484. Not to despair when confronted with difficulties and hardships.
In these verses (2:124, 2:155, 2:249, 3:152, 3:154, 3:186, 5:41, 5:48, 5:94, 6:53, 6:165, 7:163, 7:168, 9:126, 11:7, 16:92, 18:7, 20:40, 20:85, 20:90, 20:131, 21:35, 21:111, 22:11, 23:30, 25:20, 27:40, 27:47, 29:3, 33:11, 38:24, 38:34, 39:49, 44:33, 47:4, 47:31, 54:27, 60:5, 64:15, 67:2, 68:17, 72:17, 76:2, 89:15, 89:16) of the Quran, we see it saying the blessings and difficulties on men are trysts on them.
A number of confusions that believers and disbelievers face during their life are solved with this belief.
Some people who observe the good among the people struggle while the evil thrive with all kinds of benefits in their life are confronted with a question: God exists, with this kind of happenings around.
And they are also faced with the same kind of confusion when they come across people born with all kinds of deformities.
Islam houses in itself an excellent ideology that provides a clear solution to these kinds of confusion.
The Almighty created man on this earth to face trials by Him. And He will be resurrected after his death to be subjected to questioning by the Almighty, to be assigned a place in hell or heaven or depending on the outcome of the questioning.
Since this world is the testing grounds for men and women, Islam says not be deceived by the happenings in this world, where those with good deeds live an inadequate life and others with a good deal of bad deeds flourish. Because the Almighty takes trial of each and every person in this world albeit in different ways and on different levels. These confusions become meaningful only when a person is bestowed with 100% of all kinds of riches and benefits and not even an inkling of bad news. But the Almighty never seems to have given all good to a person, and there is not a single person on earth who has not had at least one mishap.
When we keenly observe a person showered with all kinds of blessings we see many blessings not granted to him are with us.
Poverty, sickness, not good looking. strengthless, no children, being oppressed by the powerful, unending debts, matchless life partner, disobedient children, passing away of near and dear ones, physically challenged, loss of memory, loss of thinking power, illiteracy and thousands and thousands of other drawbacks are faced by different men at different parts of the world. The Almighty would have slapped a person with poverty and diseases.
But a person granted with riches and health may have some kind of issues to confront with, maybe God had given him an in cooperative wife or children or some other drawbacks.
The objective of God Almighty is to test men either by giving riches or denying him the same.
When Allah burdens us with additional hardships during his trial of us, we need to tolerate the hardships with patience, which will result in great gifts for us in the hereafter, and we do not lose anything living a virtuous life and this strengthens more our resolve to live a virtuous life.
When we encounter difficulties living a virtuous life in this world, we get recompensed for it in the hereafter with greater rewards, and at the same time if we violate God’s commands compromising values to make a good living in this world, we need to be ready to receive punishments for the same. This kind of thinking will protect us from being misguided in this world. A strong conviction in ourselves, that if we violate proper norms in this life in order to live a desirable life, we will be taken to task in the hereafter, would protect us from being misled.
Prophet Muhammad has clearly given us guidance on this aspect.
Prophet Muhammad said:
Whoever Allah chooses to do goodness, He lets him undergo trials and tribulations.
(Book: Bukhari 5645)
Prophet Muhammad said:
Allah does not remain without forgiving the sins of a person who has been subjected to misery, diseases, sadness, worries, disturbances, etc., including a thorn prick.
(Book: Bukhari 5642)
Adhau bin Abi Rabah (RA) was asked by Ibn Abbas (RA) if he would allow to show him a person who was promised paradise. Adhau bin Abi Rabah consented and Ibn Abbas pointed out to a black woman, and said, one day the woman approached Prophet Muhammad asking him to pray to God for her relief from the fits she experienced very often, at which time her clothes were thrown inappropriately, to which the prophet replied to her saying, If you desire, I will pray to the Almighty for you to get rid of your fits, but if you can forbear the sufferings during your fits, you will be rewarded in the hereafter multifold for your patience in this world. Then she requested the prophet to pray to the Almighty that her clothes may not be thrown away when she experiences fits. . The prophet then prayed for her.
(Book: Bukhari 5652)
Just as the good deeds remain a reason for a person to drive him towards paradise, so does a person’s tolerance towards hardships.
Prophet Muhammad said:
Allah says: I will take away from my slave what he loves most (his both eyes) in this world, and if he tolerates and maintains patience, I reward him with paradise in place of them in the the hereafter.
(Book: Bukhari 5653)
If we are to enjoy all the pleasures granted to us by God in this world, we need the pair of eyes to enjoy the same, with the help of the eyes we choose the best of everything in this world.
If we are denied the opportunity of having vision in this world the loss is unimaginable. And at the same time if we could tolerate such a huge loss and maintain patience the Almighty offer us Paradise in the hereafter world. ,
Prophet Muhmmad said:
I am amazed at believers, all aspects in their life bring benefits for them throughout their entire life, this cannot be found in the life of others. They are thankful to the great Lord if any happiness arrives on them, and it results in goodness to them and if something untoward happens to them they maintain patience, resulting also in their good favor.
Book: Muslim 5726
(2:155) We shall certainly test you by afflicting you with fear, hunger, loss of properties and lives and fruits. Give glad tidings, then, to those who remain patient;
The Quran 2:155
Sa’ad (RA) narrates :
I asked Prophet Muhammad, Oh! Messenger of God, tell me who is the one who is the most tested by the Almighty? The Prophet replied, It’s the messengers of God who are the most tested by the Almighty, next to them are others like them and others similar to these, and each man is tested by the Almighty, as per his steadfastness on his belief in his faith. And if he is not strong in his belief, he is tested to the extent of his belief, and in case he proves to be very strong in his beliefs, the more he is subjected to tribulations in his life. The tests and tribulations remain all through his life for a slave of the Almighty, till he becomes totally rid of sins.
Book: Tirmidee 2322
Comprehension of these truths in one’s life would lead to an understanding God is not unjust to any of his slaves in this world and if all trials and tribulations in life are borne by them with patience and perseverance, prove to be giving them peace of mind.
More over there is another reason the Almighty has left his slaves remain with grievances and shortcomings, the reason being, if this world is required to function smoothly, the haves and have nots are to be distributed appropriately.
And if each one of us are in a position to own about 1000 acres of land individually, no one would like to work for others, leading to a situation where none of us would be rendered unfit to tend to our own lands resulting in chaos and hunger.
This is the reason Allah has blessed and granted different people with grievances and sufficiency.
Based on the needs of a patient, a physician’s livelihood is run, and on the requirement of a physician’s need, the life of a pharmacist is decided, and on the requirement of a pharmacist a businessman’s life is dependent upon. And in the same way the lives of a farmer and that of a businessman are interdependent making the world function smoothly connected to a supply-chain working in tandem.
