By Anees Aziz

When it comes to thinking well, in Islam it has to begin with thinking well about God himself.

Islam lays a lot of importance on positive thinking and encourages hope and optimism. And on the contrary forbids despair no matter how bleak the circumstances may be. In fact despair is likened to disbelief in God.

The Arabic term for positive thinking ‘Husnul Zann’ apart from conveying the meaning of positive thinking also conveys the meaning of optimism and of holding good opinion and thinking well about others.

When it comes to thinking well, in Islam it has to begin with thinking well about God himself. There is famous saying of Prophet Mohammad in which he says that God says; “I treat my servant in accordance with his opinion of me.”

A person who always thinks about bad things in his mind and imagines that bad things will happen to him thinks unjustly and unfavorably about God and ends us getting bad things. A person, who has good thoughts, thinks favorably about God, because everything comes into existence through the creation of God, is bestowed with goodness.

Once we have a good opinion about God then it necessary that we must cultivate good opinion about our fellow men and not despise them for some fault that one may see in them.

We must realize that none of us is entirely good or entirely bad so it is not for us to focus on the bad side and be cynical about it rather it is for us to look at the good in others and have good opinion about them and always expect good and positive things from them.

We must go a step further and whenever we meet someone who is in trouble or sick or dejected we should help him by making him see the brighter side of things and fill him with hope and optimism which will help him greatly to rise above his problems.

When we start doing this and make it as a regular practice in our lives we cease to live in a state of hopelessness and false imaginations and thoughts that make our lives miserable and demoralize us.

Instead we live in a const­ant state of optimism which not only transforms our lives but also touches everyone wh­om we come in contact with.

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Taken with slight editorial modifications from www.deccanherald.com.