Man's everyday life is a combination of pain and gain. Pain and comfort are the inherent elements of this world and our life always fluctuates between them trying to find a balance. Every individual, more or less, shares the same state and there is no way out. Therefore, the relational strategy to face the world is to keep looking at the bright side of the situations and to put away the negative aspects of life. In this article, I am going to report some scientific and Islamic standpoints regarding pessimism.
In the vast universe that Allah has created, the beautiful dimensions are so abundant and observable that the ugly side of the world could be overlooked. It does not mean that human beings should put themselves in negligence; rather, it means that they should get familiar with their capacities of mind so that they could protect it against pessimism. If you don’t open your eyes to the beauties of the world and ignore them blindly, you will not enjoy anything. Even a flower is going to hurt you with its thorns. People who get used to thinking that evil has surrounded them will live a miserable life. It is a famous saying that if you laugh at the world, it will laugh at you as well. The negative effects of pessimism are not restricted to causing mental health only; they may harm your body as well.
Pessimism can be a risk factor for physical and mental illnesses. According to a study, having a pessimistic attitude can increase the risk of death from heart problems, while an optimistic outlook could contriubute largely to the health of mind and body. When you are picturing the worst scenario, the brain releases more cortisol and this high cortisol level can reduce the volume of the brain. As a result, pessimism can kill the brain cells. Islamic teaching is replete with advice and warning against pessimism and developing a negative outlook.
The Holy Quran considers pessimism a sin and forbids Muslims to think negatively of each other. “O you who believe! Avoid most suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin. (Qur`an 49:12)
Imam Ali (as), the commander of the faithful, warned Muslims to avoid suspicion, because suspicion ruins worship and makes sins greater.( Ghurar al- Hikam p. 154) He also says that suspecting your loved ones causes the relations to worsen and finally to be cut off, “He who is overwhelmed with suspicion does not leave any peace between him and his beloved one.” (Ghurar al-Hikam p. 698)
In another tradition, Imam Ali (as) indicated that whoever suffers from suspicion is deprived of having a healthy body and soul. “A suspicious person can never be found healthy." ( Ghurar al-Hikam p. 835)
When the Messenger of Allah went to Medina, a man came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah! People of this town are men of goodness; they are kind; you have done the right thing in coming here.” The Messenger (pbuh&hf) said to the man, “You speak the truth.” Another man then came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah! People of this town are evil, it would have been better if you did not migrate to them!” The Messenger of Allah said, “You speak the truth.” When people heard the Prophet’s reply to those men, they asked him why he gave the same answer to both of them. The Prophet answered, “Each of them spoke that which was in his mind, therefore both of them were truthful”. The Prophet meant that each of the men was truthful about himself.