The Ease That Comes with Hardships

Allah Taala decrees in the Quran:

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster (bala) strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.” (Al-Baqarah, 155-157)

Bala (disaster) means to test, to examine, to put to trial. Words like ibtila (being stricken with disaster) and mubtala (person stricken with disaster) also use this root word. Although now these words are only used negatively, our testing by Allah Taala means that He is putting us through trials, which in turn may result in good (khayr.) This is our creed.

In the abovementioned ayah, our Rabb tells us “We will put you to various trials.” Trials (imtihan) are a necessary part of life, we are sent to this world to be tested. However, it should be remembered that trials do not come only from troubles and scarcity. Plenty, welfare, and prosperity are also trials and can only be passed by qualifying. Qualifying or paying due for blessings (nimah) means to know Who grants them, to be thankful, and to abide by the related rules and prohibitions of Islam.

For almost two years now we have been experiencing a global pandemic. We need to carry on in a way that is allowed, without abandoning precautions. If we can make use of this pandemic period as a means to purify our faith, deeds, and manners, our patience will grow stronger, and we will gain much spiritual benefit, inshallah.

Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has plenty of advice on this matter. Let us recall some of them:

A man approached Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and asked:

– O Messenger of Allah! My whole property is gone. I lost my health as well.

Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

– There is no good (khayr) in the person whose property has never decreased and who has never become sick. When Allah Taala loves a servant of His, He gives him/her some troubles and tribulations. When He gives these, He also makes that person patient. (Munawi, Fayzul-Qadir, 6/426)

Muadh bin Jabal’s (radiyallahu anh) son passed away while he was outside of Medina. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) wrote a letter to him, kindly informing him of the situation and advising him to be patient and forbearing.

This is the letter:

“With the name of Allah, Rahim and Rahman (The Most Compassionate and the Most Merciful.) From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, To Muadh bin Jabal…

May the salam of Allah be upon you.

I praise Allah, other than Whom there is no God. May Allah increase your rewards. In the face of this trouble, may He bestow upon you great rewards and give you strength to stand firm. May He provide us and you with shukr (towards Him.)

Then you should know that our lives, properties, and families are the gifts and trusts of Allah Taala. He made it fard (obligatory) that we do shukr to Him for the things He granted and have patience when calamity strikes. Your son, too, was the gift and trust of Allah Taala. He provided you with joy and delight by this nimah and blessing. Then, He took him back in return for a great reward. If you have patience and await your prize, there will be good rewards for you.

O Muadh! Your grief should not lead you to behaviors that will annul the recompense and the reward (thawab) Allah will grant. If you knew the reward you earned in return for this calamity, you would see that the trouble is less than its reward.

Know that lamenting does not bring the deceased back, nor does it remove the grief. Remember the ending that is also sure to come to you, so that your sadness vanishes.

May the salam of Allah be upon you.”

(Abu Nu'aym, Khilyat’ul-Awliya, 1/243; Haythami, Majma’u’z-Zawa’id, 3/3; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3/274)

Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), who is the pride of all the universe, decreed that it is necessary, in the face of a test, that the heart should be awake and patience should be shown the moment a calamity strikes. As it is decreed in the Qur’an al-Karim: “Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’” (Al-Baqarah, 156) Thus, it is decreed that we say this in the face of all kinds of trouble. The sentence “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un”, which is usually recited when the news of someone who passed away arrives, is the sentence that is decreed in the abovementioned ayah, and ought to be recited on every occasion that presents us with hardship. This is called “istirja” which literally means “to return” but as a term, it means the recital of the sentence in the ayah, and adopting behaviour congruent with it.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “When even one of your shoelaces snaps off, he ought to do istirja and make dua, because this is a type of calamity as well.” (Daylami, Musnadu’l-Firdaws, 1307; Ibn Sinni, Amalu’l-Yawm wa’l-Layla, 352)

By this Hadith, we see that when we do istirja, we will always be doing tafakkur (contemplation) which will lead us to meet all calamities knowing that we are in a world of tests.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anh) told:

“One day I was riding pillion (the additional seat behind the saddle, usually on camels) with Rasulullah (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam). He told me:

-My little son! Should I teach you some things that Allah Taala will give you benefit by?

I replied:

-Aye, O Messenger of Allah.

He said:

-Protect the rights of Allah Taala, so that He may watch and protect you. If you protect

Allah’s rights, you will always find His help beside you. Do not forget Allah in times of plenty and comfort, so He remembers (helps) you in times of scarcity and trouble. When you are going to ask for something, ask from Allah. If you are going to plead for help, plead with Allah!

Know that even if all the creation gathered and wanted to help you in a matter that Allah did not destine for you, they would not be able to do so. Again, even if all the creation attempted to harm you, they could only do the harm Allah has destined for you. Because the pen that wrote the qadar (fate) is not writing anymore, and the written is certain not to be altered.

Work for Allah with shukr and surety (yaqin). Know this, for sure, there are many khayrs (good) in showing patience towards something you do not like. Allah Taala’s help arrives alongside patience. There is no comfort and salvation without suffering. There is an ease with every hardship.” (Tirmidhi, 2516; Ahmad bin Hanbal, al-Musnad, 1/293, 307)

With His tawfiq and inayah…