Obedient Angel
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 | Subject: Islamic Perspective on Trials and Tribulations (Part I)  Tue Sep 06, 2011 11:22 am | |
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Are you a believer having faith in Allah and the Hereafter? Then prepare yourself for trials and tribulations with knowledge from the Qur’an and the Sunnah, for the believer’s heart and soul will for sure be put to test to check the level of faith and trust he/she has in Allah (swt).
Copyright(c) 2004 Mushfiqur Rahman
For my parents Muhammad Abdul-Khaleq and Rashida Khatun, whose faith, piety and righteousness is my inspiration, my supplication to Allah is what He has taught me in the Qur’an:
“My Lord! Show mercy to them as they nurtured me when I was small.”
Understanding the Difference Between the Apparent and the Reality
An individual once asked Sayyid Mawdudi about why many people, despite being good and pious, or apparently innocent, suffer severe tribulations in this worldly life. What wrong could a minor child or an infant, for example, commit so that he or she should have to suffer a fatal disease or even be murdered? Why do we see many good people suffering severe afflictions and calamities that they apparently do not deserve?
Mawdudi asked him to consider a beautiful, well-kept garden and its gardener. The garden has many kinds of plants, each requiring various types of resources and care. It is well kept and healthy since the gardener meticulously takes care of it. He often clears the weeds and unnecessary plants that are harmful for the good plants. He trims branches and leaves to maintain their good health. He waters his garden when needed, or withholds water when that is harmful. It is because of such good care that his garden remains beautiful and healthy.
The weeds or plants that he removes or the leaves and branches that he trims suffer much and complains. Their instincts are reactive to their own physical needs and they have little or no understanding about their surroundings, let alone the rest of the garden. They complain about their immediate needs and sufferings and do not know what is ultimately good for even themselves, much less the entire garden. Mawdudi then asked him to compare the garden with the universe and the gardener with Allah (swt).
The point was well made. The analogy, however, is simplistic, for Allah’s knowledge and wisdom is infinite compared to the finite knowledge of a gardener, and His domain is infinitely wider and more complex than a garden. In this universe where an infinite number of laws, events, variables and factors are at work, each affecting others in complex ways, it is impossible for us to comprehend the full wisdom and purpose behind what we apparently observe.
Parables are sometimes used in the Qur’an to make a point understood. Often, when intellect fails to comprehend a matter, a simple parable can get it across.
The Qur’an mentions an interesting story about Moses in chapter al-Kahf. In this story, Moses met a person named Khidr[1], whom Allah had given “special knowledge”, at a place where “two rivers meet”[2]. Moses asked him for permission to accompany him in his travel. Khidr replied, “You will surely not be able to bear with me. For how can you patiently bear with something you cannot encompass in your knowledge?” After Moses insisted that he would be patient, Khidr allowed him to come with him on condition that he must not question him about anything unless he himself explains it to him.
They came to a place and found a boat. Khidr damaged the boat by making a hole in it. Moses immediately objected saying, “Have you made a hole in it so as to drown the people in the boat? You have certainly done an awful thing.” Khidr replied, “Did I not tell you that you will not be able to patiently bear with me?” Moses pleaded with him, saying that he forgot the promise.
Moving on, they next came to a place where they met a boy, and Khidr killed him. Utterly shocked, Moses exclaimed, “What! Have you slain an innocent person without his having slain anyone? Surely you have done a horrible thing.” Khidr replied, “Did I not tell you that you will not be able to patiently bear with me?” Moses pleaded again, saying that if he ever questioned him again about anything, then he would be fully justified in discarding him.
Moving further on, they came to a town where they found a wall that was broken and falling apart. Khidr repaired the wall to prevent it from disintegrating. Unable to hold his curiosity, Moses told Khidr that if he wished, he could have gotten a payment for it. Perhaps he was hoping that Khidr would explain the matter to him without him asking a question.
That final comment made Khidr discard Moses. “This brings me and you to parting of ways”, he said. “Now I shall explain to you the true meaning of things about which you could not remain patient.” About the boat, he explained, it belonged to some poor people who earned their livelihood from the river.
Nearby, there was an oppressive king who was seizing all boats by force. He damaged the boat so that the king will ignore it. About the boy, his parents were righteous whereas this boy was growing up to be a violent man who would have oppressed them. It was hoped that Allah would now provide them with a righteous son. Lastly, about the wall, there was some buried treasure in there for two orphan boys left behind by their righteous father. By fixing the wall and preventing it from falling apart and thus exposing the treasure, he gained time for the boys to grow up and recover their property.
Before leaving, Khidr made his final comment that none of these was done by his own wish, meaning that he was simply executing Allah’s commands.
There is much debate and analysis by Islamic scholars about whether Khidr was a man or a prophet. Sayyid Mawdudi provides an excellent analysis on this subject and argues that Khidr was most likely an angel. For, it is strictly unlawful for a human being – much less a prophet whose task is to teach people laws and order - to kill an innocent person or damage one’s property. Only after one commits a crime and it is proven in a court of law, can he be subject to punishment by the proper authority. On the other hand, angels are taking people’s lives and causing destructions every moment as they execute Allah’s orders[3]. While no man can see the angels and observe their activities, Allah (swt) privileged Moses to witness the wisdom behind these events so that he can develop an unshakable belief in the works of Allah and His wisdom and realize that what we see on the surface does not always represent the reality. Mawdudi writes:
The narration of Moses’ story here is meant to draw both the unbelievers’ and the believers’ attention to an important fact. Those who are concerned with the external aspects of things are liable to draw false conclusions from their observations. This happens because man is not aware of the wisdom underlying the events that take place under God’s dispensation. One frequently witnesses that the wrong-doers prosper whereas the innocent suffer hardships; those who disobey God and commit transgression live in great affluence whereas those who obey God face adversities, and that the wicked enjoy the pleasures of worldly life whereas the virtuous live in misery. Such spectacles are quite common.
Not knowing why such things happen, doubts arise in people’s minds, leading them, on occasion, to have totally false perception of things. Those who consciously disbelieve and are immersed in the perpetration of injustice and oppression are led to conclude that they live in a disordered and chaotic world, a world which has either no sovereign, or if there is any, one who must have become senseless or unjust. Hence, they conclude that people may go about doing what they please, without fearing that they will be called to account. On the other hand, those who believe in God are heart-broken by what they see around them. It also often happens that when such believers are faced with sever tests, their faith is shaken to the core.
It was in order to enable Moses to comprehend the wisdom underlying those events which generally baffle one’s understanding that God slightly lifts the curtain from the reality which governs the working of the world. In this way, Moses was able to appreciate that appearances are quite different from the reality.[4]
These two stories above – one a parable and the other a real story – brings out a fact that is central to understanding the Islamic perspectives on trials and tribulations, and that is: trials and tribulations is not an end on itself. It is a temporal event and a part of a process beyond which lies the reality of something good and desirable. Unlike Moses for whom the curtain was briefly lifted, a believer cannot see that reality immediately with his mortal eyes, but his faith and knowledge makes him fully confident of that reality.
With that understanding borne in mind, we will now discuss some of the aspects of trials and tribulations from an Islamic perspective.
Allah is in Full Control of the Universe and Fully Aware of All Events
Nothing happens in this world except through the leave of Allah (swt). Therefore, a person who has been suffering from distress should know that Allah (swt) is fully aware of all that has happened or been happening to him. It is not a chaotic world where pain and suffering happens at random, nor is it a lawless universe without a ruler and watcher where the strong – be that a person or a nation – can do whatever it wishes to the weak without a consequence. The believer should know that Allah (swt) is aware of every little details of everything that happens, so much so that not even a leaf falls from a tree without Allah (swt) being aware of it:
He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered) but is (inscribed) in a Record Clear (to those who can read). (6:59)
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 … (57:22-23)
Therefore, the believer should take relief and comfort from the fact that Allah (swt) is fully and intimately aware of his situations. Any harm or injustice that he has been subjected to by anyone, will not go without a consequence. Or if he is suffering from distress and difficulties, then his suffering is constantly being watched by One who is the Most Kind, the Most Merciful.
Goodness is From Allah, Evil is From Ourselves
A believer must have firm conviction that any good that happens to us comes from Allah (swt) and any calamity that befalls us is the result of our own making:
Whatever misfortune happens to you is because of the things your hands have wrought and for many (of them) He grants forgiveness. (42:30)
No affliction great or small afflicts a man but for a sin, but there are more which Allah forgives. (Tirmidhi)
This does not mean that one will suffer, in the form of calamities in this world, the consequences of every sin or mistake he commits. As the Prophet (p) said, Allah (swt) forgives much more sins than the ones from which one suffers or will suffer in the Hereafter. But the important point to understand is that Allah (swt) does not cause injustice to anyone by putting him or her to undue suffering.
Our own experience and observations often point to this fact. When an individuals sits down and reflects upon his difficulties and makes an objective analysis of the events and actions leading to his situations, he will almost always identify some things he did that he should not have done or he did not that he should have done, which led to that situation. For example, for parents who suffer from their rebellious and disobedient teenaged child, it will be found, almost without exception, that they did not arrange his proper Islamic education and a good environment, and did not give it an enough priority to engage themselves with his upbringing. Indifference or inaction can be as serious as committing a sin or making a bad decision, which can lead to grave consequences. If a man, for another example, lives in an oppressive land where he suffers and cannot practice Islam, then he should be proactive and migrate from that place. Staying passive and continuing to suffer there will be considered acts of injustice that he commits against his own self, which can even lead him to Hell. Allah (swt) says about such persons:
When angels take the souls of those who die in sin against their souls they say: “In what (plight) were ye?” They reply: “Weak and oppressed were we in the earth.” They say: “Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to move yourselves away (from evil)?” Such men will find their abode in Hell - what an evil refuge! (4:97)
Now, a god-fearing and righteous believer who has been afflicted with a terrible calamity or injustice may wonder: “What have I done for which I have to suffer as such?” This is a question that probably comes to the minds of many believers afflicted with suffering and distress.
First and foremost, let us be reminded about the fundamental lesson learned from the story of Moses above, which is: there is a reality behind the apparent which can be far different, if not the opposite, from what we observe on the surface. How many times, in our human condition, have we suffered an obstacle or calamity which turned out to be a blessing days, months, or years later? Perhaps we then find ourselves a bit ashamed in front of Allah (swt) for not being patient and thus loosing the opportunity of earning Allah’s good pleasure. Indeed, that is the test from Allah (swt), which some fail, some pass, and a few come out with superb success.
Secondly, even when a righteous believer finds no apparent reason for his calamity, self-scrutiny and objective analysis can point out some mistakes or some incorrect decisions made in the past leading to the situation. If, for example, a righteous and pious person with a very high moral character and conduct marries a person without looking for proper Islamic character and conduct in him or her, and subsequently suffers from a bad marriage and from the actions of that unrighteous spouse, than who else should be blamed other than that pious individual himself/herself? Life is a trust from Allah (swt) which must be utilized to the fullest possible use by every believer and cannot be wasted. Therefore, a righteous believer must be patient until he/she finds a righteous person to marry. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:
Corrupt women are for corrupt men, and corrupt men for corrupt women; good women are for good men, and good men for good women. (24:26)
It is the Righteous Believers Who are Tested With Calamities
Though calamities may hit a believer as a surprise, the reality is that by virtue of being a believer one is supposed to suffer. If a believer understands the Islamic philosophy that this life is a testing ground, then he should realize that this philosophy will be implemented for him in practice while he lives in this testing ground, and not after he dies. Tests are not just limited to see whether one performs the rituals or not. His belief and commitments to Allah (swt), and his focus in the Hereafter will be fully and thoroughly tested with calamities and afflictions to gauge the depth of his faith in his heart. Achieving Paradise will not be easy. It will come only with unshakable faith and trust in Allah (swt). Allah, may He be glorified, says:
Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves. (3:186)
Do men think that they will be left alone on saying “We believe” and that they will not be tested? (29:2)
Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil); but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. (2:155)
Ah! To how many believers these verses come out as relief and solace! How many hearts of believers, with wild storms and waves in there, have calm down when remembering these verses! Day in and day out, these verses have brought the believers to tranquility and provided them with strength. Their souls then speak out: “Yea, we are tested because we are righteous believers.”
To have that feeling of being a righteous believer is very comforting indeed. Do our eyes not always witness the fact that it is the righteous people who always suffer with pain, loss, and calamities one after another while the unrighteous always seem to prosper?
Trials are a Sign of Love By Allah
One individual once told another one who was going through tribulations that Allah (swt) was displeased with him, and hence his difficulties. This man lacked wisdom, for his comment was offensive to the person who was already distressed. More importantly, his understanding was incorrect from an Islamic perspective. The one who received the comment was a gentleman and also knowledgeable in Islam. Thus, it was not surprising that he decided to digest his remark and refrained from giving a response.
There are people who do maintain that incorrect understanding. Whenever they see a believer who is suffering from some calamity or disease, they think that this is a reflection of Allah (swt)’s wrath on him.
They should remember about the Companions of the Prophet (p) who were severely persecuted or even killed after becoming Muslim, an event that wipes out all past sins. Even the prophets of Allah, the best of all people who ever walked on the face of the earth, were persecuted by their community without exception. Was Joseph not thrown into a well, sold as a slave, and then thrown back into a prison? Did Job not face severest of trials one after another, and was eventually left out by all except his wife? In fact, the Qur’an tells us that many prophets were brutally killed by the unbelievers.
These examples should establish the fact that trials and tribulations are not a sign of Allah’s displeasure on someone. Quite the contrary, it is rather a sign of Allah’s love on someone. The Prophet (p) said:
When Allah who is Great and Glorious loves people He afflicts them [with trials]. (Tirmidhi)
Anyone for whom Allah intends good, He makes him suffer from some affliction. (Bukhari)
When Allah intends good for His slave, He punishes him in this world, but when He intends an evil for His slave, He does not hasten to take him to task but calls him to account on the Day of Resurrection. (Tirmidhi)
The punishment in the Hereafter is much severe – in fact unimaginable from our worldly perspective – than any affliction one can face in this world. Therefore, when Allah (swt) loves someone and intends for him or her to go to Paradise, He wipes out his sins and mistakes and rewards him highly by putting him
to afflictions in this world.
Allah Never Gives a Trial That is Too Great to Bear
Human beings are created weak (4:28). When a sudden calamity or distress befalls us, we easily become overwhelmed and often cry out, “O Allah! This is too much for me to bear!”
It never is. The believers should know it for fact that Allah (swt) never puts any burden on a soul that is beyond its ability to bear. Perhaps because we often lose sight of this fact that Allah (swt) mentions this in several places in the Qur’an:
On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. (2:286)
On no soul do We place a burden greater than it can bear: before Us is a record which clearly shows the truth: they will never be wronged. (23:62)
No burden do We place on any soul but that which it can bear. (6:152)
And those who believe and do good – We do not impose upon any of them a burden beyond his capacity. (7:42)
This fundamental truth is actually obvious to a believer who reflects. For, if the point is to test one’s level of faith and commitment to Allah (swt), then it would be an injustice to put a burden on a soul that it will surely fail, and Allah (swt) never commits injustice against anyone:
… nor is thy Lord ever unjust (in the least) to His servants. (41:46)
Verily Allah will not deal unjustly with man in aught: it is man that wrongs his own soul. (10:44)
Therefore, no matter how difficult one’s situation is or how sever his sufferings, he should have absolutely no doubt in his mind he has the ability to deal with the trial. Allah (swt) is Just, and every affliction that He tests his faithful servant with, there is always two viable outcome for him: passing the test with success and thus earning Allah’s good pleasure, or failing it.
The Stronger the Faith, the Harder the Test, and the Greater the Reward
A believer afflicted with a severe calamity should take comfort from the fact that those who have strong faith are given the harder trials. This is established by the Prophet (p). When asked about who suffers the greatest afflictions, he replied:
The prophets, then those who come next to them, then those who come next to them. A man is afflicted in keeping his religion. If he is firm in his religion his trial is severe, but if there is weakness in his religion it is made light for him, and it continues like that till he walks on the earth having no sin. (Tirmidhi)
Why is it, one may ask, that people who are faithful and righteous should have to suffer?
To get an answer, we should ask ourselves: is there any achievement without an effort or any fruit without labor? The obvious pattern that we see in our human experience is that those who work hard and go through the process of struggle are rewarded with success in this materialistic world. The greatest reward of everything that one can imagine is Paradise. In fact, the bliss and happiness in Paradise is so great that one cannot even imagine it (32:17). How can then one expect that he will achieve this greatest success without him being thoroughly tested to see if he qualifies for it?
One should not think that following the rituals, such as making salat five times a day, is enough test for him. The external rituals that we do and the laws of the shari’a that we observe returns immediate benefit to us as they bring peace and happiness to our families and provide us with a healthy social and moral society in which to live and prosper. Thus, one should not expect that observing Allah’s commandments and reaping these benefits in turn is the only tests. The real test is the test of the heart where faith lives, and that is tested with affliction and hardship to check if the faith and trust in Allah is firm and well-rooted or is it weak and superficial:
Do men think that they will be left alone on saying “We believe” and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false. (29:2-3)
Each believer, therefore, must expect to be tested. The stronger his faith, the harder will be the test, and the greater his reward will be if he remains patient having unshakable faith and trust in Allah (swt). The Prophet (p) said:
The magnitude of the reward goes along with the magnitude of the affliction. (Tirmidhi)
And the believers will continue to go through trials and tribulations in their life until their sins are wiped and they die and meet Allah (swt) free from all sins:
The believing man or woman continues to have affliction in person, property and children so that they may finally meet Allah, free from sin. (Tirmidhi)
That is so because Allah (swt), in His Mercy and Generosity, not only rewards one when he is patient through his trials, but also sheds his sins for the pains and sufferings that he or she goes through. No matter how small the trial or how insignificant the discomfort, Allah (swt) will reward him for that and eliminate some sins. Said the Prophet (p):
No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn. (Bukhari)
The question one should ask himself is: “What is my reflex when I do get a prick of a thorn, or stumble on the street and hurt my toe, or my computer suddenly crashes making me loose some work? Does some uncomely word slips through the mouth to release anger and frustration, or do I stay in control and remain calm, patient, and thankful to Allah?”[5]
Believers Must Always Be Prepared to Face Trials
The above discussions should make it clear that believers will be tried with calamities, afflictions, and distress, and these trials will continue to occur during their lifetime until they meet their Lord.
That being the reality, a believer should remain mentally prepared to face any calamity or affliction, although he or she should never seek one. If he is not mentally prepared to face any difficulties in life and then suddenly is afflicted with one, then he may not be able to deal with it properly as he should. It is, therefore, wise that a believer solidify himself with knowledge from the Qur’an and the Sunnah regarding how to deal with trials and tribulations and then be prepared to face difficulties of life, but without seeking or hoping for any trial. This will help him remain calm and patient and pass the test when it comes, insha Allah.
Below, we discuss some of the common forms of trials and tribulations:
Sickness
All living creatures will die to pass the inheritance of this world to the next generations, and with the exception of a few cases, death will come through one sickness or another. This is a reality that all have to accept. No matter how virtuous one is, he is not exempted form sickens and disease. We know the examples of many Prophets who suffered from sickness, such as Prophet Job who suffered from severe skin disorder for years. Prophet Muhammad (p) himself suffered from sickness. 'Aisha, one of his wives, said: “I never saw anybody suffering so much from sickness as Allah's Apostle.”[6]
For a believer, suffering from sickness is not just a reality but also a philosophy that comes with blessings. He knows that Allah (swt) in His mercy will expiate some of his sins if he remains patient through it. The Prophet (p) said:
No Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but that Allah will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves. (Bukhari)
When afflicted with illness and pain, the believer should remind himself, like Prophet Job did, of all the years when Allah (swt) blessed him with good health. He should remain patient and ask Allah (swt) for his Mercy, and that can earn him Paradise. One day, a woman who was suffering from epilepsy came to the Prophet and asked him to make supplication for her. The Prophet (p) replied, “Do you wish that you may endure it and be rewarded with Paradise, or do you wish that I shall make supplication to Allah to cure you?” She said, “I shall endure it.” This woman later became known as one from the people of Paradise.[7]
In a hadith qudsi, Allah (swt) says:
When I affect my slave in his two dear things (i.e., his eyes), and he endures patiently, I shall compensate him for that with Paradise. (Bukhari)
When one suffers through a serious disease which brings prolonged physical pain and discomfort or even the prospect of death[8], only he (or she) can feel the full extent of the pain and distress. No one else can possibly come close to appreciating what he goes through physically and mentally. Yet, let him be reminded that it is perhaps through this sickness and suffering that Allah (swt) intends to bless him with Paradise. There cannot be any reward or success greater than that. So let his or her heart continue to beat with zikr (remembrance) of Allah through this suffering, and his face become radiant with His love. Let the visitors who come to see him be blazed with his unshakable faith and spirit. Let him teach others, even through his sickness, faith and trust in Allah!
Aminah Assilmi, a convert to Islam, mentioned about a person who died of cancer. He was only 20 years old, and yet she was dazzled by this young man’s faith and love of Allah in the midst of suffering. She wrote:
Shortly before he died, he told me that Allah was truly Merciful. This man was in unbelievable anguish and was radiating with Allah’s love. He said: “Allah intends that I should enter heaven with a clean book.” His death experience gave me something to think about. He taught me of Allah’s love and mercy.[9]
Death of Beloved Ones
If one suffers death of someone whom he dearly loved, then he should remember that our children, spouses, parents, friends, and other family members are but trusts from Allah (swt). A wife is a trust to her husband while her husband is a trust to her. A child is a trust to his/her parents while the parents are a trust to the child. As these trusts provide us with comfort and support, Allah (swt) tests us to see how we deal with them and how we take care of these trusts. He reserves the right to take back these trusts, and He does so when the term He sets for a trust expires. The Prophet (p) consoled his daughter when her baby was sick as saying:
Whatever Allah takes away or gives, belongs to Him, and everything has a fixed term (in this world). (Bukhari and Muslim)
Therefore, one should not show despair or displeasure at Allah (swt) but remain calm and patient even at the death of his or her dearest one.
Imam Muslim narrates a hadith about a female Companion of the Prophet that is a paramount example of patience and faith. To reproduce the hadith briefly, her name was Umm Sulaim. One of her sons was very sick while her husband, Abu Talha, was away in business. The son eventually died, and she told her family members not to tell this to her husband when he returns until she breaks this to him herself. When Abu Talha returned, she presented the supper before him and he ate. She then beautified herself in the best way like she never did before.
After they had intercourse and Abu Talha was satisfied, she told him, “O Abu Talha! If some people borrow something from another family who then ask for that to be returned, should they refuse to give it back?”
He replied, “No”.
“Then”, she said, “hope reward for your son”.
Abu Talha immediately understood that their son was dead.
After burring his son in the morning, he went to the Prophet and told him the matter. The Prophet (p) said, “May Allah bless the night you spent together.” It turned out that she conceived that night. When the child was born, the Prophet (p) blessed him and named him “Abdullah”. Bukhari’s version of the hadith says that Abdullah had nine sons, each of whom memorized the entire Qur’an.
When a mother suffers the death of her child, there is no one in this world who can come close to feeling her grief and sorrow. And yet, this otherwise unknown Companion of the Prophet (p) remained patient with Allah as she correctly understood the philosophy of life and death.
The reward for such patience with Allah (swt) at the death of a beloved one is Paradise. Allah (swt) says in a hadith qudsi:
I have no reward other than paradise for a believing slave of mine who remains patient for My sake when I take away his beloved one from among the inhabitants of the world.[10](Bukhari)
Continued in Part II:
https://theislamichaven.forumotion.com/t645-islamic-perspective-on-trials-and-tribulations-part-ii#781
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