Ease Accompanies Hardship and Tribulation

 

 They lead a person’s heart to return to Allah, to stand at His door, implore Him and to be submissive before Him. This is one of the greatest benefits of tribulation. Allah has censured those who are not submissive to Him at times of hardship,

وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ

“W e seized them with the punishment, but they did not go low be fore their Lord ; nor will they humble

them selves.”

al-Mu’minun (23): 76

 

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ

 

“We sent Messengers to nation s before you and afflicted their nations with hard ship and distress so that hopefully they would humble them selves.”

 al-Anam (6): 43

 

One of the previous Scriptures states, ‘Allah puts a servant to trial because He loves to hear his humble entreaty.’ Sa‘ld ibn ‘Abdu’l‘Azlz said, ‘Dawud (‘alayhis-salam) said, “Glory be to the One who causes a person to supplicate when faced with tribulation. Glory be to the One who confers gratitude to a person in a state of ease.’”

Tribulation leads to a servant giving up dependency on the creation and leads him to turn to the Creator alone. Allah has told us that the polytheist turns to Allah sincerely when supplicating to Him at times of need, what then of the believer?!

 

The Benefits of Tribulation by al’Izz Ibn (Abdu’l-Salam):

 

In tribulations, trials, misfortunes and calamities lie a number of benefits;

these benefits have differing degrees of relevance, differing in accordance to the various ranks of people.

 

■ Realising the greatness of Allah’s Lordship and His allencompassing power.

■ Realising the humility and dejection of servitude.

■ Actualising sincerity for Allah, Most High. This is because there is no way to repress hardship except by recoursing to Him and there is no one that one can depend on to remove it except Him.

■ Turning in penitence to Allah, Most High, and directing ones heart to Him.

■ Submissiveness and supplication.

■ Forbearance.1 The ranking of forbearance differs in accordance to the magnitude of calamity; showing forbearance at the onset of the severest calamities is from its greatest mani-festations.

■ Patience and steadfastness in the face of affliction, this leads to Allah’s love and increase in His rewards.

■ Experiencing joy at the onset of calamity because of the many benefits it contains.

■ Being grateful at the onset of calamity because of the many benefits it contains. Comparable to this is the case of a sick person thanking a doctor who has just amputated one of his limbs in order to save his life, even though this would serve to disable him to some extent.

■ Its expiating sins and errors.

■ Showing mercy to those who are undergoing affliction and coming to their aid.

■ Understanding the greatness of the blessing of ease and well-being. This is because blessings are never truly appreciated until one loses them.

■ Understanding what Allah, Most High, has caused to be the outcome of these benefits in terms of reward in the Hereafter.

■ Realising the many hidden benefits it contains. When the tyrannical ruler took Sarah from Ibrahim, one of the hidden benefits of this trial was that later she was given Hajar as a servant who bore Ibrahim, Isma’il, from whose progeny was born the Master of the Messengers and the Seal of the Prophets (ﷺ). Look and see how great the hidden benefit was in that trial!

■ Tribulation and hardship prevents one from evil, vanity, boastfulness, arrogance, ostentation and oppression. It is because of these great benefits that those who were tried most severely were the Prophets, then the righteous and then those closest to them. They were accused of being mad, magicians, fortune tellers; they were mocked and ridiculed.

 The Companions were evicted from their homes and lands, forced to flee leaving their possessions behind them, their tribulations went from severity to severity, their enemies multiplied in number, on occasion they were overcome and defeated, many of them were killed at Uhud and other places and battles, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) received injury in his face, one of his molar teeth was broken and his helmet was crushed into the sides of his head and split to expose his head; his enemies rejoiced and his associates despaired.

 They would live in a constant state of fear, destitution and poverty. They would be forced to tie rocks to their stomachs out of severe hunger and the Masterof the first and last never ate his fill of bread twice in any one day. He was injured in various ways to the point that they accused the chastity of his most beloved wife.

The Prophets and righteous have always faced trials and tribulations, with each person being tried in proportion to his religion. Some of them would be sawn in half but this would not make them renegade from their faith. The state of hardship and tribulation causes the servant to turn towards Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.The state of ease, well-being and blessings causes the servant to turn away from Allah.

This is why they ate scarcely and wore modest clothing etc. so that they could be in a state that would lead them to turn back to Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, and devote themselves to Him.

■ Being pleased and content with the tribulation such that it would lead to the pleasure of Allah, Most High. This is because both the righteous and sinner is afflicted with trial, hence whoever is malcontent at its onset, for him is displeasure and misery in this life and the Hereafter. Whoever is pleased and content with it, for him lies in store the good pleasure of Allah and that is greater than Paradise and what it contains.

 

 

REFERENCE:

Book Name:8 Steps to Happiness

Author:Imam ‘Abdu’l-Rahman Ibn Nasir al-Sa’di [d. 1376H]