience. Patience in the face of hardship, patience in the face of loss is celebrated as an ideal to strive for. Moreover, the expression of patience in hard times and not is something that will be “rewarded by God.”

Finally, the part of the verse that says “Truly to Allah we belong and truly to him we shall return” is said every time someone dies. It is the standard, almost ritualistic, utterance when a person dies. We are of God, and we return to God. This life is temporary (not to diminish its value, but to frame its place within a broader view of life and afterlife) and there is an eternal one to come.