Short answer
No. Stoicism gives good habits, but it cannot say why to trust what happens, or whom. It teaches a person to mind what is in his power and accept what is not. Islam teaches these habits too. But the first Stoics did not accept the world as blind chance. They trusted a divine reason that orders all things well. Many readers today keep the exercises and drop that trust. Then acceptance has nothing to rest on. Marcus Aurelius himself could not say whether providence or chance ruled. He did not know if the good live again after death. Islam gives what Stoicism lacks: a Lord who has spoken, who hears, who helps and who will judge. The Qur'an says, "with every difficulty, there is relief" (94:5). It lets the heart grieve, and gives it Someone to turn to.
| Question | Stoicism | Islam |
|---|---|---|
| Why accept what happens? | A wise order runs the world, or perhaps chance | God (﷾) decreed it, and He is wise and merciful |
| Who hears you? | The Universe is addressed, but does not answer | God (﷾) hears everyone who calls on Him |
| May you grieve? | Train yourself not to be disturbed | Tears are mercy; despair is not allowed |
| What follows death? | Not known | Judgement, with full justice |
Full explanation
What Stoicism teaches
Stoicism began in Athens about 300 BCE with Zeno of Citium. Its best-known books come from Roman times. Epictetus was a freed slave who taught philosophy. Seneca was a statesman, and Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome. Epictetus opens his Handbook with one line: "Of things some are in our power, and others are not." Our opinions, desires and acts are in our power. Our body, property and reputation are not. So he advises a person to stop wishing that events would go his way. Wish them to be as they are, he says, "and you will have a tranquil flow of life". He adds that events do not disturb people. Their opinions about events do. Many people today read these books as a guide to a calm life, with no religion attached.
“Of things some are in our power, and others are not.”
“Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.”
“Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things; for example, death is nothing terrible, for if it were it would have seemed so to Socrates; for the opinion about death that it is terrible, is the terrible thing.”
Common ground: habits Islam also teaches
A reader who loves these habits will find them in Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that deeds are judged by their intentions, which are ours to choose. He said: strive for what benefits you, seek God's (﷾) help, and do not give up. If something befalls you, do not say "if only I had done this". Say that God (﷾) decreed it and did what He willed. He said the strong man is not the one who overpowers others. It is the one who controls himself when he is angry. He told a young companion to live in this world as a stranger or a traveller. He said that patience is at the first blow. The Qur'an says every misfortune is written before it happens. It gives the reason: "In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you". This matters because Islam does not ask a Stoic to give up what is good in Stoicism. It asks what that good rests on.
Umar ibn al-Khattab heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say that deeds are judged by their intentions, and each person receives what he intended. A man who emigrated for worldly gain or to marry a woman has only what he emigrated for.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the strong believer is better and more beloved to God than the weak believer, though there is good in both. Strive for what benefits you, seek God's help, and do not give up. If something befalls you, do not say "if only I had done this", but say that God decreed it and did what He willed, for "if only" opens the door to Satan.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: the strong man is not the one who overpowers people by his strength. The strong man is the one who controls himself when he is angry.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) took hold of his shoulder and said: be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller. Ibn Umar used to add his own advice: do not expect the morning when evening comes, and take from your health for your sickness and from your life for your death.
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) passed a woman weeping at a grave and told her to fear Allah and be patient. Not knowing him, she said he had not been struck as she had. When she learned who he was, she came to him. He said: patience is at the first blow.
“No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allah: In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster,-”
The first Stoics trusted a divine order
The Stoics did not accept events only because they could not change them. They accepted them because they believed a wise mind runs the world. Epictetus calls this "the chief thing". A person must hold that the gods exist and "administer the All well and justly". He must yield to all that happens "as being accomplished by the wisest intelligence". Marcus Aurelius writes, "All that is from the gods is full of providence." Epictetus ends his Handbook with a prayer by the Stoic Cleanthes: "Lead me, O Zeus, and thou O Destiny". Seneca writes that no one can be good without divine help. So Stoic calm was never a bare technique. It was trust. This matters because Stoicism without God (﷾) keeps the conclusion and drops the reason for it. If nothing wise is behind events, there is no ground for calling them good.
“As to piety towards the gods you must know that this is the chief thing, to have right opinions about them, to think that they exist, and that they administer the All well and justly; and you must fix yourself in this principle (duty), to obey them, and to yield to them in everything which happens, and voluntarily to follow it as being accomplished by the wisest intelligence.”
“All that is from the gods is full of providence.”
“Lead me, O Zeus, and thou O Destiny, The way that I am bid by you to go: To follow I am ready. If I choose not, I make myself a wretch, and still must follow.”
Seneca tells his friend that there is no need to lift hands to the sky or beg a temple keeper for a hearing. The divine, he says, is near a person, with him and within him: a holy spirit dwells in each of us, marks our good and bad deeds, and guards us. He adds that no one can be good without that help, and that no one rises above fortune unless he is helped to rise.
Marcus Aurelius was not sure
Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations as notes to himself. In them he is honest about what he does not know. He lists three possibilities. "Either there is a fatal necessity and invincible order, or a kind providence, or a confusion without a purpose and without a director". He gives advice for each case, but he never settles which one is true. He is unsure about death too. He asks how the gods could let very good men "never exist again" once they have died. His only answer is this: "if it ought to have been otherwise, the gods would have done it". So the emperor had only his own reasoning to go on. This matters because these are the questions that count most at a graveside. A method for staying calm does not answer them.
“Either there is a fatal necessity and invincible order, or a kind providence, or a confusion without a purpose and without a director”
“How can it be that the gods, after having arranged all things well and benevolently for mankind, have overlooked this alone, that some men, and very good men, and men who, as we may say, have had most communion with the divinity, and through pious acts and religious observances have been most intimate with the divinity, when they have once died should never exist again, but should be completely extinguished? But if this is so, be assured that if it ought to have been otherwise, the gods would have done it.”
Three possibilities Marcus Aurelius listed
- A fixed necessity that nothing can resist
- A kind providence
- A confusion with no purpose and no director
A universe cannot be spoken to
The Stoics often spoke of the divine and of nature as one thing. Marcus prays to the world itself: "O Universe", "O Nature: from thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee all things return". But a universe does not hear a prayer. It does not speak, forgive or judge. So the Stoic can accept, but he cannot ask. Islam teaches that the Creator is not His creation: "there is nothing whatever like unto Him". He hears the one who calls on Him. He has also spoken, through messengers. That is how a person can know what God (﷾) wants, and not only guess. The Qur'an has words close to those of Marcus: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return". The difference is the One returned to. He is a Lord who knows each person, and not the sum of things.
“Everything harmonizes with me, which is harmonious to thee, O Universe. Nothing for me is too early nor too late, which is in due time for thee. Everything is fruit to me which thy seasons bring, O Nature: from thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee all things return.”
“(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).”
“When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.”
“It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.”
“Who say, when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return":-”
Acceptance, with Someone to trust
Islam teaches acceptance too, and gives it a ground. Nothing happens outside God's (﷾) knowledge and will. The Qur'an says, "No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of Allah". It adds that God (﷾) guides the heart of the one who believes in Him. It says you may dislike a thing that is good for you. You may love a thing that is bad for you. "Allah knoweth, and ye know not". So a Muslim accepts what he cannot change because he trusts the One who decreed it. Trust comes after effort. The Qur'an tells the Prophet (ﷺ) to decide, and then to put his trust in God (﷾). It says, "if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him". The Prophet (ﷺ) said the believer's affair is all good. In ease he gives thanks, and in hardship he is patient, and each is good for him. The Qur'an says that those who patiently persevere "will truly receive a reward without measure". This matters because patience in Islam is never wasted. It is seen, and it is repaid.
“No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of Allah: and if any one believes in Allah, (Allah) guides his heart (aright): for Allah knows all things.”
“Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.”
“It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (Their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast Taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).”
“And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.”
Suhayb reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the affair of the believer is wonderful, for there is good for him in all of it, and this is so for no one but the believer: if something pleasing happens he gives thanks, and that is good for him; if hardship strikes he is patient, and that is good for him.
“Say: "O ye my servants who believe! Fear your Lord, good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah's earth! those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"”
God's (﷾) decree
Nothing happens except by His leave
Your effort
Decide and act first
Your trust
Then leave the outcome to God (﷾)
Your patience
Thanks in ease, patience in hardship
Islam lets the heart grieve
Epictetus advises a man who kisses his child or wife to tell himself that he is kissing a human being. He gives the reason: "for when the wife or child dies you will not be disturbed". Islam does not ask a person to love less so as to hurt less. When the Prophet's (ﷺ) infant son Ibrahim was dying, his eyes filled with tears. A companion was surprised. The Prophet (ﷺ) said this was mercy. He said the eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases our Lord. The Qur'an tells of Jacob, who wept for his son Joseph until his eyes turned white. Yet Jacob said, "I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah". So Islam forbids despair and bitter words against God (﷾). It does not forbid tears. The Prophet (ﷺ) himself used to ask God (﷾) for refuge from worry and grief. And for those who believe, parting is not the end. The Qur'an promises to join the believers with their families who followed them in faith. This matters because it is a path an ordinary person can walk. A person does not have to be a sage to walk it.
“If you are kissing your child or wife, say that it is a human being whom you are kissing, for when the wife or child dies you will not be disturbed.”
Anas reports that the Prophet's (ﷺ) infant son Ibrahim was in his last breaths, and the Prophet's eyes filled with tears. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf asked in surprise whether even he wept. He answered that this was mercy. Then he wept more and said that the eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases our Lord, and that they were saddened by Ibrahim's parting.
“And he turned away from them, and said: "How great is my grief for Joseph!" And his eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy.”
“He said: "I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not”
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray: O Allah, I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from weakness and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from the weight of debt and from being overpowered by men.
“And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith,- to them shall We join their families: Nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their works: (Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds.”
| Teacher | What he taught |
|---|---|
| Epictetus | Remind yourself that your child is a human being, so that its death will not disturb you |
| The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) | He wept for his infant son, called his tears mercy, and said only what pleases his Lord |
Help from outside yourself
Stoicism trains a person to stand by his own strength. Seneca even writes that the wise man has one advantage over a god. A god is free of fear by nature, but the wise man frees himself. Yet strength runs out. Seneca himself wrote that no one can be good without divine help. Islam begins from this truth. The Qur'an says, "man was created Weak". It says God (﷾) lays on no soul a burden greater than it can bear. It tells believers to seek help "with patient perseverance and prayer". At least seventeen times a day in his prayers, a Muslim says, "Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek." The Qur'an says that hearts find rest in the remembrance of God (﷾). This matters because the Stoic who fails has only himself to blame. The Muslim who fails has Someone to ask.
Seneca writes that the wise man's life spreads as wide for him as all eternity does for a god. In one point, he says, the sage has the advantage: a god is free of fears by the gift of nature, but the wise man is free of them by his own gift to himself. He calls it a wonderful thing to have the weakness of a man and the calm of a god.
Seneca tells his friend that there is no need to lift hands to the sky or beg a temple keeper for a hearing. The divine, he says, is near a person, with him and within him: a holy spirit dwells in each of us, marks our good and bad deeds, and guards us. He adds that no one can be good without that help, and that no one rises above fortune unless he is helped to rise.
“Allah doth wish to lighten your (difficulties): For man was created Weak (in flesh).”
“On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."”
“O ye who believe! seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.”
“Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.”
“"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
When life feels too heavy
Here the two paths part most sharply. The Stoics taught that when life became unbearable, a person was free to leave it. Epictetus says the door is open. Marcus Aurelius writes of quitting a smoky house. Islam teaches the opposite. Life is a trust from God (﷾), and no hardship makes it worthless. The Qur'an says, "Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful!" The Prophet (ﷺ) told people not to wish for death because of a harm that has struck them. He taught a prayer in its place: O Allah (﷾), keep me alive as long as life is better for me. Jacob told his sons, "never give up hope of Allah's Soothing Mercy". If life feels too heavy for you now, please talk to someone today. The page "Does Islam permit suicide?" lists free help lines.
Epictetus tells his students to examine death and pain as a child should examine a frightening mask: turned over, it does not bite. He then says that if this does not satisfy a person, the door is open, and if it does, he should bear things. The door, he says, ought to be open for all occasions, and so there is no trouble. By the open door the Stoics meant leaving life by one's own choice.
Marcus writes that a person can live here as he means to live hereafter. If others do not allow it, he may leave life, as one who suffers no harm: the house is smoky, and he quits it. So long as nothing of that kind drives him out, he stays and is free.
“O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful!”
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said none of you should wish for death because of a harm that has struck him. If he must wish, let him say: "O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and take me when death is better for me."
“"O my sons! go ye and enquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of Allah's Soothing Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah's Soothing Mercy, except those who have no faith."”
“So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.”
Justice after death
Stoicism says virtue is its own reward. It gives no sure word of a judgement after death. Marcus Aurelius did not know whether even the best people exist again after death. Then the cruel man and his victim end the same way, and the Stoic must accept that too. Islam says the account is still to come. "Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense." God (﷾) will set up scales of justice, "so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least". Anyone who has done an atom's weight of good will see it, and so with evil. This matters because acceptance is easier, and more honest, when wrongs will be put right.
“How can it be that the gods, after having arranged all things well and benevolently for mankind, have overlooked this alone, that some men, and very good men, and men who, as we may say, have had most communion with the divinity, and through pious acts and religious observances have been most intimate with the divinity, when they have once died should never exist again, but should be completely extinguished? But if this is so, be assured that if it ought to have been otherwise, the gods would have done it.”
“Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.”
“We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.”
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”
Islam's answer
So Stoicism is a good beginning, and not enough. Keep its habits: mind your own deeds, accept what you cannot change, and remember that life is short. Islam adds what the habits need. It adds a Lord who decreed what happens and is wise and merciful. It adds His word, which says what He asks of us. It adds prayer, five times a day, to the One who hears. And it adds a Day when every wrong is weighed. The Qur'an says people were not created in jest, and that they were made to serve God (﷾). The Stoics felt their way towards a wise mind behind the world. Islam says that He has spoken. The Qur'an asks to be tested: a book from anyone but God (﷾) would hold much contradiction. Read it in a translation you trust. The pages "Is there a God?" and "Why does God allow suffering?" take the next questions.
“"Did ye then think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?"”
“I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.”
“It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
| What you need | Stoicism | Islam |
|---|---|---|
| Mind what is in your power | ||
| Accept what you cannot change | ||
| Someone who hears you | ||
| A word from God (﷾) | ||
| Room to grieve | ||
| Sure justice after death |
- Given
- Not given
Perspectives
Stoic: reason and virtue are enough
Peace comes from wanting only what is in our power and accepting the rest. Virtue is the only good, and it is its own reward. A wise person needs nothing outside himself.
Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius
Peace comes from wishing events to be as they are (Handbook 8). No belief about God is needed for that.
Rebuttal
Epictetus himself did not think so. He called right belief about the gods "the chief thing", and yielded to events as the work of "the wisest intelligence" (Handbook 31). Without that belief, there is no reason to call what happens good.
Whether providence rules or chance, the same calm applies (Meditations 12.14).
Rebuttal
Calm in every case is not truth in every case. If God (﷾) rules, we owe Him worship and will answer to Him. Marcus could not say which was true. The Qur'an says God (﷾) has spoken, and asks to be tested (4:82).
Death is nothing terrible. Only the opinion that it is terrible disturbs us (Handbook 5).
Rebuttal
That holds only if nothing follows death, and Marcus Aurelius did not know (Meditations 12.5). The Qur'an says every soul will taste death and be paid in full on the Day of Judgement (3:185).
Grief comes from a wrong judgement. Remember that those you love are mortal, and their death will not disturb you (Handbook 3).
Rebuttal
The Prophet (ﷺ) wept as his infant son died, and called his tears mercy (Bukhari 1303). Islam forbids despair and words against God (﷾). It does not ask anyone to love less.
The wise man needs no help from outside. His calm is his own work (Seneca, letter 53).
Rebuttal
Seneca also wrote that no one can be good without divine help (letter 41). The Qur'an says man was created weak (4:28), and teaches him to ask: "Thine aid we seek" (1:5).
Stoicism today: keep the exercises, leave the gods
The Stoic exercises calm the mind whatever a person believes. The old talk of Zeus and providence can be set aside.
A common modern reading
Events do not disturb us; our opinions about them do (Handbook 5). That works with or without a God.
Rebuttal
An exercise can calm a mind. It cannot tell it what is true, what it owes, or what follows death. And the Stoics' own reason for acceptance was a wise order behind events (Handbook 31). Take that away, and only the technique is left.
The Islamic perspective
Islam teaches the habits a Stoic values: effort, acceptance, self-control and remembering death. It grounds them in trust in God (﷾), who decreed what happens and hears those who call on Him. He allows grief, forbids despair, and will judge with full justice.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught people to strive for what benefits them, seek God's (﷾) help, and say of what befalls them that God (﷾) decreed it.
Every misfortune is written before it happens, so that people neither despair over what passes them by nor exult over what they are given.
God (﷾) is not His creation. He hears the one who calls on Him, and He has spoken through messengers.
The believer gives thanks in ease and is patient in hardship, and each is good for him. Those who patiently persevere are promised a reward without measure.
Grief is allowed and despair is not. The Prophet (ﷺ) wept for his son and said only what pleases his Lord.
Life is a trust. The Qur'an forbids people to kill themselves, and the Prophet (ﷺ) taught a prayer for the one who feels he cannot go on.
Every soul will be paid in full on the Day of Judgement, and no one will be wronged in the least.